Help choosing a new sport coat for ~$200

[TheloniusDrunk]

I'm a poor college kid who's looking to start building a wardrobe, and I would like to add a tweed sport coat to the mix. Currently I'm looking at two different ones, the first one being from Lands End, and the Second from leadenhall.co.uk.

I am a 40L in a jacket, with a 40 inch chest and 37 inch sleeves.

Can you guys help me decide which looks better in terms of versatility (in respect to color combination, and in respect to casual vs sem-formal; i.e. is it able to be dressed up for a sem-formal occasion), and the quality/durability of the product?

Here is the Lands End Jacket: http://www.landsend.com/pp/mens-tai...H=IDX_men-_-suits-blazers-_-tall&origin=index


Here is the leadenhall.co.uk Jacket: http://www.leadenhalluk.com/product/Brook Taverner-Harris - I would be looking at the Beige Herringbone jacket.

 

[Tweedy]

If money is tight then have you thought about buying a quality secondhand tweed jacket, lots out there ; )

 

[cbbuff]

Harris tweed is the real deal. The Lands End looks a pretender to me. If you want to score a deal, look here on B&S and/or drop a PM to forum member Tweedy. He gets great stuff at stupidly cheap prices. If you are not in a huge rush, I would start there.

My question would be are you sure you want to start your jacket collection with a tweed? Do you own a solid navy?

 

[guymac12]

cbbuff is right, you should invest in a solid jacket first.

 

[matt1]

I like Land's End better.

 

[duggyald]

Beige Herringbone jacket for me.

 

[I am DIL]

Harris tweed is the real deal. The Lands End looks a pretender to me. If you want to score a deal, look here on B&S and/or drop a PM to forum member Tweedy. He gets great stuff at stupidly cheap prices. If you are not in a huge rush, I would start there.
My question would be are you sure you want to start your jacket collection with a tweed? Do you own a solid navy?

cbbuff is right, you should invest in a solid jacket first.

I concur. You need something more versatile for your first.

 

[TheloniusDrunk]

Sorry, I should have clarified: I do have a blazer already, fret not!

I'm assuming that B & S are the buy and sell threads - I shall check them out.

Another one for you guys to judge : http://harristweedshop.com/sports-jacket.html in the beige herringbone jacket.

 

[TheloniusDrunk]

Furthermore, what color/style is going to be the most versatile? A brown herringbone? A green herringbone? Not a herringbone?

 

[cbbuff]

Assuming you have a solid Navy, Grey is the most versatile. Herringbone and houndstooth patterns are both good. Brown after that. Green least of all.

 

[TheloniusDrunk]

When you say brown, do you mean that tweedy light brown that borders on tan/beige, or do you mean the fully darkened brown?

 

[cbbuff]

Both really. I wear the lighter tans/beiges in the spring/summer and the darker drowns in the fall/winter for the most part.

 

[TheloniusDrunk]

Damnit, I really love the browns, but I want something versatile. Decisions, decisions.

 

[TheloniusDrunk]

If you have spare time, can you evaluate the versatility of the following tweeds: Galloway, Gladstone, Magnus, and Tarasnay from http://www.tweed-jacket.com/CLOTH PAGE/CLOTH GALLERY/index.htm?

 

[cptjeff]



Damnit, I really love the browns, but I want something versatile. Decisions, decisions. 

The browns will be versatile. Moreso than gray if you tend to wear earthtones like khaki. Gray is great to have, but the brown will pair much better with khaki, olive, blues, though a gray tweed jacket will still work with those colors.

In fact, I would say that brown is the more versatile color, but social convention has it as less formal a color than gray, so it's harder to dress it up. But really, the only color a reasonable brown won't play with that a gray will is black.

Get what you like, but I do recommend secondhand. There's a glut of nice tweed jackets out there, they do last forever. But whatever you do, don't buy these: http://harristweedshop.com/sports-jacket.html
The guy who owns the business that makes those very nearly singlehandedly destroyed the very existence of harris tweed. The story's a bit long, but basically he came into the business, tried to do it his way, failed miserably, and hasn't changed back out of stubborness and/or spite. Meanwhile there are weavers who need yarn (the primary supply was from the factory this guy bought, but he stopped selling yarn to outside weavers), and can't meet demand for larger orders as a result, while the resources they need and could afford are locked down simply because this ass can't come to terms with his failure.

You can recognize them pretty easily- those four colors and that conservative cut.

Other weavers have been working around him, but they're fairly small and constrained.