Stylish clothes for travel?

[dougc33]

Great humblebrag thread, dude.

Can you be happy for your fellow human being? Do you wish to someday be able to afford the ability to do the same? I, for one, am hopeful that I will and I hope my fellow SF'ers are here to support.

 

[oz_boater]

Great humblebrag thread, dude.

Ouch.

But reading back through it, I can see why you think so.

No one, however, will think I am humble bragging about the is the Blazer I bought from Bluffworks.
It is a disaster.

Their page for their 'Hopsack' Blazer.

More like a sack than a blazer.
Or maybe more a heavy shirt or cardigan cut in the general shape of a sports jacket?

Unstructured, cloth so thin the internal pockets show through even though they are empty.
When I took it to a good alterations guy his comment was "This is not a jacket!"

Hopefully he can salvage something from it, but at the moment it looks like a writeoff.

I did take photos but it is a dark jacket and they don't capture how bad it is.
Will see if I can post-process one to make it visible.

Edit: Added some pics

One of the selling points is that you can pull it out of your bag and it looks as good as if it had been hung up properly - the bad point though is that when it is hung up properly it looks like something you just pulled out of your bag.

On the plus side, it is just 500 grams vs the kilo for my fav JC Crew sports coat
It can also be machine washed instead of dry cleaned.

But what is the point if it is too ugly to wear?

The pants and shirts though look like they will come good with alterations from the tailor who commented above (who was recommended here on StyleForum).

 

[FlithyButler]

... their 'Hopsack' Blazer.

More like a sack than a blazer.

Pun-tastic!

 

[hpreston]

Good to know about the Japanese gentleman!

I will most certainly be checking a bag, don't do 'long haul' on budget airlines (and all trips from Oz are 'long haul')

The bag however will be one that meets the criteria for Shinkansens (Japanese Bullet Trains); basically 160cm (3 dimensions summed). Right now that means for me a Osprey 70 liter travel backpack plus a 'courier' style camera bag for electronics.

I don't want to go crazy here, just optimise somewhat.

Am expecting to have 3 months a year off for the next 5 years or so, and have budgeted US $40,000 per year for travel, so there is room in the budget for a bit of investment in clothes.

Do appreciate the help in working out what to look for a how to think about packing for travel.

What a lot of others have said…. Check a bag, even a small roller bag is going to be better for tailored clothing than a backpack.

If you're taking a portion of your travel budget for clothing, I really like the “travel” blazer that No Man Walks Alone did this past summer. They also did a couple suits that seems suited (see what I did there) for travel. You could MTO any of these pieces. No Man also has a nice selection of polos and other summer shirts that could go with a travel suit, or blazer.

I like the cashmere sweater idea someone else recommended, I always travel (often wearing it on the plane) with one.

 

[oz_boater]

What a lot of others have said…. Check a bag, even a small roller bag is going to be better for tailored clothing than a backpack.

Is it the rigidity of a roller bag that is helpful here?

I have quite a few trips planned, may end up trying different styles of luggage to see which ends up as the best compromise.

If you're taking a portion of your travel budget for clothing, I really like the “travel” blazer that No Man Walks Alone did this past summer. They also did a couple suits that seems suited (see what I did there) for travel. You could MTO any of these pieces. No Man also has a nice selection of polos and other summer shirts that could go with a travel suit, or blazer.

This jacket?

x Sartoria Carrara: ultra-light unlined sport coat in navy Minnis Mock Leno

"For this summer, we wanted to push the limits and create a jacket that is so light and unstructured that it will travel with you everywhere, that you can roll and pack in a summer weekender bag without worries. Using Mock Leno, an open-weave tropical wool jacketing from England, we created a...

nomanwalksalone.com

(MTO = "Made to Order"?) - sorry, very much still a "nube" here.

I like the cashmere sweater idea someone else recommended, I always travel (often wearing it on the plane) with one.

I do have a 100% Cashmere sweater, will make sure I pack it.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[hpreston]

Is it the rigidity of a roller bag that is helpful here?

I have quite a few trips planned, may end up trying different styles of luggage to see which ends up as the best compromise.

This jacket?

x Sartoria Carrara: ultra-light unlined sport coat in navy Minnis Mock Leno

"For this summer, we wanted to push the limits and create a jacket that is so light and unstructured that it will travel with you everywhere, that you can roll and pack in a summer weekender bag without worries. Using Mock Leno, an open-weave tropical wool jacketing from England, we created a...

nomanwalksalone.com

(MTO = "Made to Order"?) - sorry, very much still a "nube" here.


I do have a 100% Cashmere sweater, will make sure I pack it.

Thanks for the advice.

As for luggage. Yes. If you’re packing tailoring, you want at least semi rigid sides. I don’t see packing tailoring in a backpack to be advisable at all. YMMV.

Yes that jacket! (There were two colors of unlined/unstructured seersucker suits too that could be nice summer travel suits.

