What should I wear with this prince of wales check jacket?

[Jian Su]

Hello everyone. I recently purchased a RLPL POW jacket but only later did realize that I don't know what to wear with it. I have looked over the internet and instagram only to find out that prince of wales is best for suiting and an odd jacket seems weird.

Is there any flattering way to wear this jacket or should I exclude it from my rotation entirely? Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

Here's the picture.

 

[SuitedDx]

I have a couple POW suits (one similar to that). I stick with solid colors (e.g., white shirt and black tie with a subtle pattern). One has purple tones so I wear a ties in a similar colorway.

People might be bolder with stripes and stuff but I'm on the stuffier end.

 

[WhereNext]

I have a POW odd jacket but it's quite a bit lighter in color than that. I'm relatively conservative, but I wear my jacket like I would if it were a suit: plain light colored shirt (usually blue or purple) and a one or two color tie (reppe stripe, polka dot, grenadine, knit, etc.). I have to say that looks more suit-y than mine, but we're talking about differences of degrees that most people won't notice. The real issue is: if you feel like people are going to be looking at you funny for it AND that will bother you, you should return it.

 

[Jian Su]

Thanks for your reply! Have you tried just wearing the jacket? This was sold as a sport jacket so I'm not sure about what kinds of trousers to wear with it.

I have a couple POW suits (one similar to that). I stick with solid colors (e.g., white shirt and black tie with a subtle pattern). One has purple tones so I wear a ties in a similar colorway.

People might be bolder with stripes and stuff but I'm on the stuffier end.

 

[Jian Su]

This jacket is indeed darker, making it more of a challenge. I saw Vox post a picture of Gary Grant wearing a similar jacket (albeit in black and white). Do you think it's a flattering look?

I have a POW odd jacket but it's quite a bit lighter in color than that. I'm relatively conservative, but I wear my jacket like I would if it were a suit: plain light colored shirt (usually blue or purple) and a one or two color tie (reppe stripe, polka dot, grenadine, knit, etc.). I have to say that looks more suit-y than mine, but we're talking about differences of degrees that most people won't notice. The real issue is: if you feel like people are going to be looking at you funny for it AND that will bother you, you should return it.

 

[WhereNext]

Not really that challenging, since the idea of a darker color on top and lighter colored trousers is pretty repeated on forums like this (lighter jacket on top is often referred to as "Northern Lights" and is considered a more advanced move by some). Is it a heavy and/or flannel jacket or is it lighter weight and/or worsted? It looks like it has a purple overcheck?

Just going by what I can see, I would wear mid-blue trousers or possibly grey trousers that are quite a bit different in shade (much darker or lighter) than the jacket's shade. It's kind of hard to do this on a picture, but it might also work with navy blue trousers, though there are many on the forum who feel that navy odd trousers are an abomination.

"Is it flattering"? I don't know, but I like mine and I've never had anyone ask me to leave a party because of it (for other reasons, however.....). It'll be flattering if it fits you well, you pick other items that complement it well, and you wear it with confidence. If you're missing on any of those three, the odds of it being flattering go down hill dramatically. Yours wouldn't be my first pick for a sportcoat, but I would definitely wear it if I had it without any real concerns.

 

[Jian Su]

Thank you so much for your insights!

I would say it is lighter weight made of 100% wool, very soft to the touch. It indeed has a purple overcheck.

Do you recommend trousers in solid colors or in patterns (like checks similar to the jacket)?

I have only started to attempt to dabble in this field of dressing well so I may lack even the most basic common sense, which explains why I failed to describe the jacket in more relevant detail and my rash decision in buying this jacket in the first place. Thank you again for your suggestions!

Not really that challenging, since the idea of a darker color on top and lighter colored trousers is pretty repeated on forums like this (lighter jacket on top is often referred to as "Northern Lights" and is considered a more advanced move by some). Is it a heavy and/or flannel jacket or is it lighter weight and/or worsted? It looks like it has a purple overcheck?

Just going by what I can see, I would wear mid-blue trousers or possibly grey trousers that are quite a bit different in shade (much darker or lighter) than the jacket's shade. It's kind of hard to do this on a picture, but it might also work with navy blue trousers, though there are many on the forum who feel that navy odd trousers are an abomination.

