Is there a trad precedent for double-breasted sports jackets?

[orangehaggis]

My question is essentially what I typed in the subject line. I'm particularly interested in British menswear. I'm conservative and traditional in my dress so I'm not looking to innovate.

 

[breakaway01]

a DB odd jacket is certainly well within the range of traditional menswear.

 

[orangehaggis]

a DB odd jacket is certainly well within the range of traditional menswear. View attachment 1811778

Thank you for your reply. I own a blue blazer and I wear it more often than just about any other jacket in my wardrobe. I suppose they are a kind of sports jacket, but I'm asking about those sports jackets that aren't blazers. Tweed, corduroy, worsted with a prominent pattern, linen etc, etc.

 

[maxalex]

a DB odd jacket is certainly well within the range of traditional menswear. View attachment 1811778

I've noticed he's been wearing SB jackets lately which I believe is a change.

 

[orangehaggis]

I've noticed he's been wearing SB jackets lately which I believe is a change.

What strange and trying times we live in! I don't recall ever having seen a pic of HRH the Duke of Rothesay in a single-breasted jacket save for Highland dress or military uniforms.

 

[maxalex]

What strange and trying times we live in! I don't recall ever having seen a pic of HRH the Duke of Rothesay in a single-breasted jacket save for Highland dress or military uniforms.

 

[maxalex]

That suit, last week, almost looks like a Rubinacci cut with the natural shoulder, 3-2 roll lapel and the chest drape that “London House” still favors. But I can’t imagine he wears non-Brit clothes…

 

[breakaway01]

Thank you for your reply. I own a blue blazer and I wear it more often than just about any other jacket in my wardrobe. I suppose they are a kind of sports jacket, but I'm asking about those sports jackets that aren't blazers. Tweed, corduroy, worsted with a prominent pattern, linen etc, etc.

I think that a navy DB blazer is a very "correct" conservative choice. Tweed, corduroy, checked DB odd jackets are definitely less traditional but on the other hand perfectly acceptable nowadays. It comes down to your own personal comfort level.

 

[maxalex]

I own several non-blazer non-navy DB jackets. It's fine.

 

[orangehaggis]

I own several non-blazer non-navy DB jackets. It's fine.

Thank you. I wanted to know about historical precedent rather than acceptability. Where I live, the fashion police don't actually have law enforcement powers. Although ... seeing how some people 'round here dress...

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

I suppose they are a kind of sports jacket, but I'm asking about those sports jackets that aren't blazers.

I'm a little confused. I've heard a lot of people argue about what the difference between a sport jacket and a blazer is, and let me tell you: there isn't one. There's historical precedent for a few different distinctions (is it gold buttons? Is it a pattern? Is a blazer anything in navy? is it something you wear in the city or the country) -- but generally, it seems like everybody using each term was at least a little confused. So present day, there's no cognizable distinction, nobody can delineate between the two.

So what do you want? DB odd jackets with gold buttons? DB odd jackets with more casual fabrics?

Tweed, corduroy, worsted with a prominent pattern, linen etc, etc.

... well yeah, wear those. Wear what you want. There's historical precedent for almost everything. That's pretty much the premise of A Little Bit of Rest. yes, double breasted linen jackets are a thing. Yes, double breasted rowing blazers are a thing. I haven't seen as much DB cord or DB tweed, but they definitely exist. If you don't want to be weird... I know a guy who wears a pink checked tweed shawl DB dinner jacket, don't wear that. Short of that, you're probably safe.

 

[orangehaggis]

I'm a little confused. I've heard a lot of people argue about what the difference between a sport jacket and a blazer is, and let me tell you: there isn't one. There's historical precedent for a few different distinctions (is it gold buttons? Is it a pattern? Is a blazer anything in navy? is it something you wear in the city or the country) -- but generally, it seems like everybody using each term was at least a little confused. So present day, there's no cognizable distinction, nobody can delineate between the two.

So what do you want? DB odd jackets with gold buttons? DB odd jackets with more casual fabrics?



... well yeah, wear those. Wear what you want. There's historical precedent for almost everything. That's pretty much the premise of A Little Bit of Rest. yes, double breasted linen jackets are a thing. Yes, double breasted rowing blazers are a thing. I haven't seen as much DB cord or DB tweed, but they definitely exist. If you don't want to be weird... I know a guy who wears a pink checked tweed shawl DB dinner jacket, don't wear that. Short of that, you're probably safe.

Thank you for those observations and for the link to that blog. I'm sure I'll enjoy perusing it.

I have no problem with wearing what I want, it's just that what I want is to maintain my own personal style, which is traditional. I couldn't find any vintage images of double-breasted sports jackets online, and as you fellas are so resourceful and well informed, I came here to ask before I reached the conclusion of my enquiries.

I'll concede that the distinction I make between blazers and sports jackets could be entirely subjective. That all types of sports jackets can be called blazers doesn't seem exactly right to me. As I see it, 'blazers' include solid colour jackets with metal, or military-style horn or faux horn buttons, solid colour jackets trimmed in a contrasting colour about the edges, or a jacket made of a bold, brightly coloured striped cloth. That's my blazer concept, anyway.

