• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Did I do alright with my first jacket? (Jacket noob here)

Pal007

New Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2022
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
JPEG_20220110_221011_8584425547170774742.jpg

Since then I have read a bit about different types

Long post with lot of questions, please bear with me!

First, will you consider this a blazer or an orphaned suit jacket? It has a jetted pocket on the left and a flap pocket on the right. (Edit - sorry I'm dumb. Clearly both sides are flap. One of the flaps went inside after a while and I didn't notice it and didn't wear this again after this event. So didn't look properly lol). However it is, is my styling okay? Any honest criticism or suggestions welcome! ? This was a last minute purchase for an event (from a local Italian clothier shop) and pricey as well ($475, pricy for me). If you consider this as a blazer, should I keep it as my 1 navy blazer or should I buy one specifically (suggestions in the US for that)

Another question I have is with this:

This is a cheap $60 sale item from Zara. It is not wool. Just polyester and some mix. It is listed as suit blazer. There are matching pants sold separately in their website but wasn't present in store. This was hanging with other similar jackets, so I thought it is meant to be separate piece and bought it. Can I pair this with non matching Chinos/jeans and use it a for casual events? (if yes, then suggestions on style and color combinations please) If this is not encouraged, then I'm ok to return it.

So these are my really 2 jackets now (other than a full black suit). What other colors should I get as a bare minimum? I'm 29 - average build - brown skinned - 5'10". I'm mostly looking for casual / business casual events. After bare minimum what should I go for? I'm interested in both blazers and sport costs and planning to have around 7-10 jackets in various price points like cheap ones like the Zara above or ones over $400 as well. Just want to have a mix. Also interested in knowing whether different fabric jackets like courdroy, suede, velvet are also considered good? If yes, what type of events to wear these?
And regarding full suits, as I mentioned already have 1 and very rarely use it. I don't need another one, right? (will get 1 more if/when I get married)

Thanks in advance!!
 
Last edited:

Casaubon

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Messages
147
Reaction score
73
Relative noob responding, so take my words of advice with a grain of salt. Since you describe your frame as average, it probably should not be a problem for you to find good fitting tailored clothes. This is more or less the case with me and I find it makes the whole experience easier.

As far as the fit and style of the jacket above is concerned, I will leave that to the more experienced members to dissect. Just a thought regarding a detail you pointed out: it seems strange that one waist pocket is different in style to the other. Perhaps you could tuck in the flap and make them both look like jetted pockets, but I personally dislike the look when it comes to wearing odd jackets. Jetted pockets are best looking on formal suits. Your styling seems pretty neutral and safe, if that one image could be a good reference. Perhaps it's best for now; in time you will gain enough confidence to experiment with colors, textures, and styles. This forum should provide you with more than enough knowledge and inspiration, as it did for me.

Regarding jacket no. 2 and any subsequent jacket you may find. My personal choice is such that I avoid wearing anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, in this case I am referring to poly fabrics first and foremost. I know I'd sweat in those, especially in warmer months. Secondly, Zara and similar fast-fashion-forward brands simply do not make good tailoring. Even if you have a slim, model-type body, it will not fit you well. Short jackets, everything too tight etc. Also, poor quality in that you may see fabric ripping or fraying easily, as well as the abovementioned problem with artificial fibers that are not very breathable. If I were you, I'd first go around different stores (search the forum for ideas) and try on different coats to find what really fits (also, check out the many threads here for guidelines on fit). When you find something that works for you, try to take measurements of those jackets or at least look for the measurements on the brand's website. Then learn how to measure yourself so that you can buy online more easily. Also, instead of combining higher quality stuff that costs a lot and lower quality stuff that costs little, consider buying higher quality stuff second hand for a fraction of the retail price. In any case, take your time to do the shopping and don't try to improve your wardrobe all at once. You will learn new things along the way, and you might end up regretting previous purchases.

In any case, good luck!
 

Pal007

New Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2022
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Relative noob responding, so take my words of advice with a grain of salt. Since you describe your frame as average, it probably should not be a problem for you to find good fitting tailored clothes. This is more or less the case with me and I find it makes the whole experience easier.

