Half-lined Tweed Blazer - would it be a crime?

[LorenzL]

Hey guys,

I was thinking about getting a nice Tweed blazer for fall, but I tend to get hot very easily. Would it be considered a "crime" to get my tweed blazer half-lined? I also like layered looks and tweed is already heavy as it is, so I was thinking it may just be much more comfortable that way. Curious to hear your thoughts, thanks! Also, any good examples of double-breasted tweed blazers?

 

[Claghorn]

I'm not sure lining is going to make much of a difference when it comes to a fabric that heavy. Also, given tweed's propensity to be fairly rough, it'll cause a lot of wear on your shirts where unlined.

 

[LorenzL]

True, haven't considered that aspect - might roughen up the shirt fabric in the back in the long term. Not sure either how much of a difference it would make, but I figured it could reduce the chance of sweat building up in the back a bit. It must make some difference, else it would not make sense to go half-lined with any fabric.

 

[archibaldleach]

Lining makes a bit of difference, but it is much more pronounced with thinner fabrics / open weave fabrics that keep the wearer cool by allowing more air circulation. With a heavy tweed, you're going to be warm no matter what.

I agree that a half lined jacket could be a bit rougher on your shirts. I got a tweed jacket buggy lined just for the sake of some added variety and have thought about this, but I figure I'm more likely to wear tweed with a more durable shirt fabric such as an oxford weave, so it may balance out. In any event, unless you're wearing the thing everyday, you should probably be okay.

 

[rcoreytaylor]

I had a vintage Harris Tweed that was half-lined; it was perfect! Sadly the fit wasn't quite right and was even worse after I had a marginal tailor "alter" it - so I had to get rid of it.

I'd say go for it.

 

[ImTheGroom]

Perhaps line it in something more breathable than the traditional options. A light wool, or cotton, perhaps? It's for fall, so if the wind can make its way through the jacket to your body, then you should stay cool enough, I would think.

 

[emptym]

You can't really go wrong either way, imo. I had a half-lined one once, but I just get them fully lined now.

 

[LorenzL]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I think I will give it a shot. Will stick to e.g. Oxford weaves for the shirts as suggested, but actually I may also just wear a thin pullover underneath anyway.

 

[Dagon]

In my opinion, half-lined is the way to go.

I have a vintage Harris Tweed jacket that's half lined.

It seems to make it more wearable indoors.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Blackhood]

Don't forget that one of the properties of bemberg cupro is its ability to wick moisture from the body.

If you are prone to sweating then the lining does a couple of things; wicks that moisture away, protects the tweed from staining and getting dirty, it also makes it more comfortable to wear - bemberg or silk or viscose slides easily over a shirt whereas rough twill will not.

On balance I would probably suggest a lighter tweed (or even a country patterned worsted) instead instead of ditching the lining altogether.

 

[Ich_Dien]

The whole idea of a tweed is for it to be a durable hard-wearing fabric and having it half lined doesn't really help that. Perhaps a compromise would be a lighter weight fabric still fully lined.

 

[Joshua Paul]

My personal preference is to get my blazers half lined.
I'm from the tropics and it gets incredibly warm down here! If I need to warm things up a bit I enjoy mixing my half lined blazers with a scarf.

Regards,
Joshua