Suit pants without the jacket?

[dualpupil]

This is probably a really basic question, but I'd appreciate your help. Is it ok to wear suit pants without the jacket? As in with a nice dress shirt with no tie?

 

[Lord Gladstone]

No problem with it. Just don't wear such an outfit to work.

 

[dualpupil]

Ha! Thanks for your reply. Funny thing is that where I work, the expected dress is downtown, casual street wear (I work for a design firm.) If I were to wear anything remotely "dressy" my colleagues would suspect I was interviewing elsewhere.

 

[Metlin]

Originally Posted by dualpupil

This is probably a really basic question, but I'd appreciate your help. Is it ok to wear suit pants without the jacket? As in with a nice dress shirt with no tie?
You could wear it, but I'd not recommend it since jackets tend to be worn less than the pants, and as a result, pants tend to get worn out a lot more quickly than the jacket. So, while you may wear suit pants without any problem, you would be shortening the life of your suit considerably, unless you've suit separates.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

I would not do it for the reason Metlin stated. That is the reason you find orphaned suit coats in thrift shops and on eBay. Buy some seperate trousers and save your suits.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by JimInSoCalif

I would not do it for the reason Metlin stated. That is the reason you find orphaned suit coats in thrift shops and on eBay. Buy some seperate trousers and save your suits.

Cheers, Jim.
+1

 

[arvidg]

Of course, the advice above may not apply if:

1) your suit came with extra trousers, or

2) you wear the coat separately as well, e.g. with jeans.

 

[JayJay]

If I had to wear suit pants, then I'd wear a solid or Glen plaid, but not striped.

 

[billiebob]

The only problem I have with it is the possibility of damaging the pants so the suit jacket is no longer useful, or when it's a bolder pinstripe suit. Judging by the large number of pinstripe odd trousers in stores, people do wear them, but I'm not a fan.

 

[stickonatree]

if it's plain, it should be okay. however, like others have voiced, it's not advisable due to the fact that trous wear out faster than jackets.

 

[TintinATL]

I think it can be done. At this time of year in Atlanta, it's really too hot to wear a jacket, and when I'm driving to work I always take my jacket off anyway. After a while, I figured there wasn't much point in taking the jacket with me just to carry it over my arm from the car into the office, hang it up in the office, then carry it back out to the car again. So, if I'm sure I won't need it to meet with a client, I leave the jacket at home and just wear the pants.

As mentioned, there is a danger that the pants will wear out faster.

As for pinstripes as odd pants, I think that's okay, but it IS a bit fashion-forward. I have a pair of pinstripe odd pants, which I purchased as such. Something about the cut (probably the low waist) stops them looking like the bottom half of a suit missing its jacket. They are Hugo Boss, which probably won't impress most people here.