Blue "Sports Jacket" and Jeans?

[IHaveNoNiceClothes]

My husband is rather miffed with me. This weekend he went to pick up a new pair of dress pants at Nordstroms, and came back with a new pair of dress pants and, to quote him, "a sports coat I can wear with jeans."

I have been feeling under the weather, and apparently have no filter as a result, and promptly blurted out, "Is that a sports coat?" and "Woah that's a lot of blue!" when he tried it on with jeans. Now he's very unhappy with the jacket and annoyed with me.

The guy at the Nordstrom's suit section who was helping him had apparently insisted to him that it is a sports coat to wear with jeans, and he took off the tags in store and walked out of the Nordstroms wearing it. I'm actually hoping I'm wrong, because he's very upset that he spent $500 on it, and nothing I've said since in the opposite seems to make a difference.

I asked if he could wear it with his grey/charcoal/earth tone dress pants or that sand color for chinos but he insists that he bought it to go with all of his similarly mid-toned blue jeans. Today I went on the Nordstrom website to see what their return policy was, and couldn't find the individual jacket, but lo and behold, it's part of a suit...

https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hart-schaffner-marx-new-york-classic-fit-check-wool-suit/5053009?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home/All Results&color=med blue

Anyways, I don't really know anything about men's clothes. I guess what I'm looking for here is advice from actual men on how to remedy this situation in terms of making the jacket work? Buy the matching trousers so he has a new suit? If not, what color of pants should they go with? Could they work with blue jeans (he doesn't have any other color of jeans)?

I think both me and him could use some education in this area - what is the difference between a sports coat and a blazer or suit jacket anyways? When he brought it back, I thought it was a suit jacket but I can't pinpoint why - it just looked like one to me.

 

[breakaway01]

The distinction between a suit jacket and sportcoat (or blazer) can sometimes be a bit fuzzy.

For a solid blue jacket like this, it does read more as a suit jacket to me based on the fabric (it does have some texture/pattern but it is very subtle -- looks like a nailhead or similar, which is a suit fabric) and styling details (flapped pockets, buttons). These are relatively subtle distinctions but you were able to pick them up without being able to articulate exactly why.

If your husband wants a sportcoat to wear with jeans, I would return (Nordstrom should take it back if unaltered) and check out this thread for ideas https://www.styleforum.net/threads/sport-coats-and-jeans.558335/page-101#post-9485142

If he wants to keep the jacket, I would get the matching trousers and wear as a suit. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[IHaveNoNiceClothes]

Thank you so much. That was such a helpful response. It has a mini-check pattern and there is some slight color variations in the weave, but very subtle. I will see if I can't get the matching trousers for him. He has mentioned that he needs a new suit besides his solid dark navy and solid charcoal, and the jacket fits him very well. I feel terrible for raining on his parade like that and I hope it doesn't put him off sports jackets for awhile.

 

[notdos]

Nothing wrong with a blue jacket and jeans. It’s all about the details. The sportcoat and jeans thread should help you get a better idea.

 

[Anachronist]

I fully agree with breakaway01, this is definitely a suit coat. I've seen a number of men often on planes wearing such a jacket with jeans, bit it always visibly looked like they were doing this during transit with the proper matching pants in the suitcase. I would also recommend to either return or buy the matching trousers (it is a nice modern suit, so definitely not a mistake if it fits well).
Regarding the pairing of blue jackets with denim, this can absolutely work, but I would always recommend to introduce some contrast pairing e.g. a slightly washed jeans with a darker or navy blue sports jacket. If the blues are too similar, the look will be too tone-in-tone (read: bland) and the different textures will make it look "off". In terms of jacket for denims I would always go for something more relaxed/casual in terms of cut (e.g. with patch pockets, no flaps, elbow patches etc.) and/or fabric (go for a contrast texture-wise with tweed, corduroy or flannel with or without pattern) to spice up the look.

 

[Stinson]

Yes, in order to work with jeans, the coat should have a less formal fabric.

 

[Jumme]

I often use a jacket like that as a blazer with grey or black jeans. Shirt has to be solid (no pattern), though I do agree best option would be to aquire matching pants and use as a suit.

A sports jacket (which is what he is trying to acheive) has a more “loose” feeling, and often pattern eg. checks and maybe albow patches.

 

[Corso]

Agreed