Linen seems difficult to do as a casual odd jacket

[Mr Tickle]

I have two linen sports coats, navy blue and light brown. I do this thing where I snap a picture of what I am wearing most days, and then save the ones I like into an album. I review the folder every now and then for inspiration and delete anything I don't still think looks good. And there are barely any of the linen jacket pics that have stood the test of time even though I wear them fairly frequently, particularly when travelling.

To be honest I'm close to giving up on them, and deciding that linen odd jackets are just a bit too much of an "old man" look (I'm 44). Particularly with a collared shirt. Before I do that though, interested to hear if anyone here has any ideas on what I'm doing wrong or how I could be more creative with them?


This was an outfit I wore one day on a recent trip to Milan, I thought as it's a sartorial kind of place I would try and dress up a bit but stay fairly casual. I just felt stuffy and formal though compared to how other people looked, even though linen is supposed to be a very casual fabric.

Same jacket but with cotton trousers (as full linen seemed a bit much in the above outfit) and with a more casual shirt and shoes. Seems to tick all the boxes but still misses the mark, in my opinion.

My other linen jacket. Again, seems to tick the boxes - light-coloured shirt, contrasting trousers. But still not happy with the overall effect.

With jeans, for more casual ...

With a t-shirt. To be honest I prefer these super-casual looks to either of the collared-shirt/smart trousers outfits. Still don't quite feel right through.

So any tips on how to up my linen jacket game? Am I being too critical and some of these looks are actually ok? Any ideas or advice appreciated as always!

 

[SteveMc]

Couple of notes:
A linen jacket in and of itself isn't an "old man" look. It's the complete ensemble that makes your outfit bland: the shirt as you noted, but also the belt and the shoes. The belt in particular.

The other outfits are an improvements. I think the second from top is quite nice, but again could be much better with a nicer belt.

The jeans outfit isn't bad also, but you kind of worked against the casual vibe with those brown derbies. The gray sneakers would have worked much better.

So to lighten things up with these jackets, first and foremost, get a nice grain or crock embossed
3-3.5 cm belt. Berg and Berg has really nice ones.

Instead of BD shirts, consider knitted polo or a popover linen shirt.

For shoes, consider casual unlined penny loafers or even espadrilles.

Looks like your trousers could use a bit of hemming, though hard to tell from these images.

 

[Mr Tickle]

Couple of notes:
A linen jacket in and of itself isn't an "old man" look. It's the complete ensemble that makes your outfit bland: the shirt as you noted, but also the belt and the shoes. The belt in particular.

The other outfits are an improvements. I think the second from top is quite nice, but again could be much better with a nicer belt.

The jeans outfit isn't bad also, but you kind of worked against the casual vibe with those brown derbies. The gray sneakers would have worked much better.

So to lighten things up with these jackets, first and foremost, get a nice grain or crock embossed
3-3.5 cm belt. Berg and Berg has really nice ones.

Instead of BD shirts, consider knitted polo or a popover linen shirt.

For shoes, consider casual unlined penny loafers or even espadrilles.

Looks like your trousers could use a bit of hemming, though hard to tell from these images.

Thanks, that all sounds like good ideas.

 

[amalolan]

Similarly, though this isn't linen it's related to the odd-trouser issue. I just had a new suit made and was wondering if I could pull this jacket off with other trousers. The suit is below (summer-weight wool) along with the picture of just the fabric,

I tried it with white trousers and it didn't really work well. I have mixed opinions on this outfit too, as the fabric is relatively smooth and though there is some aesthetic texture, I'm afraid the smoothness, combined with the pockets, won't allow it to be paired easily with other trousers. The buttons on the jacket are grey-black MoP.

These are the trousers I'm wearing in the picture, excuse the bad lighting.

Mod 2 Single Pleat Irish Linen Trouser

Our Model 2 Trouser features single pleats and side adjusters. Cut from an olive Irish linen from Spence Bryson. Mid rise slim fit with a generous seam allowance for easy alterations, if you prefer a wider leg. Can be let out up to 5 cm. Decorative pick stitching and bar tacks, all made by hand...

cavour.co

 

[Leiker]

I'd add that getting the sleeves shortened on the lighter color jacket will help the look; they seem to be too long/halfway covering your hands.

 

[WoolyLamb]

Like others have said. Having your sleeves and pants the right length will help a lot. The belt color and materials in conjunction with the rest of of the outfit helps. Keep in mind that footwear points to over all formality of an outfit. It should align with the jacket for the most part. By todays standards wearing a jacket already makes you “dressed up”

So use classical standards of casual when wearing a jacket like this. Also wearing a jacket more often will help you feel more comfortable in it.

 

[Concordia]

Next round-- try a teba jacket. Much more casual, and can still be worn with a collar and a tie.

 

[JLibourel]

The shoes you are wearing with the faded jeans are not "derbies," they are captoe oxfords/balmorals. This strikes me as a grievous sartorial mismatch. The tailoring on your jackets looks subpar: In a couple of photos it looks as if the lapel notches are riding up on your trapezius muscles. Sorry if I'm coming across as a snot here. Nothing wrong with linen jackets--they are elegant summer classics--"cool" in both senses of the word. Most classic style is going to look somewhat "old-mannish," but now that I'm up in my ninth decade, I'm going to look old-mannish no matter what I wear!