As for ostentatious formal or semi-formal wear, I only have Highland dress. Traditional Highland dress doesn't merely conform to transatlantic menswear conventions, but it has a number of unique 'rules'. Here are some examples:

•The more formal the occasion, the more 'bling' is worn. Lots of shiny silver or silver plated accessories, often set with paste or semiprecious stones.

•For formal, that is, white tie functions, if a bowtie is worn, it is to be black. Otherwise a white or off-white lacy cravat or jabot is worn.

•A tweed jacket, especially with waistcoat, is roughly equal in formality to a business suit. I've read that the Highland equivalent to a tweed sports jacket would be a woolly pullover.

• regardless of the colour of one's sporran (leather pouch), black leather brogues are worn.

Lots of counter-intuitive little quirks.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

I'll concede that the distinction I make between blazers and sports jackets could be entirely subjective. That all types of sports jackets can be called blazers doesn't seem exactly right to me. As I see it, 'blazers' include solid colour jackets with metal, or military-style horn or faux horn buttons, solid colour jackets trimmed in a contrasting colour about the edges, or a jacket made of a bold, brightly coloured striped cloth. That's my blazer concept, anyway.

Okay, so you're looking for a double breasted odd jacket in a checked pattern, or with regular old buttons? The Anthology does a lot of the latter. You could look through Ethan's article on DBs for more history and inspo.

As for ostentatious formal or semi-formal wear, I only have Highland dress. Traditional Highland dress doesn't merely conform to transatlantic menswear conventions, but it has a number of unique 'rules'. Here are some examples:

•The more formal the occasion, the more 'bling' is worn. Lots of shiny silver or silver plated accessories, often set with paste or semiprecious stones.

•For formal, that is, white tie functions, if a bowtie is worn, it is to be black. Otherwise a white or off-white lacy cravat or jabot is worn.

•A tweed jacket, especially with waistcoat, is roughly equal in formality to a business suit. I've read that the Highland equivalent to a tweed sports jacket would be a woolly pullover.

• regardless of the colour of one's sporran (leather pouch), black leather brogues are worn.

Lots of counter-intuitive little quirks.

Alright. I mean, if I were you, I'd take this appreciation for highland dress and double breasted jackets, and either try a tweed DB or a tartan patterned DB to wear casually regardless of how often that happened in the past... But you do you.

 

[Mr Tickle]

I'm a little confused. I've heard a lot of people argue about what the difference between a sport jacket and a blazer is, and let me tell you: there isn't one. There's historical precedent for a few different distinctions (is it gold buttons? Is it a pattern? Is a blazer anything in navy? is it something you wear in the city or the country) -- but generally, it seems like everybody using each term was at least a little confused. So present day, there's no cognizable distinction, nobody can delineate between the two.

So what do you want? DB odd jackets with gold buttons? DB odd jackets with more casual fabrics?



... well yeah, wear those. Wear what you want. There's historical precedent for almost everything. That's pretty much the premise of A Little Bit of Rest. yes, double breasted linen jackets are a thing. Yes, double breasted rowing blazers are a thing. I haven't seen as much DB cord or DB tweed, but they definitely exist. If you don't want to be weird... I know a guy who wears a pink checked tweed shawl DB dinner jacket, don't wear that. Short of that, you're probably safe.

In Britain, a blazer is traditionally an item of clothing which will bear a patch or badge to mark the wearer's affiliation with, for example, a school, college, club or other institution. A sports jacket with a patch on it, or that is specifically issued or exclusively made available to, members of an institution, is (or was) a blazer. That's the way I have always understood it, having grown up as a British person. There's certainly no rule that a blazer needs to be navy or have gold buttons or be plain - at least, not in the way the term "blazer" is generally used in this country. Those are all, as far as I can tell, stipulations held mainly by the internet traditional menswear community.

 

[orangehaggis]

In Britain, a blazer is traditionally an item of clothing which will bear a patch or badge to mark the wearer's affiliation with, for example, a school, college, club or other institution. A sports jacket with a patch on it, or that is specifically issued or exclusively made available to, members of an institution, is (or was) a blazer. That's the way I have always understood it, having grown up as a British person. There's certainly no rule that a blazer needs to be navy or have gold buttons or be plain - at least, not in the way the term "blazer" is generally used in this country. Those are all, as far as I can tell, stipulations held mainly by the internet traditional menswear community.

The badge is very much optional. There really are two traditional styles of blazers in the British sense: the double-breasted blazer which is almost always dark blue, and the single-breasted, two button front blazer with patch pockets. The latter is particularly associated with sporting clubs, often in club colours, sometimes trimmed in a contrasting colour at the edges. This is the style worn by Butlins staff and it was parodied in Hi-de-Hi.

The only other colour of the double-breasted variety that I've ever seen, excluding bright boating stripes, is rifle green. Usually worn by ex-servicemen of the rifle regiments or the Royal Irish Regiment or its antecedents. In a few regimental traditions, those who were ORs wear regimental badges on the breast whereas those who were officers do not.

The American variety are basically solid colour, mostly dark blue, suit jackets with metallic buttons.