@dieworkwear and my Paul Stuart jackets

[Naïtsirk Róïd]

Hi, new here.

Here's a question for you style experts.

I have these really nice Paul Stuart jackets that I found and bought vintage for quite a lot of money (I have an unusual size of 48xl – by chance I found several of them in great condition so I paid what they asked). I used to think they were sports jackets. But a recent twitter thread from @dieworkwear made me think that they are actually orphaned suit jackets.

Now, @dieworkwear makes a very strong case that wearing odd suit jackets will make one look like he accidentally spilled something on his trousers and had to switch them out. He says they should be thrown out and gives several criteria for recognizing if something is a sports jacket (patch pockets; ticket pockets; rough, thick and more tweed-like fabric; looser fit; less tailored look).

Since I move in very traditional comme-il-faut circles, I have been thinking of throwing them out. With a heavy heart.

Or could I be wrong and they actually are sports jackets? The wool is quite thick on all three of them. And they do have flap pockets, not jetted pockets (at least not if you leave the flap out). Please have a look at the photos and tell me.

Or could @dieworkwear be wrong and it's actually OK to wear them if paired with the right pants? If yes, what would the right pants look like? And what occasions could they be worn to? A formal dinner party? A New York gentleman's club?

Or is there a way to transform them into blazers or sports jackets? By maybe putting brass buttons on the dark blue suit jackets? And maybe there are some other small tailoring adjustments of which you can think?

Am attaching a few (bad) photos, so you can see some of my jackets.

Please answer from the most snobbish perspective possible. And don't give me any "there are no rules" answer. I have found that in clothing there really are rules. People just don't tell you when you're breaking them. They simply laugh about you or exclude you. Like they laugh about you if you make grammar mistakes.

Thanks, mates!

 

[notdos]

Look like suit coats to me. I wouldn’t wear them.

Phillip

 

[mhip]

Look like suit coats to me. I wouldn’t wear them.

Phillip

^truth report^

 

[Norwester]

It looks like they began life as suit jackets. Possibly the navy jacket could be passed off as a blazer, depending on the fabric. If the alternative is throwing it out, I would sew a set of brass buttons onto the navy jacket and see how it looks. I think Derek goes a bit far in trying to separate blazers from suit jackets; the Brooks Brothers classic navy blazer has the same cut as their suits (I own both) and is made from similar 110's fabric. If you do your own sewing it would be an inexpensive experiment. (I forget where I copied the photo below; they are Holland Sherry buttons, but Waterbury or no-name buttons can be found for not much.)

 

[Naïtsirk Róïd]

Look like suit coats to me. I wouldn’t wear them.

Phillip

Thank you very much.

 

[Naïtsirk Róïd]

^truth report^

Thank you, mhip.

 

[Naïtsirk Róïd]

It looks like they began life as suit jackets. Possibly the navy jacket could be passed off as a blazer, depending on the fabric. If the alternative is throwing it out, I would sew a set of brass buttons onto the navy jacket and see how it looks. I think Derek goes a bit far in trying to separate blazers from suit jackets; the Brooks Brothers classic navy blazer has the same cut as their suits (I own both) and is made from similar 110's fabric. If you do your own sewing it would be an inexpensive experiment. (I forget where I copied the photo below; they are Holland Sherry buttons, but Waterbury or no-name buttons can be found for not much.)

View attachment 2161573

What an interesting point about the BB suits and blazers having the same cut and fabric. Maybe purists would say that Brooks Brothers is no longer up to snuff? There is a really interesting scene in Tenet where the lead actor (was it Michael B Jordan?) who I think works for the CIA is decked out in Brooks Brothers to pass as a wealthy investor at a high level gentlemen's club in London. The viewer is supposed to enjoy for a moment that this action hero whom we have only seen in action gear is now suddenly dressed to the Nines. He has dinner with a very elegant elderly gentleman (played, I think by Michael Caine). To his surprise, the guy he's talking to knows that he's CIA but is actually on his side. At the end of the scene, he whispers to him: "and your Brooks Brothers cheapo suit is not going to cut it here". There may just be a higher level of elegance than Brooks Brothers? If there is, I don't know about it. But @dieworkwear probably would? He might be more of an arbiter of taste than the Brothers?


