Suggestions and comments for a London Lounge Gun Club jacket

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by Sator

I have some sports caps made of Breanish tweed. I thought I would try it out as a cap then order more cloth for a matching coat, but I agree it is gutless, fluffy crap.

Oh dear me. Gutless fluffy crap. Sounds a bit extreme to describe a tweed that is a staple of the house of A&S. It's undoubtedly light for a tweed which is why it is so suitable for an urban environment. It doesn't have weight and oppressiveness of something like the London Lounge gunclub and let's face it your not going to be wrestling sheep to the ground so I dont see it's lightness being a particular handicap. All I can say is that the sportcoat belonging to my acquaintance is one of the best looking casual garments I've ever seen. Sorry.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

Each to his own I suppose. I've spent a lot of time in Paris over the years and am well aware of the streak of Anglomania present in the French but in my experience they tend to take English concepts and make them MORE not less sophisticated. With due respect to the Alden pic on the streets this does not conform to my idea of what constitutes casual elegance.

When I started writing observations like this, I felt honor-bound to post photographs of what I wear in WAYWRN just so that my comments would be more three dimensional, and so that other SF members could more accurately assess the content of my opinions by placing them in the context of what I actually aim, achieve, or most often fail to execute in real life. I have been particularly careful to post everything that I have time to shoot recently, warts and all, with no cherry picking.

You seem to have very strict opinions, and that is great. I encourage you to post at least a few photographs of yourself so that we can all get a better sense of what you mean by, for example, casual elegance. Celebrity or archival photographs are okay, but not nearly as useful as a normal person trying to execute his vision today.

Just a thought.

If you have already done so, I would be grateful for links so that I can learn from you. I mean that seriously.

- B

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

I love it when an aged sportcoat takes on a slightly baggy appearance.

Now I understand where you are coming from.

 

[dopey]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

Sorry to rain on anyones parade but why would anyone want to wear this when there are such fantastic tweeds by people like Breanish out there. They are trad but much better suited to a 2008 world it seems to me. This cloth strikes me as almost a parody and I speak as someone who owns a fairly loudish Cheviot sportcoat which is probably my least worn individual jacket because of climatic and social considerations. Imagine a jacket made up in this cloth and one made up in one of the Breanish tweeds and imagine which would look the more cool and sophisticated in an urban environment. The link to the picture of it made up looks ok but imagining this on the streets of London, Paris or NY evokes rolled eyes. I can just about see it in on the North Yorkshire moors but then how much time is the wearer going to spend in that locale.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

It is quite alright not to like it. And I do like Breanish tweeds as well, but one cannot make everything at once, as Dopey's production line summary indicates.

As for seeing it on the streets of London and Paris, the link in my original post shows Alden in his in what looks to me like Paris.

In fact, I would imagine Parisians to dote on a jacket like this worn in the city, since it is one of the few types of Anglophilia that appeals to many of them.

- B

As it happens, it is Breanish tweed that is ahead of the London Lounge tweed in the queue.

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by iammatt

+a million.

I actually stuff things in my sports jacket pockets to aid the process. Normally this is total anathema to me because I loathe anything like car keys, cell phones, wallets, money, junk, that spoils the line of a jacket and pant.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by Despos

My two experiences making Breanish tweed are not good ones. The cloth has no guts and shifts in the making. The seams have to be taped to prevent them shredding and splitting. I think it is really awful stuff IMO.

Chris, this deeply saddens me. I was excited about the idea of ordering a jacket in Breanish, but it's difficult to ignore your opinion. I'm okay with the bagging. As J. Ellis and Iammatt point out, this can look good. But the shredding of the seams sounds awful--not that it would have any real effect on the wearer. It would just hurt me psychically to know it's happening at all.

Originally Posted by John Ellis

I actually stuff things in my sports jacket pockets to aid the process. Normally this is total anathema to me because I loathe anything like car keys, cell phones, wallets, money, junk, that spoils the line of a jacket and pant.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to stimulate premature bagging, but I agree that patch pockets look better when they begin to sag and bulge a little. When new, they're a bit lifeless.

 

[yachtie]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

I actually stuff things in my sports jacket pockets to aid the process. Normally this is total anathema to me because I loathe anything like car keys, cell phones, wallets, money, junk, that spoils the line of a jacket and pant.

Baggy, stretched out jackets have "line"?

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

When I started writing observations like this, I felt honor-bound to post photographs of what I wear in WAYWRN just so that my comments would be more three dimensional, and so that other SF members could more accurately assess the content of my opinions by placing them in the context of what I actually aim, achieve, or most often fail to execute in real life. I have been particularly careful to post everything that I have time to shoot recently, warts and all, with no cherry picking.

You seem to have very strict opinions, and that is great. I encourage you to post at least a few photographs of yourself so that we can all get a better sense of what you mean by, for example, casual elegance. Celebrity or archival photographs are okay, but not nearly as useful as a normal person trying to execute his vision today.

Just a thought.

If you have already done so, I would be grateful for links so that I can learn from you. I mean that seriously.

- B

I'm something of a compute klutz(well it's the age factor) but have just learned in the past week how to load pics on my computer. No kidding, so I'll see what I can do.

 

[yachtie]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Chris, this deeply saddens me. I was excited about the idea of ordering a jacket in Breanish, but it's difficult to ignore your opinion. I'm okay with the bagging. As J. Ellis and Iammatt point out, this can look good. But the shredding of the seams sounds awful--not that it would have any real effect on the wearer. It would just hurt me psychically to know it's happening at all.


maybe buy a little extra to replace the sleeves ?

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by Despos

Now I understand where you are coming from.

Is that good?

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

I'm something of a compute klutz(well it's the age factor) but have just learned in the past week how to load pics on my computer. No kidding, so I'll see what I can do.

Bravo, and when you do, a thick skin and a sense of humor will be of tremendous service.

- B

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by yachtie

maybe buy a little extra to replace the sleeves ?

Would this fix the problem? I thought Chris was referring to the internally shredding of the seam ends (whatever you call them), where the cloth has been cut. I figured it would just look ugly on the inside and not have any effect on wear.

 

[itsstillmatt]

A couple of thoughts... I have a length of the gun club as well. Likely, I will not be making it up, as it is too dark for my personal taste. I've never thought Breanish to be any nicer than other tweeds, and never really understood the love on here. Some patterns are great, but other than the great patterns, is there really any reason to choose it. Here is the next tweed I am making up. I am guessing John Ellis is not a fan:

I think all jackets, both suit and sportcoat, look better once they start to bag a bit and you start to see the impression you have left on them.

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Chris, this deeply saddens me. I was excited about the idea of ordering a jacket in Breanish, but it's difficult to ignore your opinion. I'm okay with the bagging. As J. Ellis and Iammatt point out, this can look good. But the shredding of the seams sounds awful--not that it would have any real effect on the wearer. It would just hurt me psychically to know it's happening at all.



I'm not sure I'd go so far as to stimulate premature bagging, but I agree that patch pockets look better when they begin to sag and bulge a little. When new, they're a bit lifeless.

Well I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to clothes and like sports coats to have a bit of lived in look. I don't wander the streets of London or New York with wrenches sticking out of my pockets but. The rules are totally different for a blazer which is totally different casual garment but having said that I know a couple of folks who have very old battered blazers which look very good.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I've never thought Breanish to be any nicer than other tweeds, and never really understood the love on here. Some patterns are great, but other than the great patterns, is there really any reason to choose it.

I was under the impression that it is lighter than most tweeds, while still remaining a true tweed. Of course, I still don't really know what a 'true tweed' is, but whatever.