Ralph Lauren Taupe-Olive Jacket, which pants?

[peventure]

Hey Everyone,

Long time reader, first time poster -- thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum!

I've got a Ralph Lauren Taupe-Olive jacket (see pic attachment) and I'm not sure what color pants to wear with it. Obviously one answer would be to get the same colored pants, but what other colors would work?

Thanks for the guidance!

 

[The Thin Man]

Tan, light gray, mid gray (although you risk them being too close), dark brown. Don't go for the same color. Sports jackets should contrast with the trousers.

 

[westinghouse]

Navy.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by The Thin Man

Don't go for the same color. Sports jackets should contrast with the trousers.

It looks like it might be an orphaned suit jacket, in which case the matching trousers would obviously be an option.

 

[cptjeff]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

It looks like it might be an orphaned suit jacket, in which case the matching trousers would obviously be an option.

It's a jacket. There's no formal distinction apart from whether it comes with pants or not. If he can find pants from the same fabric, it's a suit. If not, it's a sportcoat, and no one will be the wiser either way.


As for color, tans, dark browns, light gray, similar color but with a different texture... Olive like that is pretty dang versatile.

 

[Butterfly]

Originally Posted by cptjeff

It's a jacket. There's no formal distinction apart from whether it comes with pants or not. If he can find pants from the same fabric, it's a suit. If not, it's a sportcoat, and no one will be the wiser either way. As for color, tans, dark browns, light gray, similar color but with a different texture... Olive like that is pretty dang versatile.
Er, that's not true. What you are describing is an 'odd jacket', not the same thing as a sportcoat. A sportcoat is found only in certain patterns, colours, fabrics, and designs; and so are odd jackets, for that matter. For instance a solid navy suit coat may be used as an odd jacket, and a navy coat with gold buttons and patch pockets is a blazer (a category of sportcoat); whereas a navy suit coat with pinstripes is simply an orphaned suit coat if it has no matching trousers. And if it was actually worn as such, it would be an 'odd jacket' only in the literal sense of the phrase rather than the sartorial sense. Sportcoat and odd jacket are both separate subgenuses of jacket.

 

[cptjeff]

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Er, that's not true. What you are describing is an 'odd jacket', not the same thing as a sportcoat. A sportcoat is found only in certain patterns, colours, fabrics, and designs; and so are odd jackets, for that matter. For instance a solid navy suit coat may be used as an odd jacket, and a navy coat with gold buttons and patch pockets is a blazer (a category of sportcoat); whereas a navy suit coat with pinstripes is simply an orphaned suit coat if it has no matching trousers. And if it was actually worn as such, it would be an 'odd jacket' only in the literal sense of the phrase rather than the sartorial sense. Sportcoat and odd jacket are both separate subgenuses of jacket.

I don't make a distinction between sportcoat and odd jacket. The two terms are essentially interchangeable even by makers- I've seen pinstriped jackets sold as sportcoats by some high end makers on here. Even if they are separate things, the line is so blurred that it's utterly worthless.

The navy coat with gold buttons is a blazer. A distinction does exist there- blazers are a separate subset of jacket. The patch pockets bit is irrelevant- suits exist with patch pockets (sadly not that common, I dig 'em) and odd jackets/sportcoats commonly exist without them. It's a detail option, as are things like pick stitching, ticket pockets, venting options... whatever. Not something that defines the difference.

 

[Butterfly]

suits exist with patch pockets

only a Norfolk suit.

 

[chrisb0109]

Originally Posted by Butterfly

only a Norfolk suit.

Stop with the hard lined definition crap. In the modern sartorial world, details of suiting are largely up to preference and are not bound by traditional purpose of rules.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by cptjeff

It's a jacket. There's no formal distinction apart from whether it comes with pants or not. If he can find pants from the same fabric, it's a suit. If not, it's a sportcoat, and no one will be the wiser either way.
I never said he can't wear it with non-matching trousers, I just said that it looks like matching ones might be a valid option. And though there is is no 'formal' distinction, there are certainly differences; a sport-coat usually is in a more sporty (rougher or country-like) fabric (e.g. tweed), or has a bolder pattern like a herringbone or wide window-pane. The OPs coat looks like it at least might be an orphaned suit coat because of the lack of these features.