Joseph Abboud and Green Label Ralph Lauren Sports Coats - What's the Harm?

Until very recently I regarded these as high end items; until I stumbled across this forum! I have a few Joseph Abboud and Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Green Label) sports coats. They fit me well, in fact better than most of the Brooks Brothers sports coats/blazers I tried recently (before tailoring), and I like at least their fabrics designs. I do now realize that they use fused construction etc. but to some extent what's the harm, at the price they go for I can have several instead of one or two from Brooks Brothers (even on sale) or even higher end brands.

Enlighten me, what's the harm in adding more Joseph Abboud or Green Label Ralph Lauren jackets to my wardrobe? I do have two Brooks Brothers sport coats awaiting tailoring, but don't want to hike up the price of all items in my wardrobe to that level.

There is no harm. There was (and maybe still is) a period here where if your coat wasn't canvassed with loads of handwork it was considered trash. As long as the coats fit and feel right and you like them, wear them well.

One thing I will add is that if you are buying those brands at full retail you may be able to find higher quality garments on sale at near the price. The latter will be more salable later on than the former.

You'll find (as with your question on "French" or double cuffs) that you'll get seemingly impossibly incompatible advice here on this subject. Inevitably, someone is going to point out that if you only spent $100 or $200 more, you could fnd something of much higher quality on the Buying & Selling forum here, on Ebay, from several SF preferred vendors, on and on. And that's true. It fundamentally bothers a lot of members here when someone goes into Macy's or wherever and pays $400 for a green label Lauren sportcoat when you can pretty easily find Caruso, Isaia, etc. here new for the same price if you're willing to look around and have some patience.

But if you already have the jackets, and they fit your needs and look good on you, I certainly wouldn't toss them out or give them away purely because you discovered Styleforum and suddenly decided that fused construction sucks. If the jacket looked good (or bad) on you before you got here, it still looks the same, regardless of how it's made, after you found SF. Certainly if you spend enough time here you'll learn to make good decisions and get the best value in your purchases, but sometimes, depending on where you are and your work dress requirements, it really doesn't make much difference if you're wearing a fused jacket or not.

Hopefully what you'll discover here in not so much that bargain hunting obsession or a reflex to automatically praise or dismiss a particular label for any reason, but the vision to know, in a much more enlightened way, what really does looks good on you. Then it won't matter what the label is.



cncrd said:

You'll find (as with your question on "French" or double cuffs) that you'll get seemingly impossibly incompatible advice here on this subject. Inevitably, someone is going to point out that if you only spent $100 or $200 more, you could fnd something of much higher quality on the Buying & Selling forum here, on Ebay, from several SF preferred vendors, on and on. And that's true. It fundamentally bothers a lot of members here when someone goes into Macy's or wherever and pays $400 for a green label Lauren sportcoat when you can pretty easily find Caruso, Isaia, etc. here new for the same price if you're willing to look around and have some patience.
But if you already have the jackets, and they fit your needs and look good on you, I certainly wouldn't toss them out or give them away purely because you discovered Styleforum and suddenly decided that fused construction sucks. If the jacket looked good (or bad) on you before you got here, it still looks the same, regardless of how it's made, after you found SF. Certainly if you spend enough time here you'll learn to make good decisions and get the best value in your purchases, but sometimes, depending on where you are and your work dress requirements, it really doesn't make much difference if you're wearing a fused jacket or not.
Hopefully what you'll discover here in not so much that bargain hunting obsession or a reflex to automatically praise or dismiss a particular label for any reason, but the vision to know, in a much more enlightened way, what really does looks good on you. Then it won't matter what the label is.

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I have a problem with the bolded part.



NORE said:

I have a problem with the bolded part.

