WAYWRN: Classic Menswear, Casual Style

[Imperatores]

Thank you—very kind! Yes, it's the Harris tweed jacket from S&M.

And I hear you re: tweed sometimes looking fuddy-duddy. I bought a herringbone tweed balmacaan last winter and on the few occasions that I wore it, I felt like I should probably be 40+ to properly pull it off, and my wife (enthusiastically) agreed. There was something about it, hard to pinpoint, as you said. Maybe it was a combination of the cut and the colour—beige and black—that made me feel old (read: not wise) beyond my years.

How much use do you get out of the Harris tweed? As good as they look, they're just too warm and heavy for me. I don't really like the idea of using a sport coat as strictly outerwear either.

I think balmacaans are hard to pull off no matter what material they're made of, personally. They tend to look a bit like a potato sack with a belt. Simon Crompton is probably the only guy I've seen pull it off, and that was in photos. Who knows what it looked like in person.

To be clear, I don't think there's anything inherently fuddy-duddy about tweed. As long as the cut is flattering and soft shouldered. It's the typical British tweed jackets with structured shoulders, flapped pockets or even a 3-button front that's just impossible to pull off, imo. Almost any tweed can look good on a younger guy if it's done right, like you've clearly demonstrated here. That's why I wanted to give you props. That, and the way you pulled off a sport coat and jeans look. Those also tends to look a bit old-mannish, regardless of the sport coat material. You did it (seemingly) effortlessly though.

 

[inTROYspection]

How much use do you get out of the Harris tweed? As good as they look, they're just too warm and heavy for me. I don't really like the idea of using a sport coat as strictly outerwear either.

I think balmacaans are hard to pull off no matter what material they're made of, personally. They tend to look a bit like a potato sack with a belt. Simon Crompton is probably the only guy I've seen pull it off, and that was in photos. Who knows what it looked like in person.

To be clear, I don't think there's anything inherently fuddy-duddy about tweed. As long as the cut is flattering and soft shouldered. It's the typical British tweed jackets with structured shoulders, flapped pockets or even a 3-button front that's just impossible to pull off, imo. Almost any tweed can look good on a younger guy if it's done right, like you've clearly demonstrated here. That's why I wanted to give you props. That, and the way you pulled off a sport coat and jeans look. Those also tends to look a bit old-mannish, regardless of the sport coat material. You did it (seemingly) effortlessly though.

Fully agree re: tweed not being innately frumpy. I'm just always mindful that, when worn by a younger person, it might carry connotations of wannabe-professor or old man before his time.

As for frequency of use, I live in a colder climate, so that's probably the first relevant contextual thing to say. I run fairly warm and therefore couldn't imagine trying to rock Harris Tweed in the Deep South or something. And personally, I'm not opposed to wearing a sport coat on its own if we're going out for dinner in the evening, for example. Done that a couple of times this fall when eating on a patio. Served as a replacement for a piece of outerwear and I was totally fine with it.

By comparison, I've gotten much more use out of heavier tweed SCs than summer SC fabrics (linen, seersucker cotton, etc.), as humidity in the summer months makes any kind of layering impossible. I've learned that, where I currently live, late fall, winter, and early spring are the times when I can comfortably wear a sport coat of basically any weight.

That said, more generally, I've been working from home since the onset of the pandemic, so, like many, my sport coats haven't been in regular rotation as much as they were pre-pandemic. I used to wear tweed SCs to work when we were in the office (dress code is very casual), but climate-controlled offices could sometimes turn that into a sweaty affair.

Yeah, I like the balmacaan look on others (including Crompton), which is what inspired me to take the plunge, but I had a sense of cosplaying when I'd throw it on. Sort of felt like I was getting ready to film a scene for Home Alone as one of the "wet bandits."

 

[justridiculous]

Portuguese Flannel / GRP / Orslow / Heschung

 

[Imperatores]

Fully agree re: tweed not being innately frumpy. I'm just always mindful that, when worn by a younger person, it might carry connotations of wannabe-professor or old man before his time.

As for frequency of use, I live in a colder climate, so that's probably the first relevant contextual thing to say. I run fairly warm and therefore couldn't imagine trying to rock Harris Tweed in the Deep South or something. And personally, I'm not opposed to wearing a sport coat on its own if we're going out for dinner in the evening, for example. Done that a couple of times this fall when eating on a patio. Served as a replacement for a piece of outerwear and I was totally fine with it.

By comparison, I've gotten much more use out of heavier tweed SCs than summer SC fabrics (linen, seersucker cotton, etc.), as humidity in the summer months makes any kind of layering impossible. I've learned that, where I currently live, late fall, winter, and early spring are the times when I can comfortably wear a sport coat of basically any weight.

That said, more generally, I've been working from home since the onset of the pandemic, so, like many, my sport coats haven't been in regular rotation as much as they were pre-pandemic. I used to wear tweed SCs to work when we were in the office (dress code is very casual), but climate-controlled offices could sometimes turn that into a sweaty affair.

Yeah, I like the balmacaan look on others (including Crompton), which is what inspired me to take the plunge, but I had a sense of cosplaying when I'd throw it on. Sort of felt like I was getting ready to film a scene for Home Alone as one of the "wet bandits."

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Absolutely. There's a few fabrics that carries those connotations, but can still look great on a young guy if done right. Corduroy is another one of those. As long as it doesn't have a comically wide wale like that Home Alone coat, at least. Holy crap that's awful...

I'm Scandinavian, so my climate is plenty cold. It's just that most tweeds above 350-370gsm are too warm indoors. It makes more sense to me to wear lighter jackets and just put on an overcoat when it gets properly cold outside. I've never been entirely comfortable wearing just a tucked in shirt (I get hyper fixated on keeping it properly tucked in and preventing excessive bunching/wrinkling in the back etc.), so I'd need another layer if I had to take off my jacket indoors.

Interesting that you've come to prefer your heavier jackets. How heavy are we talking? Do you have any wool-silk-linen jackets? I've found those to be the most useful throughout the year. They're very comfortable, drape nicely and doesn't really look like a strictly summer jacket. Especially if they're slightly heavier (300gsm+). Easily dressed up or down as well. After those, wool hopsacks and mid-weight flannels are my most worn jackets. The one exception is my navy tweed jacket that uses a Loro Piana fabric from their Sopra Visso line. Much lighter and softer than a typical tweed. I just love it. I share your thoughts on linen, seersucker and cotton jackets, though. They're borderline useless to me, except for a few occasions where linen is appropriate. Seersucker is straight up ugly imo, and almost all cotton jackets are uncomfortable and drapes horribly. Wool-silk-linen is where it's at for the warmer parts of the year.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Hola!

 

[cr2596]

Hola!

That shirt looks better and better with each wear.

 

[Kappelan]

 

[Purplelabel]

 

[DapperPhilly]

 

[Gerry Nelson]

 

[RajunCajun]

Morning. I'm dressed very comfortably.

 

[JIMIG]

Morning. I'm dressed very comfortably.

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Looks good. Details on the jeans?

 

[RajunCajun]

Looks good. Details on the jeans?

Thanks, bro. https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/jeans/straight/501-93-straight-fit-mens-jeans/p/798300167

 

[Michigan Planner]

Since we're asking the @RajunCajun for details, let's see where that rugby shirt is from!

 

[jischwar]

Drake's, right?