New to Sport Coats

[Two Types]

I suppose it's easy to avoid buying a blazer: I suspect many people (myself included - most likely others of my age and background) retain a mental association with the world of Golf Clubs and the middleclass/middle management of the 1970s/1980s. That puts me off.

That said, I do own a navy blue gabardine blazer and a black double breasted blazer. I like them and i wear them, but i still have that lingering doubt in the back of my mind.

 

[herringbonekid]

I suspect many people (myself included - most likely others of my age and background) retain a mental association with the world of Golf Clubs and the middleclass/middle management of the 1970s/1980s.

absolutely, though for me it would have to have metal buttons and a crest on the pocket to really bring up those associations. there are lots of other single breasted sports jacket styles that could be had in navy without looking like an old boy networker*.... belted back with pleated patch pockets for example ** (one track mind).


*(they got away with it in the 20-40s):

**

 

[herringbonekid]

odd jackets with a large overcheck:

for spring and summer you can't get much more versatile than this:

modern, 30s inspired one spotted by the Sartorilaist:

(i'm a bit of an odd jacket nut, i must admit.)

 

[MikeBravo]

Hear, hear!
(a) it's so much easier to regulate one's thermal comfort at lower temperatures;
(b) higher temperatures are not friendly to traditional/classical dressing.

0C = freezing, 5C = cold, 10C = cool, 15C = moderate, 20C = delightful, 25C = hot,
30C = heatwave. Easy!
You have a point. Because I wore a jacket at work except in warm weather, colleagues knew that I was carrying a pen and I was always being asked to lend it to them!

I beg to differ. Twenty five degrees is delightful, perfect in fact. It was 19 degrees today in Melbourne, Australia and it's literally the middle of winter! Nice day for a bike ride.

 

[Cobden]

I've always preferred the British Customary Unit for weather temperature: The centiheit system. Celsius up to 17 degrees, then Fahrenheit above 65 degrees. This is very easy to follow, as you know it is hot when you are using Fahrenheit...

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Thank you very much Gentlemen! I'll start my search for a medium weight blue blazer and perhaps a brown tweed for cooler months! The members of this site really are invaluable sources of knowledge!

 

[Tomasso]

A really great fabric for travel is fresco. It's pretty tough to find OTR garments made from fresco, though, and I don't think I've ever seen an OTR fresco

That's why I didn't mention it.

 

[Tomasso]

I suppose it's easy to avoid buying a blazer: I suspect many people (myself included - most likely others of my age and background) retain a mental association with the world of Golf Clubs and the middleclass/middle management of the 1970s/1980s. That puts me off.

Yeah but the same could be said for other wardrobe staples like the trench coat, black cap toes and such. My pet peeve in this regard is Rolex watches which were nauseatingly ubiquitous in my circles.

 

[Hal]

I beg to differ. Twenty five degrees is delightful, perfect in fact. It was 19 degrees today in Melbourne, Australia and it's literally the middle of winter! Nice day for a bike ride.

You may be happy at 25C - it's my wilting point. I'm fed up with the current heatwave here - 19C would be a great midsummer temperature. Bright sunshine with a temperature of 8C would be my ideal.

 

[Edward]

Edward: Despite the weather, I'm still wearing a jacket. Where else can you put all the things like phone, sunglasses, keys wallet etc? (unless you are thinking of carrying a man-bag?)

Oh, you're not wrong there. I do actually carry a man bag a lot of the time (books, laptop/tablet, all the bigger bits...), but normally that's in addition to a jacket. I didn't have a problem on Saturday with that heavy blazer. Obviously I should be staying ginned to the gills as a defence against the sun. Not sure the office would see it that way, mind.

Hear, hear!
(a) it's so much easier to regulate one's thermal comfort at lower temperatures;
(b) higher temperatures are not friendly to traditional/classical dressing.

0C = freezing, 5C = cold, 10C = cool, 15C = moderate, 20C = delightful, 25C = hot,
30C = heatwave. Easy!
You have a point. Because I wore a jacket at work except in warm weather, colleagues knew that I was carrying a pen and I was always being asked to lend it to them!

Pretty much, though I'd say 20C = hot, 25C = unbearably hot, 30C+ = 'kill me now'.

modern, 30s inspired one spotted by the Sartorilaist:

Nice jacket. Shame his trousers have shrunk drastically in the wardrobe.... and he's forgotten to wear any socks!

I beg to differ. Twenty five degrees is delightful, perfect in fact. It was 19 degrees today in Melbourne, Australia and it's literally the middle of winter! Nice day for a bike ride.

Your "Winter", as you quaintly call it, sounds like my idea of a bearable Summer.

I've always preferred the British Customary Unit for weather temperature: The centiheit system. Celsius up to 17 degrees, then Fahrenheit above 65 degrees. This is very easy to follow, as you know it is hot when you are using Fahrenheit...