As far as the fit and style of the jacket above is concerned, I will leave that to the more experienced members to dissect. Just a thought regarding a detail you pointed out: it seems strange that one waist pocket is different in style to the other. Perhaps you could tuck in the flap and make them both look like jetted pockets, but I personally dislike the look when it comes to wearing odd jackets. Jetted pockets are best looking on formal suits. Your styling seems pretty neutral and safe, if that one image could be a good reference. Perhaps it's best for now; in time you will gain enough confidence to experiment with colors, textures, and styles. This forum should provide you with more than enough knowledge and inspiration, as it did for me.

Regarding jacket no. 2 and any subsequent jacket you may find. My personal choice is such that I avoid wearing anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, in this case I am referring to poly fabrics first and foremost. I know I'd sweat in those, especially in warmer months. Secondly, Zara and similar fast-fashion-forward brands simply do not make good tailoring. Even if you have a slim, model-type body, it will not fit you well. Short jackets, everything too tight etc. Also, poor quality in that you may see fabric ripping or fraying easily, as well as the abovementioned problem with artificial fibers that are not very breathable. If I were you, I'd first go around different stores (search the forum for ideas) and try on different coats to find what really fits (also, check out the many threads here for guidelines on fit). When you find something that works for you, try to take measurements of those jackets or at least look for the measurements on the brand's website. Then learn how to measure yourself so that you can buy online more easily. Also, instead of combining higher quality stuff that costs a lot and lower quality stuff that costs little, consider buying higher quality stuff second hand for a fraction of the retail price. In any case, take your time to do the shopping and don't try to improve your wardrobe all at once. You will learn new things along the way, and you might end up regretting previous purchases.

In any case, good luck!

Thank you so much for your insight. I just edited my original post. It does not have different pockets. Both are flap. It was my bad.
Your last sentence makes total sense! I suddenly got an urge to buy stuff (especially jackets). But what you said has made me rethink and take a step back. :)


And regarding the 2nd jacket. I thought fast fashion should be ok for some casual events (or maybe wear it during long international flights or something?) and I also typically don't like polyester stuff but for colder climate, I thought it might be ok. Fit was okay when I tried at the store but anyways I'll try at home now as I'm still within return timeframe. Alternatively I'm looking at knit jersey jackets which are found at uniqlo.
 
Last edited:

maxalex

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
1,210
Reaction score
1,006
The blue looks fine to me as an odd jacket (it’s not really a blazer), unless it is much darker in reality than the photo suggests. If it were navy it would look like an orphaned suit jacket. The fit appears good as well.

The creme is a thumbs down based on polyester, which is awful. It doesn’t breath and it doesn’t drape. Why would you think “fast fashion” is more appropriate for casual events? Presumably you want to look and feel your best wherever you are.

As for how many suits you should own, that depends on your work and lifestyle. Assuming you only wear a suit occasionally, one could be enough—but not black, which is for funerals. Your one suit should be navy.

I suggest that before you buy more clothes you do some reading on the basics of menswear.
 

Casaubon

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Messages
147
Reaction score
73
No problem, glad to be of help :) Tips from others have already started appearing, as I can see. In the meantime, as far as the Zara jacket is concerned, you should of course go by what's important to you. For me it's the fabrics that breathe well and have a nice feel to them, just as much as it is about what a garment looks like. There are other factors that shape a piece of clothing, too. People might tell you about construction for instance, about whether a jacket is fused or canvassed, and whether the canvas is made from cotton or horsehair etc. You should decide whether this is important to you or not as this all determines the price. Also, your understanding of fit will probably change the more attention you start paying on how people in tailored clothing look (on the street as much as in lookbooks).

Albeit, as @maxalex pointed out, polyester indeed is awful. The fact that a polyester jacket will make you sweat on a sunny summer day does not necessarily mean it will keep you warm when it's cold outside. Moreover, what happens when you move indoors with heating on? Wool will regulate your body temperature better, but there are of course different weaves to consider, plus the matter of lining (and the fabric thereof) and so on.

That being said, even for casual events you should strive to get the best what you can at any given time, seeing how you have already decided to care about what you wear. I think this works for people with limited possibilities as well (myself included). Just don't rush into anything, relax and enjoy learning about things!
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,162
Messages
10,579,117
Members
223,885
Latest member
chalky
Top