Half a suit

[Raffles]

I've just got a hold of two pairs of great condition 30's trousers in my size for a bargain price. The only problem is tere's not a jacket in sight. Theyre both an unusual pinstripe too so I'm not gonna be able to get a matching jacket anywhere.
My question is though, under what circumstances (if any) is it okay to wear an unmatching jacket?
Or is it just adviseable to go for just a waistcoat?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Orphaned jackets and pants are something that society cannot avoid. Either one or the other will wear out first and you are stuck looking for pieces to work with what you have left. If patterns are an issue, just make sure you follow a few rules.

With jacket and pants try to mix a solid with a complimenting pattern. Striped pants won't work with a striped jacket that doesn't match,

Matching rarely works with a plaids and stripes in a jacket pants combo unless the scale of the design in one is much more muted and the pattern's are close to the same in scale.