need jacket

[dapperdude]

The company's going to Magic Castle, which is probably the only restaurant in LA with a strict dress code: tie, jacket, dress shoes.

I want to spend the least money possible to get something that will look good. I went into Men's Wearhouse yesterday to get a cheap blazer, and almost walked out with a JNY Italian pinstripe suit (sold as separates), dress shoes, tie and shirt, but I couldn't do it. They tried to sell me a bunch of stuff I didn't need, which exceeded my original budget of $100 - $150.

I found a nice blazer on macys.com for $120. http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...tegoryID=16499

What can I pair with a navy blazer? Here's what I have to work with:

- Dark charcoal gray wool slacks
- Navy blue wool slacks
- Black trousers (although I don't care for these, as they are pleated)

Do I need light pants to contrast with a dark blazer?

Maybe something like this cord jacket would work better:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...tegoryID=16499

Or this:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...tegoryID=16499

I already own a Nautica dark navy plaid sportcoat, but I'm not sure if it's dressy enough for this occasion.

Or perhaps the JNY navy pinstripe from MW paired with the charcoal slacks? It is a handsome jacket, although a bit more than I wanted to spend at $200. I could return to the store, even though they annoyed me.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[dapperdude]

Another thing: the guy at Men's Wearhouse tried to convince me that their Italian brand which retails for $150 or so (can't remember the name, but sounds like "Via Spizza&quot was top-of-the-line leather. Then the manager started talking about how square-toed shoes are so "in" now -- it's all they talked about at the last district manager's meeting -- like that's going to influence my decision-making. You ever have one of those moments where you just want to tell the salespeople how full of it they are?

 

[Jared]

Um, wow, you have a lot of archive reading ahead of you!

I wouldn't buy anything more expensive than Target until you have. Short answer: the "dark navy plaid" jacket should be acceptable, pair it with constrasting trousers such as light grey or khaki.

 

[Ivan Kipling]

The Macy's jacket is described to feature a peak lapel . . . looks like a notch lapel, to me. I don't see anything wrong with that blazer and dark grey trousers.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by dapperdude

a Nautica dark navy plaid sportcoat ................paired with the charcoal slacks?
That's sounds fine to me. IMO, with blazer/sportcoats, the darker the trousers, the dressier the outfit.

I'll wear any of these grey trousers with a blue blazer but the charcoal trousers make for a dressier ensemble.

 

[j]

No navy tops/jackets/pants with black tops/jackets/pants and vice versa (ties may be an exception).

The most standard pants for a navy blazer are khakis or medium-dark gray pants.

Yes, I always want to tell salespeople that, but I fear crushing their souls. I mean, they already had to sit through that district meeting.

For $120 I could walk into almost any thrift shop in the world and probably find a navy blazer in nearly new shape that would fit fine and most likely be better quality than the one from Macy's, and walk out and hand you $90-100 in change. If you're against thrift or used clothes, nevermind this option.

Target may be a good option actually; it's probably nearly the same quality as the Macy's one, just cheaper. Just make sure you get one that is made of 100% wool - some of their jackets are poly/rayon or something.

 

[Ivan Kipling]

The trouser at the top of the page, is an unusual taupe/gray. Very elegant. I'll take the shoes, too.

 

[dapperdude]

I saw the earlier suggestions to look at Target. I browsed Target.com and strangely, I couldn't find a single jacket in my size. Plus, since I only have a week left, to order online would be cutting it really close, since I'll also need alterations. I know, I shouldn't have waited until the last minute. I also looked at Macy's and Nordstrom's today.

Due to time constraints in this situation, and difficulty finding my size in many stores, I decided to just take care of this today regardless of the cost (well, within reason). I ended up with a Nordstrom's navy blazer for $300 and some nice slim-fitting Hugo Boss gray slacks for $175. I definitely broke my original budget, but I felt better about spending good money on these items than on the stuff that MW was pushing. Plus, I needed a navy blazer. They are versatile and essential items.

The guy at Nordstrom's insisted I need a 36s, which is my true chest size, but at MW they tried to sell me a 38s. According to the Nordstrom's guy, the reason they did this is not because of my broad shoulders, but because they don't carry many items in 36s!

I know I'll get a lot of use out of these, much more than I would a suit. And they look great! Esp. the HB slacks - they are really stylish.

I would probably go back to Nordstrom's again in the future, as the service was excellent without that used car lot vibe I get from MW. But I'll also check out thrift stores at my leisure for future purchases. Thrift stores, e-bay, etc., are great when you have lots of time.

Oh, and I think I'll use the Nautica jacket for other occasions, or sell it. It was an impluse buy from MW awhile back, and I like the blazer much better.

 

[theshonen8899]

Give http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/inde...roducts_id=132 a try and tell me how they are