Shawl Lapel sportcoats? Is this done?

I like shawl lapel. My tux is a shawl and I just enjoy the smooth look of it. Can it be done in a casual manner? Could one wear a sb shawl sportcoat in tweed?

Originally Posted by texas_jack

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I like shawl lapel. My tux is a shawl and I just enjoy the smooth look of it. Can it be done in a casual manner? Could one wear a sb shawl sportcoat in tweed?
If you have to ask, the answer to this is No.

Originally Posted by Film Noir Buff

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If you have to ask, the answer to this is No.

This reply makes no sense at all. Many things often have to be asked, and sometimes the answer is yes.

Still, in this case, the answer is indeed "no."

BTW, big guy, nice to see you embracing "rules." I thought you were against them in all circumstances?

^^^ Tuck in the flaps, and you could wear that as a DJ at a beach resort.

I think it can look nice/stylish/fashionable, but it will be very affected and unusual. Whether or not this is bad is up to user discretion. Not a business look by any means.

I was thinking if it was a dark green or brown tweed the lapels wouldn't even really show up

Of course it can be done, it will also look stupid in most cases. I wear a shawl lapel tuxedo casually though...

Originally Posted by texas_jack

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I was thinking if it was a dark green or brown tweed the lapels wouldn't even really show up
It could potentially work nicely and I can picture where you're going with it, but I think you'd have to have a dandy attitude to pull it off well.

Originally Posted by robin

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It could potentially work nicely and I can picture where you're going with it, but I think you'd have to have a dandy attitude to pull it off well.
Right. But if you had that attitude, you'd hardly be asking. About shawl lapels on sports jackets. If you're (generically speaking) the type of person who wants to put them on, youll put them on. If not, i dont see why you would wear something youre not sure of. I have not seen a tweed with shawl lapels. I have seen them with peak lapels which was interesting. My problem isnt necessarily with any particular style of lapels so much as it is for the future of tweed in America. I dont know about Plano, Texas but in NYC and the surrounding suburbs, I havent a lot of opportunities to wear the single donegal tweed suit I own. It's a beautiful suit but every time i could wear it, I am going somewhere with excellent heating or a crowd that will be wearing a cashmere sports jacket. Also, Im usually being social not lurking in the shadows and tweed isnt condusive to animation or to having somone slip their arm around you; again cashmere is better for that. On weekends when it's chilly enough, I either wear a sweater and a pea coat, some other kind of coat or again a cashmere sports coat. Tweed is more meant for the English or European definition of country than an American one. In England, every area they call a town, we might call a city and it never gets hot there. Dont get me wrong, I like tweed, it just doesnt fit in with my life. I have seen guys dressed in tweed to the nines in NYC and, err, well, good for them. Same for the tan gabardine suit. Im giving mine away. It's hot, it's color on that fabric is terrible for NYC That goes for any tan wool suit. i would rather have a tan cotton poplin or linen suit.

Look, t_j, hot gas aside, this is just a silly thing to do, a novelty, a gimmick. It does not merely lack any traditional or historical support, it attacks them. It also has no aesthetic integrity in its own right. Nothing bad will happen to you if you do it, but you will probably look at it one day and conclude that you wasted your money, and feel sad.

"conclude that you wasted your money, and feel sad."

I feel like this everyday.

It`s done sometimes in many fashion labels, but I don`t think it looks very good.

I think a shawl-lapeled tweed coat would look silly.

I do think that a shawl lapel can be worn casually, i.e., in your home for dinner as a smoking jacket. IIRC, the Duke of Windsor wore a green corduroy DB shawl smoking jacket. I'd rank that as pretty casual.

Also, Lapo Elkann seems to be fond of wearing what appear to be shawl lapeled DJs in the daytime as odd jackets. I guess it works with his irreverent sense of style, but I wouldn't really recommend it. It does look casual though.

http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cms...8491girata.asp

http://www.dnrnews.com/site/article.php?id=720

Originally Posted by texas_jack

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"conclude that you wasted your money, and feel sad." I feel like this everyday.
It is about wasting money and time and effort. But, the real question is trying to figure out the purpose youre want to achieve. Tweed, odd jackets and shawl lapels are all useful for some purpose. If gas prices go to $8/gal we might all be wearing tweed. If youre a designer or a famous and flamboyant writer, then tweed with a shawl lapel may be good. Clothing is not something you can decree but elements of clothing have developed universal and in some cases local messages, especially for men. People dont expect tweed suits to have shawl lapels. Style is something that you cannot teach, it has to be developed and it has to be an examination of what looks good for you and suits you. To look at something in a vacuum may not do one thing for your personal style. Which is why so many stylish people seem to do special things with conventional clothes. it worries me a little when someone they focusses on an extrinsic element to the detriment of their personal style growth. I say this because the OP's question is important but not so much for its literal meaning as what should be the main thrust. Wearing a standard sports jacket as stylishly as you can. When that's achieved the wearer will answer their own question about shawl lapels. And this is why I prefer to get people to think about clothes rather than hand them an off the rack answer. Teaching a man to fish vs. handing them one. What's the message you want to send? Men generally dont get shawl lapels so they are distracting if you do. They are especially distracting on a sports jacket because you presumably already have a unique pattern. I saw Bill Maher on his HBO show and I couldnt figure out what was wrong with his suit. I eventually realized he had some sort of extra thin lapel on a dark chalk stripe suit. I thought that was strange for someone who wanted to be taken seriously. Is he really a comedian doing a political show or is he a new breed of political commentator? He might even be confused. I couldnt get passed the skinny (I think shawl style) lapel even when i chalked it up to his being in entertainment. Maybe he doesnt care. Clothes are unlike other items, they have multilayered meanings depending on whos wearing them and whos observing. If you are the straight and narrow, there are conventions to follow. We've been conditioned and if you break with convention you have to be confident. For example, I love Duchamp ties (Amongst others), and theyre very English dandy. Some guy here who dresses like a beach bum and has poor personal hygiene thinks theyre crazy ties. Cant please everyone. i like the way they compliment what i wear, I know the sort of person they impress and he's not one of them.