Bellows pockets on sport coat - opinions, preferences, etc?

[Casaubon]

Hi all,

In looking for a cheap and more casual addition to my summer outerwear wardrobe, I perused the local classifieds and ran into an add for this jacket:

It is in good condition, and sold for a symbolic price. The fabric is 55% linen, 45% cotton, and the features (as one can see from the image) are bellows hip pockets and elbow patches cut from the same cloth. Both bellows pockets and elbow patches are something that I have seen done only on tweeds. Being a fan of rugged aesthetic, I am currently leaning towards thinking it looks cool.

In any case, I am eager to see what others say, especially those with experience in menswear. Has this been done before? Or is it a shocking novelty best relegated to the garbage dump of history?

 

[TheIronDandy]

I have a jacket with those additions, but like you say, it's a tweed jacket. For what it's worth, I really like it and it has gotten quite a few compliments. It kind of make sense on a summery linnen-cotton jacket, that will be worn for long days of out-door activities where you may actually want to keep things in your pockets, but I don't know if there's any history of this.

I know @An Acute Style wears outfits with bellow pockets with some of his outfits, and there are far worse role models out there

I have one concern with the jacket you show, which is that the elbow patches look a bit odd. It may just be me, but the rectangular shape and the size look... unusual. The lapels look really slim, and I'm not sure about the buttoning. Is it just me or is it really high?

If it's cheap enough you could just go for it. I quite like the fabric, assuming it's in decent shape and not of horrible quality it's the kind of fabric that could get a nice patina. The kind of jacket you "wear the hell out of", plain and simple.

 

[dieworkwear]

FWIW, those are not bellow pockets, just flapped patch. But the design looks cheap to me.

Looks like someone did a hack job on hemming the sleeves, too.

 

[wumpyfish]

The herringbone oak floor is the nicest thing in the picture.

 

[Casaubon]

Thanks for the contributions everyone, especially @TheIronDandy for the effort put in your response. In general, I was also taken with the fabric and color, and this was my primary choice for considering it.

As far as the patches are concerned, I wasn't really sure as well. At first, not seeing it clearly in the photos, I thought they were some sort of weird arm pocket insertions. The fact that they're square didn't really bother me all that much, but I was hoping that a tailor might remove them sometime in the future. I read somewhere that it could be done, although I never had it done myself.

@dieworkwear You're right about the pockets. Didn't look that closely to tell the difference, but I see it now. The sleeve hem looked weird to me as well, but it could have been done by a tailor as far as I know. Actually, the sleeve length provided by the seller indicates that it has been shortened, plus the fact that the buttons are awfully close to the bottom of the sleeve.

Looking at it twice now, the cuff really bothers me and is the biggest putoff in the whole piece. The hip pockets I don't mind so much -- I actually thought they look ok. The coat is by Massimo Dutti, btw, so it's nothing fancy, but also shouldn't be too low-end.

 

[dieworkwear]

Thanks for the contributions everyone, especially @TheIronDandy for the effort put in your response. In general, I was also taken with the fabric and color, and this was my primary choice for considering it.

As far as the patches are concerned, I wasn't really sure as well. At first, not seeing it clearly in the photos, I thought they were some sort of weird arm pocket insertions. The fact that they're square didn't really bother me all that much, but I was hoping that a tailor might remove them sometime in the future. I read somewhere that it could be done, although I never had it done myself.

@dieworkwear You're right about the pockets. Didn't look that closely to tell the difference, but I see it now. The sleeve hem looked weird to me as well, but it could have been done by a tailor as far as I know. Actually, the sleeve length provided by the seller indicates that it has been shortened, plus the fact that the buttons are awfully close to the bottom of the sleeve.

Looking at it twice now, the cuff really bothers me and is the biggest putoff in the whole piece. The hip pockets I don't mind so much -- I actually thought they look ok. The coat is by Massimo Dutti, btw, so it's nothing fancy, but also shouldn't be too low-end.

The sleeve should have been taken up at the sleevehead, but the alteration cost probably wasn't worth it given how much the jacket itself cost.

My guess is that you won't like the fit once you receive it. Massimo Dutti makes slim, short sport coats. It's a very 2010 type of silhouette and doesn't flatter many people.

