Zegna MTM "velvet" (brown or charcoal) jacket - opinions?

[epa]

In another thread I asked for tips about getting myself an odd jacket (http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=19424).
After having discarded the striped option (yes, I sometimes follow advice, thank you), I went to the local Zegna store and had a look at the 2006 autumn/winter MTM catalogue. There were some nice things, and I finally ended up choosing between a somewhat violet "shetlair" herringbone (I think it was) cloth, and another cloth, plain and with a "velvet" feel.
The violet cloth was lovely, but I was actually looking for something more "neutral" and easy to "combine".
The "velvet" cloth (I do not remember the name of the cloth, I think it was "cashco", but it might have been "shetlair" or "silk skin") came in brown and in dark grey/charcoal. The charcoal option attracted me - I guess it could do both for work and leisure.
The thing is that nobody I know or see at work ever wear this kind of "velvet" type jackets. However, I guess that for me, it could work well - I am not working in an extremely formal environment, and many of my clients are quite informal.
Any opinions on these "velvet" jackets?
(By the way, if someone has seen the catalogue, I am thinking about combining the charcoal "velvet" jacket with the grey trouser cloth that comes on the page with the violet herringbone shetlair jacket cloth).

 

[GQgeek]

I love velvet, and am planning on eventually getting one myself, but it's one of those things that's best left until you have a solid rotation going. It's also a material I'd only wear at night, and not to the office.

 

[epa]

Thank you, GQgeek. That is exactly what my fears are about. Basically, I have a limited closes space, so I normally have just six spring/summer suits (including odd jacket+trouser combinations), and six autumn/winter ones. Basically, I try to have four or five "formal" sets, and one or two more "special" ones. This is the reasons why I have to give things so many thougts - I only buy one set each season (and then, I throw an old one away), so I'd better get it right. This time, I indeed want something "special", especially for night use or for "informal" day use, but I want to be able to wear it also to the office. As I said, dress codes are not formal att all at my office, you can stand out quite a bit if you want to, but not too much, of course. Thus, are there any "rules" against "velvet"-like odd jackets for daytime use, or are these only your personal feelings?

 

[thinman]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

I love velvet, and am planning on eventually getting one myself, but it's one of those things that's best left until you have a solid rotation going. It's also a material I'd only wear at night, and not to the office.
I'm in total agreement. I want a velvet jacket, but I'm waiting until I have my rotation filled because I'd only wear a velvet jacket in the evening. I don't know if there's a rule against wearing velvet in the daytime, but it strikes me as just too flashy. In my university workplace, I'd come off as eccentric at best. Edit: I love the idea of either a brown or charcoal velvet jacket. My eventual purchase will be one of those colors or a blue slightly lighter than navy.

 

[epa]

I order the charcoal "velvet" one, although it turned out not to be velvet. They call the cloth "chasco", and they define this specific one as "pana lisa" in Spanish, which would be something like "smooth corduroy" (there are no "stripes"). It has a velvet feel about it, but it is not shiny. I think it will be great for informal dinners with friends, and I think that I will be able to use it at work, for example, on Fridays, with or without a tie.
However, I guess that I should get myself some nice shirts without French cuffs. At present, almost all my decent shirts have French cuffs, but I think that this jacket needs something less "formal".