Safari Jacket Saga

I tried on that J Press safari/ pongee coat in DC. They only had navy left, and that had to come from New York. The sizing was incredibly mean. I thought, therefore, it was a product aimed at the Japanese market. It was never going to work. I was gutted.

I subsequently found one in Cordings. No belt. Made in Italy. Quite expensive, but quite cool.

Leon

When were you in DC?

Mid-April. For a week. Same time as the Pope. But i was there for a work conference.

Leon

I tried one of those Press jackets on last year, and was enthusiastic about it until I noticed that d**n "Made in NY" logo. That was, for me, the deal breaker. I didn't get so far as examining the pockets that closely. It's a pity they've monkeyed that much with the design, because otherwise it's a pretty good safari jacket and they're getting hard to find, as you've chronicled. I kinda like the ones at Paul Stuart (who's the maker -- Valstar?), but I also want one just in cotton, not nylon or whatever theirs are, and with a belt not a drawstring. And 800 bucks is a little out of order for a light summer jacket, especially one agains which I already have objections. I'll have to go check out the place you got yours.

As to the sizing of the J. Press clothes, I have to say I like them very much. Brooks is cut for guys a LOT bigger than I, so anything I look at there is much too baggy. I got a nice polo coat at Press a couple of years ago for a good price and it fits great.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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I'm here to please.

The mention of my name is funny in a sad way. I have written in objective fashion about my failures or successes, in contrast to the self-congratulatory tone of lots of posts, and you interpret this to mean I am perpetually unhappy. I am not. Just honest with myself. Unfortunately, I do not have gobs of time to work on perfectly expressing my feelings on fora and blogs. And before the automatic snarky replies are sent, please remember to sign them with your real names, like real men.

Originally Posted by brescd01

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And before the automatic snarky replies are sent, please remember to sign them with your real names, like real men.

Your capacity to astound is limitless.

Call the store and get 25% off a Filson bush jacket. Deal?

Originally Posted by Crane's

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Call the store and get 25% off a Filson bush jacket. Deal?

Great deal.

I already bought mine yesterday, but the Filson isn't a bad choice, especially at that price, for anyone who is still looking. Watch out for the weird sizing, though.

Filson sizes generously and the cut allows freedom of movement. They do this so you can layer clothing and their clothes are designed for very active people. Their form fits their function.

Originally Posted by Crane's

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Filson sizes generously and the cut allows freedom of movement. They do this so you can layer clothing and their clothes are designed for very active people. Their form fits their function.
Thanks. The Orvis salesman told me they had changed the cut significantly to make it more generous. It used to be more close fitting. I suppose everyone's needs are different, but this is a very lightweight piece and I don't think of it as a jacket so much as an outer shirt for light travel. My plan is to take lots of clean T-shirts and use this on top as a comfortably fitting outer shirt that will hold everything I need in place of a jacket. The Small is still loose enough to fit over a T-shirt and regular shirt, but not with an additional layer like a sweater. A more generous cut would just impede movement. I generally find that for real activity, you want the snuggest fit you can wear so that the excess material is out of your way. But that isn't even what I was looking for here. Just something I wouldn't swim in. For perspective, I wear a size 40 jacket and a 15.5/33 shirt. Normally, a Small would not fit me. I guess each buyer needs to think about how he intends to use it. BTW, I don't think the function is really compromised, but I can see how, in many ways, this was manufactured with low cost volume production in mind. The materials are good, but the labor saving is evident.

Very odd about the ornamental pockets on the Press jacket. I had thought that it was pretty attractive on the website. One wonders why they would go to such trouble to make it useless.

Best price I've found for one was my original label Banana Republic safari shirt jacket, alas no interior pockets. No belt (fine by me), but elasticized along the back. And the pockets work. Perfect shape for $7 at the local thrift:




Man enough to sign as...
Alan
the real, genuine name my momma gave me

Originally Posted by AlanC

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Very odd about the ornamental pockets on the Press jacket. I had thought that it was pretty attractive on the website. One wonders why they would go to such trouble to make it useless. . . .
I still have this nagging suspicion that I was all wrong about the pockets. I did check and recheck them because I couldn't believe the design would be that dumb and my first inclination is always to think it is more likely that I am mistaken than that someone else would do something patently absurd. But I couldn't figure out how to get the bellows pockets to expand.

Maybe a kind reader will go to the local JPress and check this for themselves.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1800-NWT-Brunell...ayphotohosting

or
http://cgi.ebay.com/BNWT-2K-Malo-Lea...QQcmdZViewItem

I'm also in the market this year and was planning to have Chan make one for me (the cost is the same as Paul Stuart's RTW), to Lost World's specs.

But try finding six ounce cloth at the usual fabric sources. I haven't seen anything less than nine ounces, so Lost Worlds may get another customer.