 

[double00]

I have a jacket with those additions, but like you say, it's a tweed jacket. For what it's worth, I really like it and it has gotten quite a few compliments. It kind of make sense on a summery linnen-cotton jacket, that will be worn for long days of out-door activities where you may actually want to keep things in your pockets, but I don't know if there's any history of this.

sure, safari jackets. i've had a norfolk style in linen with bellow pockets

 

[dieworkwear]

You know what's bellow pockets? The hem. The hem is below pockets.

im sorry

 

[Casaubon]

Haven't ordered it, and decided not to on account of the sleeves. I know what to expect in terms of fit as I tried on a few of their sport coats in the same size earlier. Being a slim guy with relatively short legs myself, it shouldn't look either too tight or out of proportion.

In regards to MD in general, they are sadly one of the better menswear brands available here, and probably the best one can hope to find when looking at ads online. I occasionally buy some of their less fashion-forward stuff when it's 50-70% on sale, that's when they're best value for the money IMO.

With my budget and taste in clothing, I'd probably fill up my wardrobe with Spier&Mackay stuff, but with all the duties and taxes it's not really that feasible.

 

[TheIronDandy]

Haven't ordered it, and decided not to on account of the sleeves. I know what to expect in terms of fit as I tried on a few of their sport coats in the same size earlier. Being a slim guy with relatively short legs myself, it shouldn't look either too tight or out of proportion.

In regards to MD in general, they are sadly one of the better menswear brands available here, and probably the best one can hope to find when looking at ads online. I occasionally buy some of their less fashion-forward stuff when it's 50-70% on sale, that's when they're best value for the money IMO.

With my budget and taste in clothing, I'd probably fill up my wardrobe with Spier&Mackay stuff, but with all the duties and taxes it's not really that feasible.

Just out of curiosity, where is "here". There may be better options you're not aware of, lots of knowledge of hidden gems around these forums.

 

[Casaubon]

Serbia -- it's outside the EU, so I tend to pay quite a lot of duties and taxes regardless of where I order from. Usually it amounts to 30% of the price of item+shipping. Then there are cases when they don't ship to my country, like with Suitsupply. I'm eager to hear if you have any suggestions! Of course, I learned a lot since first visiting the forum, it's a huge source of information and help.

 

[TheIronDandy]

Serbia -- it's outside the EU, so I tend to pay quite a lot of duties and taxes regardless of where I order from. Usually it amounts to 30% of the price of item+shipping. Then there are cases when they don't ship to my country, like with Suitsupply. I'm eager to hear if you have any suggestions! Of course, I learned a lot since first visiting the forum, it's a huge source of information and help.

That could be tricky, I see that.

The way I understand it, the import dues are somewhat balanced by the fact that you don't pay VAT in the country your order is shipped from? So if you were to buy from Sweden for example, you would not pay the Swedish VAT of 25%, but you would end up paying the import duties and shipping. It's not THAT much worse (30% duties instead of 25% VAT) as long as you don't end up returning things a lot, but I can definitely see why you would be more hesitant to order online due to this. Still, it might be better getting one or two good pieces at a slightly higher price, than 3 or 4 that don't look good.

I know John Henric (https://johnhenric.com/gl/) does global orders, and they seem to offer free shipping. They're a entry level brand but they feel more classic than MD (they also have a big summer sale going on atm), and I've heard some people here speak well of them. I mostly know their accessories, which are good for the price, but I can't attest for their shirts, trousers and jackets.

 

[Casaubon]

Thank you for the tip. I haven't come across John Henric yet, so this was quite a revelation. I already really like some of the models that I saw on a first glance, and I hope I'll find the time soon to browse their store more thoroughly. The overshirts from the summer collection look nice, for instance.

Regarding VAT, you are correct in theory. Some online stores calculate the difference automatically, but not all of them. I remember emailing a company one time regarding that, when I saw that there was no reduction at POS. Their answer was that the price I see is without VAT. There were several other times when I purchased something without an explicit VAT reduction. In short, I have mixed experiences with this.

Never had to return things, fortunately. I try to be extra cautious about measurements, plus my frame is fairly typical, which helps. But I was even lucky when shopping for my wife, now THAT was tricky!