Yes, MTO = Made To Order. No need to apologize. If you’re interested and the garment’s measurements work for you, you can email the No Man team and ask ordering a jacket or suit, even if it’s out of stock, as long as the fabric is still available.

 

[Bic Pentameter]

I live in Tokyo and travel a bit in the region and to North America for business.
These days, Tokyo is still warm in October. Unless you run really cold, I don't think you would need a scarf or gloves, even in November or December

In months/locales where the temperature allows, I build my wardrobe around a Harris Tweed sport coat that can go easily with navy and brown/green. Something like this: https://www.harristweedshop.com/tweed-cloth/check-harris-tweed/angus/

I wear it with jeans and an oxford button down on the airplane, and with moleskin trousers and a necktie for business meetings during the day. The Harris Tweed has proved robust enough to be stuffed into the overhead compartment on the airplane or into a suitcase without showing wrinkles. If it collects odors, I spray it with Fabreeze in the hotel.

In Japan, and to a certain extent in Korea, you might find yourself taking your shoes off more than in the West, so I wear a slightly large monkstrap like the Crokett Jones Savile in brown (https://us.crockettandjones.com/collections/savile-4/products/savile-4-darkbrown-calf)
It takes polish well, and I wear it with both the jeans and the moleskins. If you are worried about slipping and rain, you might consider putting a topy on it.

July to September in Tokyo is an entirely different beast, especially this year.
I usually wear Uniqlo chinos, oxford button downs, and a linen jacket that gets very wrinkled.

Bic

 

[oz_boater]

I live in Tokyo and travel a bit in the region and to North America for business.
These days, Tokyo is still warm in October. Unless you run really cold, I don't think you would need a scarf or gloves, even in November or December

Good to know.
Will be in Korea from 26th Oct to 7th Nov, then Japan from 7th Nov till 26th
I show the temp range in Seoul for Oct as typically 10-22 and in Tokyo in Nov from 9-17

Won't be going any further north than Nanao in Japan. Think we do end up in some moutainour areas though.

In months/locales where the temperature allows, I build my wardrobe around a Harris Tweed sport coat that can go easily with navy and brown/green. Something like this: https://www.harristweedshop.com/tweed-cloth/check-harris-tweed/angus/

I wear it with jeans and an oxford button down on the airplane, and with moleskin trousers and a necktie for business meetings during the day. The Harris Tweed has proved robust enough to be stuffed into the overhead compartment on the airplane or into a suitcase without showing wrinkles. If it collects odors, I spray it with Fabreeze in the hotel.

Sounds good, looks like I have lots of learning to do.

Which is why I am here after all.

Thanks again

 

[volcanotristate]

First, the Japanese guy in the tan suit is not on vacation, he’s at Pitti Uomo, a major menswear trade show in Florence. Guaranteed he checks a bag from Tokyo.

Which brings me to my second point: Check a bag.

Unless one is literally backpacking across the Andes or is a student bouncing around European youth hostels, I don’t understand the current obsession with traveling light. You read stories where people proudly turn their underwear inside out to wear a second day. Or wash socks every night in the hotel bathroom sink. Really? Not for me.

The media has a field day whenever there’s a lost-luggage cluster—how to resist that photo of missing bags piled high?—but the truth is that most bags get where they’re going, on the same plane as the owner. And to guard against the unlikely event yours doesn’t, today you can buy inexpensive gadgets that will track your luggage on your phone.

As to cost—yes, you’ll pay more to check a bag. So what? Think of the base fare as not real, and the actual fare as including your belongings. It sucks, but life is unfair.

What about the inconvenience of schlepping? The days of steamer trunks are gone; a good roller bag is pretty easy to maneuver, even onto trains and public buses. You also don’t need to get the absolute largest.

I agree with above poster that four days is the maximum travel with carry-on. For me, shoes are the Waterloo—I’m not spending weeks in another country with just one or even two pair, and no cabin bag can accommodate multiple shoes and everything else.

Finally, if you like a backpack for getting around, use it as a day pack. Put the rest of your (relatively) elegant wardrobe in a checked suitcase. I always wear a sportcoat or leather jacket on a plane, depending on climate, because you can load up the pockets with stuff—phones, charging cords, Kindles, tickets, documents, vape pen (yes you can smoke them undetected).

Safe travels!

Vape pen: take a small one that fits discreetly in your fist. Take a draw and hold it in. The vapor wil dissipate into your lungs and no vapor will remain upon exhale. This stealth vape is essential for us nicotine junkies on long flights. No harm no foul and no climbing the wall nerves

 

[philosophe]

+1 for checking a bag or at least using a respectable carry on.

I always stuff a Uniqlo down jacket into my carry on. It works as a neck pillow, and it's perfect on a chilly flight. Best yet, if I lose it, spill coffee on it, or whatever, the investment was minimal.

