Anyone help me find a nice brown causual jacket?

[Mr Tickle]

Looking for an Autumn /early winter jacket in brown. Suede seems the obvious choice... but will consider other materials, but should be fairly robust (I already have some more lightweight options for early Autumn). Would prefer buttons to a zip. Shorter style so bomber/ blouson/ trucker sort of thing. Not denim/ corduroy (already covered these).
Oh and budget around 200-300 GBP max - so happy to consider second-hand.
All suggestions gratefully received!

 

[breakaway01]

The “Valstarino” model by Valstar is a classic. Comes in suede and other materials. Most people size up on that model as it runs quite trim.
your budget is too low for quality suede. Even used quality suede jackets will be more than 300 GBP unless you are very lucky. Budget for more or look into other materials like wool.

 

[Mr Tickle]

The “Valstarino” model by Valstar is a classic. Comes in suede and other materials. Most people size up on that model as it runs quite trim.
your budget is too low for quality suede. Even used quality suede jackets will be more than 300 GBP unless you are very lucky. Budget for more or look into other materials like wool.

Ok so I can probably spend a bit more - I did see a few jackets that looked like they would do the job for around 300 but I guess you are saying they wouldn't be great quality materials?

What should I look for to know I am getting a solid quality product? From what I have seen so far there doesn't seem to be much to differentiate between what's available, with suede, other than price?

 

[Mr Tickle]

Just won this jacket for a very good price on eBay - the sort of price that I won't mind too much if I don't like it when it arrives, and can happily give it away.
It's by Golden Bear which I hadn't heard of before but from their website seems they make jackets of respectable quality (certainly going by price, which as I've said seems to the the only quantifiable differentiator when it comes to these sort of jackets).
Is there a way to judge whether the material and cutting is "good quality" (in the SF meaning of the term)? Going by obviously highly-subjective looks, it seems of a similar standard to the far more expensive options I've seen recommended here.

 

[breakaway01]

It’s hard to tell much about leather or suede quality from photos alone. Lower quality suede will be thinner. I am not very familiar with Golden Bear but from what I could find, older jackets are good but quality of more recent jackets is not as good. Still, if it fits you well, keep it and see whether that style of jacket works for you.

 

[Mr Tickle]

It’s hard to tell much about leather or suede quality from photos alone. Lower quality suede will be thinner. I am not very familiar with Golden Bear but from what I could find, older jackets are good but quality of more recent jackets is not as good. Still, if it fits you well, keep it and see whether that style of jacket works for you.

Thanks. I think there must be more to suede quality than thickness though ... Because as I understand it, suede comes in different weights that are suitable for different environments/situations - work wear vs smart wear, hotter weather v colder weather, etc - and I am not sure that any of those situations require inherently "better" materials than any other.
For example I have seen "dressy" suede jackets that look quite thin, and then very rugged , workwear-looking ones.
I would expect the workwear material to be tougher and stand up better to harsh treatment. And I would expect the more dressy material to look more elegant and refined. But is either one subjectively the "better" suede?

 

[breakaway01]

I should have been more precise about "thinner" vs "thicker", sorry. Good suede will have a dense and even nap and will be more supple.

 

[Mr Tickle]

Here's the jacket - I love the colour and texture but not sure about the fit - if nothing else it has inspired me that I do want to spend time and money looking for a good suede jacket in this general style.
Any thoughts? Can anyone tell anything about the quality of the material from this pic? (Probably not).

 

[Stylewords]

Here's the jacket - I love the colour and texture but not sure about the fit - if nothing else it has inspired me that I do want to spend time and money looking for a good suede jacket in this general style.
Any thoughts? Can anyone tell anything about the quality of the material from this pic? (Probably not).

Although often recommended on forums, that style of jacket is often a difficult fit as the big pockets at the waist add bulk with no counterpart up top, which is unflattering for most people. In this case, those sleeves are far too wide at the bottom. You might be able to get them slimmed down. I agree that the colour and texture are good.

 

[Mr Tickle]

Thanks, yes I saw that the sleeves are very bulky at the bottom, but was thinking that must be a "feature" rather than it simply being too long in the arm and a case of the material piling up. Because the sleeves are pulled down as far as they go (in other words, the problem isn't caused by the sleeves being too long for my arm).
Interested to hear that I might be able to get it slimmed down - any ideas about what sort of person might be able to do that

 

[Phileas Fogg]

That style of jacket is always tricky on me. I think it looks better on taller men.

I like the jacket overall. It would be nice to see a pic with you standing just casually but with your arms at your side so we can see how the jacket drapes.

 

[Mr Tickle]

That style of jacket is always tricky on me. I think it looks better on taller men.

I like the jacket overall. It would be nice to see a pic with you standing just casually but with your arms at your side so we can see how the jacket drapes.

Like this?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Like this?

the sleeves are too long.

 

[Egdon Heath]

the sleeves are too long.

By a country mile. I live in the country. I know about these things.

 

[Mr Tickle]

the sleeves are too long.

They aren't though - that's the thing. They are extended as far down my arms as the material will allow. If I had longer arms, you would just see a bigger stretch of my forearms and wrists protruding from the sleeves. Perhaps this means that the inner lining is the correct length (for my arms) but the shell has too much material?
Any one know if it's possible to get this sorted out at all?