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well, there is good and bad fusing. I know fusing is the boogieman of this forum but the reality is that fusing can be preferable in very light weight jackets (borrelli and cantarelli come to mind as they have used fusing) without any negative consequences. Also, the good fusing being done now, you could not really tell nor would the coat feel differently nor would it spontaneously combust. There is more fusing being done by brands that people here love, then is being admitted.



edmorel said:

well, there is good and bad fusing. I know fusing is the boogieman of this forum but the reality is that fusing can be preferable in very light weight jackets (borrelli and cantarelli come to mind as they have used fusing) without any negative consequences. Also, the good fusing being done now, you could not really tell nor would the coat feel differently nor would it spontaneously combust. There is more fusing being done by brands that people here love, then is being admitted.

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I get that. The OP named two specific brands and is considering adding more of those brands since he likes them so much. Common sense should dictate that he isn't going to purchase a very heavy coat (fused or not) to be worn in an extremely hot environment, and vice-versa.



NORE said:

There is no harm. There was (and maybe still is) a period here where if your coat wasn't canvassed with loads of handwork it was considered trash. As long as the coats fit and feel right and you like them, wear them well.
One thing I will add is that if you are buying those brands at full retail you may be able to find higher quality garments on sale at near the price. The latter will be more salable later on than the former.

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+1 to this. I think there is also a lack of gushing over these brands because frankly they don't fit a lot of folks that find their way to this forum. I myself am in that "OTR rarely works because [insert reason here, including too boxy, too long, too short, too ugly, etc]" crowd. When you Google other clothing brands in an attempt to find a good match, then you'll start hearing about the Caruso''s and Borrelli's of the world, at the same time people dissing everything else that can be found in a department store. If you find something that fits nicely and you like the value for your money, then by all means fire away and wear them proudly.

To me, it's also about environment...if you happen to be working for Isaia then you might look out of place with a Lauren jacket. But if you're in an office environment where everyone raves over the JAB 3-for-1 sales, then you will be fine. If it fits correctly it will stand out in a good way. And since they are sport coats then you're probably not wearing them so much that some of the negatives of cheaper construction start to show. Just take good care of them - steaming, brushing, etc.

Agreed, the reality is that outside of big banks in NYC or actual fashion houses, people who really know or care about suit construction or a pair of fine leather shoes are few and far between. Even in big law firms, you'll regularly see people walking around with their old Kenneth Cole square toes and suits from JAB or Lauren Ralph Lauren. No one really cares about how you dress as long as it's within a (broadly conceived) range of what qualifies as professional attire.



CousinDonuts said:

+1 to this. To me, it's environment...if you happen to be working for Isaia then you might look out of place. But if you're in an office environment where everyone raves over the JAB 3-for-1 sales, then you will be fine. If it fits correctly it will stand out in a good way. And since they are sport coats then you're probably not wearing them so much that some of the negatives of cheaper construction start to show. Just take good care of them - steaming, brushing, etc.

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I have a problem with the bolded part...



NORE said:

I have a problem with the bolded part...

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what do the Isaia guys wear in the office? probably not anything from Macy's, but just a guess.



CousinDonuts said:

what do the Isaia guys wear in the office? probably not anything from Macy's, but just a guess.

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actually the Isaia guys in the NYC office dress not unlike the Thom Browne guys, very short suits/pants and stuff a size too small.



CousinDonuts said:

what do the Isaia guys wear in the office? probably not anything from Macy's, but just a guess.

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I'm not in the know here but taking cues from RL employees at the mansion I don't believe they would wear clothing purchased at Macy's while working there. Just a hunch.



NORE said:

I have a problem with the bolded part.

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Everyone doesn't, by the nature of his work and the resources at his disposal, require the justification of the clothing we all worship here. A lot of people work in a position that requires them to be nicely dressed, but not beyond reasonable presentation.

I work with a lot of government and education clients, and many of them- teachers, mid-level department heads, etc.- wear the same class of garment as the OP named. They dress as nicely as they can, their clothes are clean and cared for well, and they wear their Lauren green label jacket to work, take it off, and hang on a hanger behind the door, and there it stays all day. Of course something better-made is alway nicer to have and to wear, but in the case of, say, a public school teacher who's doing the best he can to look good, it's a bit of overkill to have the argument with himself about whether or not he can bear to wear something fused. I only throw in this unlikely SF browser becasue one of my friends, who is a public school teacher, has gotten some good advice from SF after I introduced him.