"Is it flattering"? I don't know, but I like mine and I've never had anyone ask me to leave a party because of it (for other reasons, however.....). It'll be flattering if it fits you well, you pick other items that complement it well, and you wear it with confidence. If you're missing on any of those three, the odds of it being flattering go down hill dramatically. Yours wouldn't be my first pick for a sportcoat, but I would definitely wear it if I had it without any real concerns.

 

[WhereNext]

Definitely solid trousers; patterned trousers are very difficult to get right and almost always go with a solid jacket (which, if you are just beginning, should probably be a standard blue blazer if you go that direction). I would probably never wear patterned trousers with a jacket, but again, I'm a bit conservative. I'd wear them with a jumper/sweater or something like that, though.
There isn't a ton of consensus on the board (and I disagree with some of it), but the most relevant is that mid-grey trousers in flannel (for colder weather) and fresco (for warmer weather) go with just about any jacket. Personally, I have no issues with worsted grey trousers for shoulder seasons (some here do not think worsted grey trousers are good) and I also have some wool-mohair blends for summer. To be honest, if you're buying off the rack (and depending on where you live), it may be hard to find flannel or (especially) fresco trousers, but worsted wool ones should be around in most stores.
For that jacket, I think a lighter grey trouser could work, but I'd be more tempted by a mid-blue to provide more contrast. With sports jackets, you want to make sure there is sufficient contrast between the jacket and the trousers. If you have other sports jackets and this will be a look you go for more often, you'll want to have more trousers.

 

[Jian Su]

Definitely solid trousers; patterned trousers are very difficult to get right and almost always go with a solid jacket (which, if you are just beginning, should probably be a standard blue blazer if you go that direction). I would probably never wear patterned trousers with a jacket, but again, I'm a bit conservative. I'd wear them with a jumper/sweater or something like that, though.
There isn't a ton of consensus on the board (and I disagree with some of it), but the most relevant is that mid-grey trousers in flannel (for colder weather) and fresco (for warmer weather) go with just about any jacket. Personally, I have no issues with worsted grey trousers for shoulder seasons (some here do not think worsted grey trousers are good) and I also have some wool-mohair blends for summer. To be honest, if you're buying off the rack (and depending on where you live), it may be hard to find flannel or (especially) fresco trousers, but worsted wool ones should be around in most stores.
For that jacket, I think a lighter grey trouser could work, but I'd be more tempted by a mid-blue to provide more contrast. With sports jackets, you want to make sure there is sufficient contrast between the jacket and the trousers. If you have other sports jackets and this will be a look you go for more often, you'll want to have more trousers.

Thank you so much for this long reply and your patience. I really appreciate it.

I have some grey trousers in both flannel and (normal?) wool. For the mid-blue trousers, do you have a certain color range in mind? I could imagine both navy and light blue but mid-blue seems to occupy most spectrum of the color blue.

If it's not too much trouble or asking too much, could you recommend some shirts to go with the outfits you mentioned?

 

[Testudo_Aubreii]

It has enough visual interest to work as an odd jacket. Wear it with trousers in tans and browns. Problem solved.

 

[WhereNext]

I would absolutely concur with some shades of tan or brown going well with that jacket.
The color range I had in mind was basically what you said: somewhere between light blue and navy blue (to be fair, I also think a navy blue could work with that jacket, it's just generally frowned upon on the forum, for whatever that might be worth to you). Something you could do would be to bring the jacket with you to a clothing store and just hold it up to different color trousers to get an idea of how they would look.
For shirts, I'm boring, so would stay away from stripes or checks and go with a solid shirt in white (again, the forum generally frowns upon white shirts with sportcoats, but I like the look sometimes), light blue, light purple, or pink.

 

[Jian Su]

I would absolutely concur with some shades of tan or brown going well with that jacket.
The color range I had in mind was basically what you said: somewhere between light blue and navy blue (to be fair, I also think a navy blue could work with that jacket, it's just generally frowned upon on the forum, for whatever that might be worth to you). Something you could do would be to bring the jacket with you to a clothing store and just hold it up to different color trousers to get an idea of how they would look.
For shirts, I'm boring, so would stay away from stripes or checks and go with a solid shirt in white (again, the forum generally frowns upon white shirts with sportcoats, but I like the look sometimes), light blue, light purple, or pink.

It has enough visual interest to work as an odd jacket. Wear it with trousers in tans and browns. Problem solved.

Thanks again for all your great advice!