 

[oz_boater]

Thanks for all the advice folks, am setting off for a month in South Korea and Japan on Thursday.

As to my attempt to obtain “stylish” clothes for travel, at this point I consider it a failure.

The shirts are OK, but the jacket I bought is dreadful and the pants hang poorly. The Loakes Chatsworth I bought have been a disaster, stripping the skin of my heels (though a really peristent cobbler has been helping me with that) and the vintage Burberry rain coat I got is bulkier than I anticipated and I end up looking like a flasher if I do it up.

So inexperience tells here.

Anyway - this is what I ended up with.

For luggage I got a Macpac 80L roller backpack which is really soft shell luggage with backpack straps. Fairly rigid sides.

Macpac merino wool socks and short sleeve insulated base layer (body hugging tee), Icebreaker merino underwear.

The attraction of Merino is it doesn’t smell and so doesn’t require washing every day so more flexible.

3 longs sleeve shirts.
All full merino wool.

2 from Wool & Prince in large (and then adjusted by Precision Tailoring as recommended by the Australia thread)

130 gsm Blue Tattersall

230 gsm Burgundy

And a unmodified Icebreaker Black Merino shirt in Medium

I imported a Buffworks Hopsack Blazer (See post up this thread) and despite the best efforts of my tailor it looks bad to me. It is so lightweight the interior pockets show through.

For me at least this I consider this a write off

And will instead be taking by existing J Crew blazer

The pants are Bluffworks “Ascender” desert Khaki in 34 which needed to be taken in a fair bit so let’s say they run large. The attraction of these pants is the dry really quickly (really quickly) but I can say I am happy with how they drape.

Ditto for the Chinos in Clay, which did NOT need to be taken in, despite also being a 34 from the same company.

The shoes are Florsheim loafers which should be well suited to the Japanese conditions (shoes on and off all the time) and I have replaced the crippling Loakes with Blundstone 659s. (With the assistance of a team of folks at Raven footware who must have spend at least an hour trying to get me shoes that fit well)

I also wanted a raincoat, full length, that would not look out of place in Rome or Paris, but these really are not a thing in Australia. Only Burberry has a full length Trench, and while it fitted well I choked at the price (A$4,400 in Oz)

Instead (with some advice from here) I bought a 2nd hand Burberry for $200 which turned out to be a raincoat rather than a trench but will do as a test run for checking practicality. Just so long as I don’t get arrested on suspicion of being a flasher.

So that is where I am right now

A few thousand Australian spent, for very little result when I look at the other threads that show what is possible.

But I am a newbie so I guess you learn by doing.

On the other hand, Joe Ha at The Finery Company says he can make be a complete, bespoke, travel wardrobe for around $20,000 Australian - so there is always that option 🤣

 

[comrade]

Several decades ago, when I was gainfully employed and people
in Tech still wore coats and ties, I had Chipp make me up a blue blazer
that I could wear on a plane and then go directly to a meeting without
worrying about creasing. The result, a blue blazer of very heavy, dense
fabric- I don't recall what kind. I still have it and it shows no wear after
years of "service". Unfortunately, it no longer fits. When I got it I was
running 30 mi/week.

 

[oz_boater]

Several decades ago, when I was gainfully employed and people
in Tech still wore coats and ties, I had Chipp make me up a blue blazer
that I could wear on a plane and then go directly to a meeting without
worrying about creasing. The result, a blue blazer of very heavy, dense
fabric- I don't recall what kind. I still have it and it shows no wear after
years of "service". Unfortunately, it no longer fits. When I got it I was
running 30 mi/week.

Thanks Comrade, so heavier rather than lighter - makes sense
Will see how this trip goes

 

[LeeR]

I know this is the classic menswear section. However, maybe consider the hiking/travel brands. Kuhl is great for travel clothes. Acquire some merino wool t-shirts. There are many different brands that have really good travel blue sport coats that would fit the bill. And a quality pair of white leather sneakers can be worn in any situation, except maybe formal. As for me, I wouldn't much depend on slip ons if I were going to do any serious walking or hurrying to catch, trains , planes, and automobiles.

 

[oz_boater]

Thanks Lee.

That is the spproach taken.

Wool & Prince and Bluffeorks are travel brands, using the materials developed for the hiking community for “city” clothes.

The Hopsack blazer is specifically for travel, no crease, machine or hand wash, fast dry, lots of internal pockets. It just looks dreadful.

All the shirts, undershirt Ts, undies and socks are in Merino.

The slip on are specifically for Japan due to routine taking off / putting on of shoes. Have some Chelsea boots for bigger walking days.

The only things not specifically for travel are the blazer I am actually taking and the rain coat.

Anyway, heading to the airport in an hour so we will just have see how it goes.

That’s for taking the time to comments, we are thinking alike here. This is where I have ended up via pursuing what you have suggested.