On the other hand, I worked recently on a development study group with two senior corporate officers with a major national bank- way above the normal VP designation that everyone there seems to have- and both of them were dressed in mid-level Joseph A. Bank suits. To the non-SF crowd, they looked fine, showed cuff, did what reasonable tailoring could do, just not in SF-approved clothing. They commented on my tie, and we started talking about clothing. These are guys who could easily have anything they wanted, but both of them made the comment that there was no way anyone's job- theirs included- required more than a serviceable, reasonably tailored suit like their JABs. They didn't brag about being cheap; if it hadn't come up because of the tie comment, it never would have been mentioned. They just couldn't see the value in spending $$$ on what to them was a disposable item. These were two very successful guys with great lives and apparently great families, and neither of them felt the least sense of loss by wearing what were probably fused suits.

Would I wear what they were wearing, in their position or mine? No way.
Could they have looked better, sharper, more stylish by SF standadrds? Sure.
Can I really criticize them, given their position and achievements and general lifestyle? No.
Did the guys working in the Mansion or Isaia look way better that day? I'm sure they did.
Did any of this matter to my two bank guys, or keep them from doing stuff with unlimited zeroes the rest of the day? Not in the least.

I'll admit that i still have a few green label jackets and suits in my closet. Sure I use them mostly for rainy/snowy weather, but I've had them for ages, and have gotten no bubbling or other fusing issues. Are they high quality? No. Do they look good when well fitted and paired properly? absolutely.

Furthermore, its not like these things really sell for $400. Macys has continuous sales so a sportcoat from LRL can probably be purchased at $200 or less. Trying to find an isaia or caruso sportcoat in a decent size in navy or something is pretty damn difficult...that is if its not not snapped up immediately.

if they fit well, enjoy them and don't worry about it.



cncrd said:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Everyone doesn't, by the nature of his work and the resources at his disposal, require the justification of the clothing we all worship here. A lot of people work in a position that requires them to be nicely dressed, but not beyond reasonable presentation.
I work with a lot of government and education clients, and many of them- teachers, mid-level department heads, etc.- wear the same class of garment as the OP named. They dress as nicely as they can, their clothes are clean and cared for well, and they wear their Lauren green label jacket to work, take it off, and hang on a hanger behind the door, and there it stays all day. Of course something better-made is alway nicer to have and to wear, but in the case of, say, a public school teacher who's doing the best he can to look good, it's a bit of overkill to have the argument with himself about whether or not he can bear to wear something fused. I only throw in this unlikely SF browser becasue one of my friends, who is a public school teacher, has gotten some good advice from SF after I introduced him.
On the other hand, I worked recently on a development study group with two senior corporate officers with a major national bank- way above the normal VP designation that everyone there seems to have- and both of them were dressed in mid-level Joseph A. Bank suits. To the non-SF crowd, they looked fine, showed cuff, did what reasonable tailoring could do, just not in SF-approved clothing. They commented on my tie, and we started talking about clothing. These are guys who could easily have anything they wanted, but both of them made the comment that there was no way anyone's job- theirs included- required more than a serviceable, reasonably tailored suit like their JABs. They didn't brag about being cheap; if it hadn't come up because of the tie comment, it never would have been mentioned. They just couldn't see the value in spending $$$ on what to them was a disposable item. These were two very successful guys with great lives and apparently great families, and neither of them felt the least sense of loss by wearing what were probably fused suits.
Would I wear what they were wearing, in their position or mine? No way.
Could they have looked better, sharper, more stylish by SF standadrds? Sure.
Can I really criticize them, given their position and achievements and general lifestyle? No.
Did the guys working in the Mansion or Isaia look way better that day? I'm sure they did.
Did any of this matter to my two bank guys, or keep them from doing stuff with unlimited zeroes the rest of the day? Not in the least.

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This in no way addressed my concern so I'll ask, how does where one works dictate whether or not a fused jacket is acceptable or not?