Should I buy this unstructured John Varvatos sports jacket?

I found this John Varvatos wool sports jacket, unstructured, decent fit, machine washable. The back collar creeps up the back of my neck slightly, and the sleeves are about an inch too long. It is a bluish silver-gray known as "Concrete Heather":

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalo...xx.esn_results

The front chest area, under my arm is kind of full. I am 5'8 155 lbs. The tailor said he could tighten it up, but is limited because it is unstructured.

I am wondering if such jackets have much utility, or should I save my bucks for something more traditional from Zegna or Theory.

Do these types of non-traditional, casual jackets get a lot of use, or should I stick with something staid and traditional?

The color (silverish blue gray) is kind of unusual, and flashy. Not your normal run-of-the mill black, navy or medium gray.

I should mention that my personal style is slim cut, colorful, nontraditional.

Should I buy it for $300?

Save your money for something nicer.
Brooks Brothers and Pal Zileri are just 2 suggestions that will give you a lot more for your money.

Probably not. Get something else.

LOL at the customer review: "It's a fine jacket for what it is, but not the one Bloomingdales describes above: it's three-button, not two, and it's cotton/linen not wool. But it is a striped blazer, at least they got that right."
???

There's nothing wrong with unstructured jackets. I reach for one often. But my experience with Varvatos quality is very hit or miss. Some of their stuff is all right (but no better) and some really falls apart.

As others have said, you can do better for the money.

Originally Posted by Farmgate

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I am wondering if such jackets have much utility, or should I save my bucks for something more traditional from Zegna or Theory.

Do these types of non-traditional, casual jackets get a lot of use, or should I stick with something staid and traditional?


What do you want it for? I do not wear suits for work but have a couple of casual/modern sport coats I will wear on occassion when the mood hits me or when we are going out. Some of depends on age, locale, etc too - what flies in NYC isn't the same as South Beach.

I really like the one totally unstructured jacket I have as it feels very natural.

IMHO not very nice and not much utility for this piece. Bag it.

I don't like it. And I generally like this sort of thing.

dont really get how people are passing judgment looking at two photos that dont really show much. i cant tell the difference between this and any other casual gray blazer just from the pictures. but i guess like the boss threads that are out there, JV is not a popular brand on these forums. if u've tried it on and like it get it, if you didn't then don't. There are plenty of different blazers to wait for one that suits you best instead of settling for something. I personally do prefer the more casual jackets, hence me disagreeing with getting a brooks brothers etc, and feel they have more utility but that's personal preference.

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop

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dont really get how people are passing judgment looking at two photos that dont really show much. i cant tell the difference between this and any other casual gray blazer just from the pictures. but i guess like the boss threads that are out there, JV is not a popular brand on these forums. if u've tried it on and like it get it, if you didn't then don't. There are plenty of different blazers to wait for one that suits you best instead of settling for something. I personally do prefer the more casual jackets, hence me disagreeing with getting a brooks brothers etc, and feel they have more utility but that's personal preference.

thanks for your constructive comments. I appreciate your advice.

Originally Posted by Icehawk

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What do you want it for? I do not wear suits for work but have a couple of casual/modern sport coats I will wear on occassion when the mood hits me or when we are going out. Some of depends on age, locale, etc too - what flies in NYC isn't the same as South Beach.

I really like the one totally unstructured jacket I have as it feels very natural.

I am 49, slim, looking for something to throw on for parties, casual events, maybe even casual Friday.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Farmgate

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I am 49, slim, looking for something to throw on for parties, casual events, maybe even casual Friday.

Thanks.

Definitely not! It's transient and perfect for the marginal fashionista sub-culture,
who will be on to something else in six months. I was forty-nine and I wore nothing
like this or its' equivalent. I didn't even when I was twenty. Find something at least
a bit more classic. Something with some gravitas.

Originally Posted by comrade

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Definitely not! It's transient and perfect for the marginal fashionista sub-culture,
who will be on to something else in six months. I was forty-nine and I wore nothing
like this or its' equivalent. I didn't even when I was twenty. Find something at least
a bit more classic. Something with some gravitas.

You might if you lived somewhere more fashion oriented and where 49 isn't ancient.


I'm not a huge fan of the material/color from what I can see, it seems a little too "clubby", but based on the OP's intent I think a jacket of this style is what he is looking for. I'd look for something with a bit less sheen or flash so you can get more utility out of it - I have a nice blue with overcheck SC I use as my go-to for parties/outings but it would still be fine for a corporate job IME.

Originally Posted by ismelllikepoop

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dont really get how people are passing judgment looking at two photos that dont really show much. i cant tell the difference between this and any other casual gray blazer just from the pictures. but i guess like the boss threads that are out there, JV is not a popular brand on these forums. if u've tried it on and like it get it, if you didn't then don't. There are plenty of different blazers to wait for one that suits you best instead of settling for something. I personally do prefer the more casual jackets, hence me disagreeing with getting a brooks brothers etc, and feel they have more utility but that's personal preference.

People are passing judgment because nearly all Varvatos stuff is of marginal quality for the retail price, just like Boss, which is why neither brand is popular here. It's not necessary to see photos to know this.

If the OP were asking about buying this same Varvatos piece on Ebay for $50 or $75, he might get a different answer. Same with people asking about buying a Boss suit. If you needed a cheap suit and picked one up at Off 5th on clearance for $175, nobody here's going to beat you up for it. But paying $500-$800 for it without knowing all the other stuff out there isn't good.

To the OP, for $400 you could probably find a much much nicer similar piece right now on the Buying & Selling subforum here, or at Shop the Finest or Virtual Clothes Horse. If you want this exact jacket, then no, you might not find it, but people here will always try to be helpful and point out that much higher-quality pieces, which will last much longer, are available with just a little bit of looking. Depending on your size, you should be able to get close or into Borrelli or Caruso territory for $400.

To my point, this Etro is $439 on Virtual Clothes Horse. I know this one's not your size, but it's just as an example of what's out there with a little looking:

http://www.virtualclotheshorse.com/i...d=131083253317