casual sport coat dilemma (athletic physique)

[mullenc525]

I'm looking for a sport coat as casual wear - more often than not I'll be wearing it with nice, dark jeans and a tee or dress shirt. My place of work is super casual, I'm an engineer but the dress code is non-existent. If I wear a dress shirt, jeans and nice shoes I stand out at work. I'm looking for something that would stand out at the bar without being try-hard, or wouldn't be further out of place at work.

I feel most 'business' sport coats are a little too formal for these purposes... to be honest I think an $80 cotton jacket from a place like H&M is the most appropriate. Price is not the issue, I saw a $400 cashmere coat today that would have fit my casual taste if the lapel was not badly peaked.

The dilemma I have is that I have an athletic build and I peak the lapel on everything off the rack, even sizes 4" too big (which would be impossible to take in). So, I'm not sure that it's viable to tailor an OTR jacket, but it seems silly to have a really basic sport jacket custom built.

Any suggestions?

 

[landshark]

Explain what you mean by, " the lapel was badly peaked" and how you, "peak the lapel on everything off the rack."

 

[westinghouse]

www.orvis.com

 

[bringusingoodale]

I am guessing he means that the lapels bulge or flair out. A pretty common problem when your chest and shoulders have more than average muscle mass.

I don't know what to recommend as far as off the rack is concerned, others more knowledgeable on brands that have athletic cuts can help. If you have the money, though, why not go for custom? I hear a lot big timers on here say that it really isn't that much more expensive than getting some designer/reputable RTW finely tailored. Don't know how true this is, but at some point you have to just realize that some things can't fit you right and need to get them custom made.

 

[mullenc525]

You've got it bringusingoodale. I used to swim and still lift weights so I have more than my fair share of muscle, and its the chest that causes the most problems in OTR. I'm going to go check out a custom place tomorrow - it just seem silly because I am probably going to spend many hundreds when the look I want is an $80 OTR, 100% cotton sport coat. Guess I'll have to go fancier if I'm shelling out for custom making anyway.

 

[Kentishman]

I share you concern and have the same issues with a large drop (chest:wasit ratio). I get stuff that comfortably fits in the shoulder/chest and get the a tailor to work on the other areas. It's always worked quite well in my opinion but ends up costing not much less than MTM would.

 

[Nicola]

I don't think he is talking about drop issues.

OTOH I don't understand how he could be trying on jackets sized 4" bigger then his chest and having issues with the chest fit. His chest should be lost in a jacket that much bigger then his measured chest.

 

[perk252]

Best of luck, mullenc525! I'm in the same boat. I swear I've been to every halfway decent shop in London, and nothing fits right. Turns out that staying fit is costing me not only time but also money since I've broadened my shoulders. But as a teacher I don't need a suit and with a London mortgage, MTM is beyond my means right now. I've read the related threads on here, and I think the consensus is it's not going to happen with OTR. So please keep us updated on what you decide or if you find anything decent!

 

[mullenc525]

I should have put more detail in... My chest is 40", waist 32". Jackets 42"+ are too wide in the shoulders and would have to be taken in a tonne in the waist / hips. Jackets around 40" bulge out in the chest, with the lapel being several inches off my chest instead of laying flat and they still need to be slimmed in the waist / hips.

I'm going to go buy a cheap (like H&M) jacket which I think fits my style best and take it to my tailor, and see if she thinks she can fix it. There is no way I am going to spend $500 on a MTM when I want the $100 casual look.

 

[perk252]

Out of curiosity, the sides of your shoulders aren't an issue for you? I have similar measurements to you, but in addition to the lapel problem, I find that a 40 will fit the top of my shoulders while the sides of my shoulders protrude too much and make the shoulder pad rise up (if that makes any sense). You don't have this issue? I mention this because I was in H & M just yesterday and this problem occurred on every jacket I tried on, much to my frustration.

 

[mullenc525]

Not as far as I recall - my shoulders might not be as big as yours.

 

[bringusingoodale]

After reading your measurements, I am a bit surprised that nothing off the rack fits you well. Actually I take that back, I am not surprised because there are so many variables besides measurements that must be considered for getting a near perfect fit. I don't understand why you want to pull off a cheap "$80 cotton" look or why you think a cotton, unstructured jacket should be acceptably sloppy. See this thread and look at Corbera's pics with the unstructured jackets--man that guy has steez!

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=213453&page=2