Should I or shouldn't I buy... (clothing item)?

[H. E. Pennypacker]

I been staring at that all week. Personally, there are other kind of jackets I want more right now, but I think it’s a beautiful and fairly versatile transitional piece.

I wasn’t impressed by it initially but now I’m all over it. Which one do you think looks better, brown or kodiak collar?
what other jackets are you looking at?
I’m a big fan of flight jackets and have more than enough lol. I have 2 from Private White the regular and luxe flight, Schott in cowhide & Dehen’s waxed canvas and a cheap one from Bonobos.

 

[dieworkwear]

That jacket looks nice. I think if I were purchasing for myself, I would do the one with the darker brown collar. But I also think the one with the lighter collar looks good.

 

[H. E. Pennypacker]

That jacket looks nice. I think if I were purchasing for myself, I would do the one with the darker brown collar. But I also think the one with the lighter collar looks good.

I’m leaning more towards the darker brown. It looks more cohesive.

 

[d4nimal]

I think it’s medium to pretty cool, though I’d also have a lot of things I’d rather have personally. Also agree on the slight preference to darker for the collar but I think it could look cool either way.

 

[zenosparadox]

Down jackets have never quite worked for me, due to dissatisfaction with the material and cut of most parkas. I know that a lot of people (and especially people here) are making them work, and I’ve bought a couple over the past few years based on fits here, but have always ended up reselling and just sticking with wool overcoats when things get cold. I want to finally switch that up this year, and MAN-TLE’s down-filled blouson caught my eye as an alternative to the standard parka shape. They recently released a collaboration with Evan Kinori on the jacket below, and I wanted to get the perspective of others prior to purchase. EK is expensive, and MAN-TLE is also expensive, and this jacket is therefore quite expensive. Need to be reasonably certain about it before buying.

 

[gardenvariety]

Down jackets have never quite worked for me, due to dissatisfaction with the material and cut of most parkas. I know that a lot of people (and especially people here) are making them work, and I’ve bought a couple over the past few years based on fits here, but have always ended up reselling and just sticking with wool overcoats when things get cold. I want to finally switch that up this year, and MAN-TLE’s down-filled blouson caught my eye as an alternative to the standard parka shape. They recently released a collaboration with Evan Kinori on the jacket below, and I wanted to get the perspective of others prior to purchase. EK is expensive, and MAN-TLE is also expensive, and this jacket is therefore quite expensive. Need to be reasonably certain about it before buying.

View attachment 1693069 View attachment 1693073

IMO depends on what kind of weather you're looking to wear this in and how practical you expect it to be (you wrote that you've been "sticking with wool overcoats when things get cold" so I'm guessing you expect it to be practical in really cold weather?).

I haven't handled any EK clothes but the fact that they're based in SF makes me skeptical of how warm this would be in freezing conditions. The details make me think this is more suited to being a high 30s through low 50s jacket, between the buttons-only closures (prob lets cold wind in easily) and loose shape. But it also depends on the down fill. Does the product page say anything about how warm it is?

The fabric looks beautiful though.

If you're looking for a serious winter down coat, have you considered the Veilance monitor twill ("TW")? The Twill fabric is quieter than regular swishy goretex and looks more textured, but the coat is very water/snowproof while still being very lightweight. IDK the price of this mantle/kinori jacket, obviously the coat i linked isn't cheap either but can be found discounted (I bought mine at something like 60% off).

So in conclusion...maybe. I think it just depends on what conditions you're looking to wear it in.

edit: I also cycled through a bunch of down jackets over the course of a few years looking for a great one. The monitor wasn't as 'interesting' as some of them but was functionally better than most and aesthetically pretty good. I don't see wanting to replace it anytime soon.

 

[zenosparadox]

IMO depends on what kind of weather you're looking to wear this in and how practical you expect it to be (you wrote that you've been "sticking with wool overcoats when things get cold" so I'm guessing you expect it to be practical in really cold weather?).

I haven't handled any EK clothes but the fact that they're based in SF makes me skeptical of how warm this would be in freezing conditions. The details make me think this is more suited to being a high 30s through low 50s jacket, between the buttons-only closures (prob lets cold wind in easily) and loose shape. But it also depends on the down fill. Does the product page say anything about how warm it is?

The fabric looks beautiful though.

If you're looking for a serious winter down coat, have you considered the Veilance monitor twill ("TW")? The Twill fabric is quieter than regular swishy goretex and looks more textured, but the coat is very water/snowproof while still being very lightweight. IDK the price of this mantle/kinori jacket, obviously the coat i linked isn't cheap either but can be found discounted (I bought mine at something like 60% off).

So in conclusion...maybe. I think it just depends on what conditions you're looking to wear it in.

Thanks for this - and yes, if it were just an EK piece, then I wouldn't consider it as an option. But it actually seems to be more a MAN-TLE piece than EK. It's one of their perennial styles, but just done up in this tweed rather than the standard waxed cotton. That said, while I know MAN-TLE makes reasonably durable and weather-conscious (whatever that means) coats, and I'd trust them with the functional aspect more than I'd trust EK, I'm uncertain exactly how warm this is. MAN-TLE's website states the following:

90% down mixed with 10% feather [to reduce clumping], this product has a fill-power rating of 850. To show the down's unique colour this garment is lined with a transparent 100% nylon micro-ripstop developed by Toray.

Thanks for the Veilance option, which is pretty comparable in price (and, as you say, could perhaps be had at a discount, whereas EK never goes on sale). I was already considering a Moscow or Bumfreezer, so this provides another great option.

 

[Timbaland]

@zenosparadox you'd need a specific look to your wardrobe to go with that (i.e. non cotton trousers). If you have it then yea go for it but if not it'd be hard to make it work. With the price I would personally pass since I'm not outdoors in the cold that much and it'd be too warm for me to wear indoors but you may be outside a lot more.

 

[ter1413]

What are your guys' opinions? Kodiak (top) or brown (bottom) collar?
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Brown.

 

[zenosparadox]

@zenosparadox you'd need a specific look to your wardrobe to go with that (i.e. non cotton trousers). If you have it then yea go for it but if not it'd be hard to make it work. With the price I would personally pass since I'm not outdoors in the cold that much and it'd be too warm for me to wear indoors but you may be outside a lot more.

Haha, thanks! This is exactly the kind of feedback I need, as I too am rarely outside, apart from daily walks of a half hour or so.

 

[H. E. Pennypacker]

I think it’s medium to pretty cool, though I’d also have a lot of things I’d rather have personally. Also agree on the slight preference to darker for the collar but I think it could look cool either way.

Just looked at your IG and your balmacaan from Beams is really nice.

 

[d4nimal]

Just looked at your IG and your balmacaan from Beams is really nice.

Thanks man. I have the wool one now too, but tbh I’ve been feeling the one you saw on IG more, maybe due to the length.

 

[whorishconsumer]

Lemaire seamless V sweater. They have it in brown, a khaki and black, but those all seem to droll for my physique and complexion, although I was initially drawn to the brown. I'm pretty sure it's too much red, but there's something exciting about it.

Also I gave up dressing in Lemaire years ago, so this would either have to go with casual European Ivy fits, or else workwear.

 

[bry2000]

Pass

 

[peachfuzzmcgee]

Love the color, hate the cut. I would totally dig some Lemaire but this is a bit meh for me. I have seen some cool V-necks like that by Nicholas Daley with a big turtle neck underneath which I think might make these fits look a lot better.