I've got no conception whatever of Farenheit, tbh. I was only educated in Celsius.

You may be happy at 25C - it's my wilting point. I'm fed up with the current heatwave here - 19C would be a great midsummer temperature. Bright sunshine with a temperature of 8C would be my ideal.

We were robbed of a pleasant Spring and Summer this year. It was beastly cold for so long that the sudden switch to this unbearable heat is really just taking the Michael.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Follow up question... I see that many of you have recommended patch pockets. What is the reason for that? Also, in my brief time seeking a sport coat since starting this thread I haven't seen many with patch pockets. Is that a more vintage feature?

 

[DamianM]

Follow up question... I see that many of you have recommended patch pockets. What is the reason for that? Also, in my brief time seeking a sport coat since starting this thread I haven't seen many with patch pockets. Is that a more vintage feature?

Its a traditional vintage feature that was reserved for sports wear. It is less formal and more for leisure wear.

 

[Two Types]

Yeah but the same could be said for other wardrobe staples like the trench coat, black cap toes and such. My pet peeve in this regard is Rolex watches which were nauseatingly ubiquitous in my circles.

Agreed.

It's very much a personal thing. The collarless shirt worn with black school blazer is another one I dislike. It reminds me of all the annoying boys from a private school that was in the town I grew up in. They would leave school, detach their collars, wear their shirt tails outside their trousers and their double cuffs out the ends of their sleeves. They have coloured my view of detachable collars forever.

It may be silly of me, but I can't help it.

 

[Fastuni]

As Damian mentioned, patch pockets are a feature of classic non-formal wear.
It adds to the character of a sport coat and distinguishes it further from an odd suit-jacket.

Follow up question... I see that many of you have recommended patch pockets. What is the reason for that? Also, in my brief time seeking a sport coat since starting this thread I haven't seen many with patch pockets. Is that a more vintage feature?

 

[Patrick Hall]

I suppose it's easy to avoid buying a blazer: I suspect many people (myself included - most likely others of my age and background) retain a mental association with the world of Golf Clubs and the middleclass/middle management of the 1970s/1980s. That puts me off.

This is the challenge of the blazer - it is ubiquitous in the worst way these days. Takes some effort and panache to make it neither drab collegiate nor drab corporate. A good starting point is to avoid pairing it with khaki trousers. Finding one with HBK's vintage accoutrements would also help. Though, good luck with that if your budget is limited.

 

[Metatron]

^They look great with colourful knitwear, probably moreso than a tweed jacket does. More contrast:

 

[Canadian]

My first odd jacket was a blue blazer unlined with patch pockets. I was so stupid, I wore it from everyplace from church dances through to class and walking around campus. Keep in mind I bought this is September and I didn't buy another coat for several months. I was even wearing a ski parka over it when the temperature was very, very low.

The blue blazer is so versatile. My favorite look was, white shirt, tie of your choice and width and khaki slacks. If it was cold, a sweater vest or a shawl collared sweater is worn underneath.

My favorite non-blue blazer is my herringbone tweed jacket. It's heavy enough to be comfortable at work in winter, but it's light enough to wear at work in winter (if that makes sense, as my work takes me from outside to inside and back out).

 

[MikeBravo]

As I find most of my clothes at charity shops and goodwill (op shops) I would suggest having a look at all that type of stores in your area for sports coats.

That way you may find quite a good selection of coats at a reasonable cost, and then see what you have to match them. Not the ideal way, however you may get lucky and would be easier than finding a specific type of coat.

 

[MikeBravo]

I beg to differ. Twenty five degrees is delightful, perfect in fact. It was 19 degrees today in Melbourne, Australia and it's literally the middle of winter! Nice day for a bike ride

Your "Winter", as you quaintly call it, sounds like my idea of a bearable Summer.

My mother told me a story from just before the war (World War 2 to you whipper snappers) about her going to the local milk bar as we call them which was run by this English family who had just moved to Australia. My mother was wearing a jumper as it was quite cool in early spring, and they were closed and packing up to go to the beach and couldn't understand why other people weren't making use of this "perfect summer weather"

They were in for a hell of a shock when summer finally arrived!

I was taught in secondary school in a small country town by Franciscan nuns from England. when they first arrived they were bemused as to why all the shops in the main street had huge verandahs over the foot path that blocked off all the light. Once Summer arrived, they understood.

Just to clarify, Summers here get very hot, days over 100 F not unusual.

Not so much these days with global warming. A few years ago my father and uncle were talking about how in the old days while harvesting wheat they would wear nothing but shorts and a hat because of the heat. At the time of the convesation they were wearing jumpers/sweaters during the harvest. Times have changed.

 

[Two Types]

I've only been to Australia once and that was during its winter. For me, it was the perfect summer weather.