On a totally separate note, what pants would you combine a Navy blazer with? Beige or grey? And would this outfit be as appropriate as a suit for a dinner at a gentlemen's club like the one in Tenet? Black shoes, I assume?

 

[Norwester]

What an interesting point about the BB suits and blazers having the same cut and fabric. Maybe purists would say that Brooks Brothers is no longer up to snuff? There is a really interesting scene in Tenet where the lead actor (was it Michael B Jordan?) who I think works for the CIA is decked out in Brooks Brothers to pass as a wealthy investor at a high level gentlemen's club in London. The viewer is supposed to enjoy for a moment that this action hero whom we have only seen in action gear is now suddenly dressed to the Nines. He has dinner with a very elegant elderly gentleman (played, I think by Michael Caine). To his surprise, the guy he's talking to knows that he's CIA but is actually on his side. At the end of the scene, he whispers to him: "and your Brooks Brothers cheapo suit is not going to cut it here". There may just be a higher level of elegance than Brooks Brothers? If there is, I don't know about it. But @dieworkwear probably would? He might be more of an arbiter of taste than the Brothers?


On a totally separate note, what pants would you combine a Navy blazer with? Beige or grey? And would this outfit be as appropriate as a suit for a dinner at a gentlemen's club like the one in Tenet? Black shoes, I assume?

I actually misread your post and thought you were asking us not to be snobs! I associate the BB Navy blazer with class reunions, yacht clubs, prep schools... an accepted uniform where one wants to belong but not to impress with your style. I personally prefer earth-tone pants with a navy blazer, on the olive to light brown side of tan, like in the photo above; grey can look good in photos but I've never liked it in real life. For shoes I would follow Derek's advice: derbies, not oxfords, and nothing that attracts the eye downwards.

 

[ppk]

Aaron P. Levine combines suit jackets with denim and other casual trousers to create tension between casual and formal. He even wears a chalk stripe double-breasted suit jacket with denim.

Having said that, I don't think it'll work for you. You can't wear his style to a gentleman's club or in comme-il-faut circles.

It might better to put them up on eBay or give them away here rather than throwing them out. They seem like high-quality clothing.

 

[double00]

It might better to put them up on eBay or give them away here rather than throwing them out. They seem like high-quality clothing.

if they are unwearable without matching trousers why pass them on ?

op says they are 48L and thick fabric . if you put two dudes side by side in the same jacket with same fabric and one dude is very large and the other dude is smaller the drape will be pretty different b/c fabric doesn't scale ... that said I suspect the navy db might be an odd jacket to begin with , a lot of makers will add the trousers info on the jacket tag for suits and omit for odd jackets , you might ascertain the navy jacket by comparing . or look up to see how Paul Stuart does it , there's a lot of that kind of info on styfo and the internet generally .

if op wants to experiment with the others i say why not . i'd prob consider drape specifically and see if there's not a path .

 

[ppk]

if they are unwearable without matching trousers why pass them on ?

op says they are 48L and thick fabric . if you put two dudes side by side in the same jacket with same fabric and one dude is very large and the other dude is smaller the drape will be pretty different b/c fabric doesn't scale ... that said I suspect the navy db might be an odd jacket to begin with , a lot of makers will add the trousers info on the jacket tag for suits and omit for odd jackets , you might ascertain the navy jacket by comparing . or look up to see how Paul Stuart does it , there's a lot of that kind of info on styfo and the internet generally .

if op wants to experiment with the others i say why not . i'd prob consider drape specifically and see if there's not a path .

Unwearability is a decision that each person makes. Someone might find it perfectly wearable. Isn't that the raison d'être for thrift and vintage stores?

My view is good things shouldn't be thrown away.