The sport coat

Originally Posted by AvariceBespoke

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I see. What are better colors for the city office environment when not wearing a suit?
This isn't simple. I would say anything that trends away from traditional and, some might say, country colors. But that isnt always true. Sometimes you can wear a color as long as it has a more current look or perhaps is an off tone. A different combination can also help. I have a camel colored cashmere/vicuna jacket which is just current enough because of its fine finish. I saw a mossy green herringbone jacket with a hot pink windowpane on it; you wouldnt call that "fuddy duddy".

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Lots of gray, maybe some tan, maybe some brown.

The other problem with navy pants is that they look like **** most of the time, and with most things.

Yeah I like gray. I don't really care for tan. Do any variations of blue work? w/ pattern, or texture or anything else

these trousers I think look pretty nice.. it looks like a dark blue

Originally Posted by AvariceBespoke

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Yeah I like gray. I don't really care for tan. Do any variations of blue work? w/ pattern, or texture or anything else

I picked up steel blue mohair for my summer internship and liked it. No one asked me to pump gas, if that's a ringing endorsement.

Originally Posted by AvariceBespoke

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Yeah I like gray. I don't really care for tan. Do any variations of blue work? w/ pattern, or texture or anything else
Are you talking pants, or jackets? For jackets, I wear every color under the sun, and I don't buy into the idea that tweed is too country, or too old fashioned, and I am not one of these guys who wears nipple pants and braces with his swim trunks. For pants, it is really gray, and no blue pants work.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Are you talking pants, or jackets? For jackets, I wear every color under the sun, and I don't buy into the idea that tweed is too country, or too old fashioned, and I am not one of these guys who wears nipple pants and braces with his swim trunks. For pants, it is really gray, and no blue pants work.

I was talking pants there

Originally Posted by ColeFieldHouse

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I picked up steel blue mohair for my summer internship and liked it. No one asked me to pump gas, if that's a ringing endorsement.
There was a time when a given crowd might think you were a down and outer but things are changing. I think if Thom Browne isnt the only impetus for it, his idea of combining odd shades of the same color between jacket and pants are catching on as part of the modern era. I think you might actually wear navy pants now. The only people you are going to offend are:

1. People who have worked in mens clothing for a long time.
2. Maybe some crusty holdovers
3. People who read clothes books from the past and apply the rules today without taking into account why they were originally enforced or how the landscape has changed.

I was also looking for a sport coat that would look good in an urban environment. Porter and Harding does a collection of tweed patterns that look relatively contemporary. The collection is called Glorious Twelfth. It has the visual interest of tweed but without the weight and bulk. I think it's a worsted that's woven in a way to look less one-dimensional than a suiting material. The jacket I have works well for casual dinners and walking around. This is what it looks like:

Originally Posted by AvariceBespoke

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What attributes would help to make a sport coat look more modern & for the lack of a better word, metropolitan?

Can one use tweed or would this be too much like a hacking/hunting jacket?

I'm thinking a dark lightweight fabric with no to minimal pattern coupled with a relatively fitted cut w/ double vent would be a good framework to achieve the goal.

What colors would be best for:
1) charcoal trousers
2) navy trousers

any comments / opinions / suggestions / rants / raves would be appreciated. thanks

I just got this Isaia sport coat.



I think the fabric, color, and pattern give the coat a "metropolitan" style. The fabric is flannel, which keeps it looking less country, like tweed, but still has some textural interest, which I think is important in a sport coat. It has a hint of cashmere and feels very soft and light, unlike some of my heavier tweeds. Plain worsted wool can look a little boring, and I think the flannel is a nice change from tweed and cashmere, my two choices for fall/winter sport coats.

The color is lighter than navy and has a subtle windowpane. Blue, as opposed to an earth tone, feels a little more appropriate in the city, while the lighter blue color and the pattern of the coat prevent the coat from just looking like a standard blazer. The windowpane is present to make the coat a little more interesting, but is not too loud.

Finally, the coat is cut well. Side vents, decent suppression, soft shoulders, and, just for you, there is actually some roping in the shoulders that doesn't really come across in the picture I've shown.

Originally Posted by AvariceBespoke

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What attributes would help to make a sport coat look more modern & for the lack of a better word, metropolitan?

You're asking a slightly odd question. I can understand why you're asking it, but it doesn't hang together logically. Any jacket can potentially work in a metropolitan setting in done with sufficient style, though some will be more idiosyncratic choices than others (think of someone in a ratty thick thornproof tweed in town, just because they wanted to wear it, and yet still somehow looks good).

It's a really question of whether you can integrate an item into an overall look that seems fresh & contemporary. And that advice actually applies in the city, in the country or anywhere else you happen to be. You need to develop a sense of what works (for you) in different settings and how your tastes adjust to those different settings.

If I'm misunderstanding, and you're simply asking is what jacket details are traditionally deemed more city than country - well, darker colours, simpler patterns, less country-inspired style details & perhaps finer fabrics is a probably a quick & fair summary. And of course, pairing the jacket with pieces that are also more city than country.

Originally Posted by DandySF

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I was also looking for a sport coat that would look good in an urban environment. Porter and Harding does a collection of tweed patterns that look relatively contemporary. The collection is called Glorious Twelfth. It has the visual interest of tweed but without the weight and bulk. I think it's a worsted that's woven in a way to look less one-dimensional than a suiting material. The jacket I have works well for casual dinners and walking around. This is what it looks like:

thats a great jacket! who is your tailor?

Nothing more modern than hacking pockets canted at a 60 degree angle.

Also narrow lapels, a one button front, and make the coat an inch too short.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Seriously, for what you are describing, check out the Harrisons Millionaire's Cashmere book. It isn't what I would choose, but for citified sportcoats that are not boring, you really can't do a lot better.


thanks matt, what tailors in NY carry these fabrics who are decent?

Mr. Ned, LS, Len L., R.R., all of the above?

I'd like to get a some sport coats made for less than 2k if possible, perhaps LS is a good choice?

Everyone will have that book, but it is very expensive. The cloth alone will cost you at least $200 a yard.

Originally Posted by Manton

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Nothing more modern than hacking pockets canted at a 60 degree angle.

Also narrow lapels, a one button front, and make the coat an inch too short.

i dont care for narrow lapels or short jackets

60degree isnt bad