I wear one nearly every day. Much more visual interest than a typical suit in my opinion. Though, perhaps it's just an inevitability that as professor I like tweed.
I wear sport coats 95% of the time. With dress trousers or a t shirt and jeans it looks great. Once I wore a suit jacket with chinos and a waitress asked me "what's the occasion?" Ever since wearing sport coats, I've never gotten asked that, only compliments.
I love sport coats. As a college student, there just isn’t enough events where a suit is right. Plus, sport coats stick out enough to be the center of attention in a room of black and navy suits
Agree in that just going to class is an event. You can be the one the best dress person in class and stand out. You will certainly get everyones attention in a sports coat where almost everyone else is just wearing jeans and t-shirts.
That does it. I have been a hoodie-shirt-jeans guy for 49 years!! Time to get some coats! This is exactly the "how to start" video I have been looking for. Thanks Preston!!
As a student I've been looking for a way to incorporate classic menswear into my closet without looking too out of place. Sport coats, being cheaper, more durable, and more casual than suits are a great option. They have a academia look to them and are abundant in thrift stores. I particularly like your outfit here Mr. Schlueter.
Great topic, and especially "style beginners" should pay heed! Allthough I'd contest that neither a sports jacket/trouser combination nor a full suit are per se "better" than the other. It all comes down to occasion and surroundings, a lesson which I wished I learned earlier. After deciding that I needed to "up my style game" a couple of years ago, I was convinced that I need to wear suits. Not for business reasons (where a clean longlseeve shirt and dress slacks are considered "posh"), but just for myself. Searched long and hard for that "perfect suit" until I had one made (not bespoke, just made to measure). In the end, I wasn't really wearing it all that much for different reasons: People in a business enviroment who themselvers are not dressing up are easily intimidated if you wear a full (three piece) suit. People outside of work might even react low key hostile. You will also need to got "fully dressed", including a necktie, "good shoes" and possibly a coat if its colder. You're kinda stuck with that look that's not always fitting the occasition and might even project a not-too-accurate image of a "big player" when it's not appropriate to do so. With a sports jacket, you have much more freedom to "dress down", including jeans and even (subtle) sneakers, sweaters and cardigans (which - together with a thicker material sport jacket - might make a coat obsolete) and often no neckwear at all. You'll look much more approachable and "easy going" while not really feeling any less stylish.
Does anyone think people no longer dress smart because they have the misconception that it’s ‘expensive’? I wonder if more formal style menswear was generally available in high street shops, would the average person buy them 🤔
Probably abit of both thinking it's expensive and that the norm has shifted to more casual clothing. It's also how you were raised. If you grew up with only wearing hoodies,t-shirts and jeans and all your friends also wear the same types of clothing then it's harder to change things up.
Well about formal clothing being expensive... I know some people who wear hiphop style clothes and spend around $800 on some newly released limited edition sneakers.....
I'm a regular viewer of this channel bc I do find traditional menswear interesting. But personally, I think sport coats are much better than suits for the average person. Looks great, gets you dressed up as you need to be, and can be worn in more formal (by today's standards) and casual looks.
Another advanatge with a sportcoat over suit is that, (as long as the trousers dont belong to another suit) you can clean them or replace them sperately as the coulours are already diffrent from each other and usually contrast. (something to think about if you cant afford dry cleaning bills and a matching suit would need to be sent together due to the process' decolourisation. If you do opt for a suit, its a good idea to buy an extra pair of trousers that macth the same fabric.
I agree. So many combinations. I think I would look out of place in today's casual society wearing a suit in most places. A sports coat fits in well with most pubs and clubs. You can adjust depending on the custom or the other denizens frequenting the place.
This is pretty much my style. i rarely wear a a suit. I prefer sports jackets and Blazers as they are more versatile and I can match with pants and shirts with much more choices. I use full suits for more formal occasions. I see the navy blazer as the 'Little Black Dress' of menswear.
I wore a sports coat/tie to teach high school every day. Only wore a suit for the first day of school and when I was being observed. Trust me, in the school business, I was overdressed. The principals and superintendent of schools, normally only wore a polo shirt with khakis. Besides, this time of year, you can look like a teacher wearing tweed sports coats.
I used to wear a sort of grey plaid tweed sportscoat with a turtleneck back when I was substitute teaching. I was barely older than the students and I wanted to look like a teacher.
I used to wear a lot of sport coats, but with time I opted for full suits more often than not. I just like the unifomidity of suits compared to sport coats.
I have found sport coats or blazers to be more useful for me than suits ever have been. Suit trousers always need so much taken in at the waist that the pockets end up being oddly placed. No, not willing to pay for bespoke. Sport coats and blazers make it very simple to get jackets that fit to work with trousers that fit. They are the Swiss Army knife of menswear. What do you need it to be for the occasion? Whatever it is, you can make it happen, with the ability to use a wide color pallet in more than just ties & squares. I think it highly plausible that most men could make it through a wide variety of life’s occasions with some sport coats and complementary pairings for the majority along with a tuxedo for the truly formal occasions.
Good phrase, "the Swiss army knife of menswear." I thought about having a green sports coat made to order, but they only had one or two shades of green. The closest I've come to buying a bespoke suit. I'm fortunate that I can usually find sports jackets that fit me off the rack. I had a tailor that I kept very busy back in the nineties though. I gave her so much business that she fixed the inside pockets on my leather jacket for no charge.
In the beginning of my journey I was as well going for suits but found out quick that I really prefer combination and today I just like to combine chinos with a sport coat. As well the reason behind that is that in my work environment that already counts as dressed up. Enjoyed this one a lot, keep up the good works you guys and stay safe and healthy.
I wish l could wear a tweed sport coat all through the year but l stay in lndia where climate doesn't permit it from March to October.l have a wonderful collection of sports jackets....
Wow, nice! Wise move... in 2014 I went bananas getting tailored suits then they sat for a few years still without being worn, I live in my sports coat nowadays.
I just happened to be wearing a grey sport coat today and then suddenly this video came up. As an avid fan of sport coats this video did not disappoint. Fantastic content as always!
I think its easier to get away with wearing a sport coat than a full suit. Less formal and more visual appeal. In this day and age where everything is becoming more casual, wearing a suit just makes you stand out too much.
Great video! I’ve been focusing on squiring more suits, but this re-energizes my interest in sport coats. I didn’t realize that they generally have less structure in the shoulders.
I guess its just the environments I frequent but I find that having a suit vest is just as versatile then a sport coat but I can instantly dress it up with a tie and a suit jacket. It means I save money, closet space, and means I can dress up and down in a fraction of the time be it settling for a long session in the office or suddenly meeting with customers or executives.
If I had to choose just one I will take a sport coat over a suit every time. In the UK I don't think they really make the distinction between a sport coat and blazer. The right one will go just about anything halfway sensible be it jeans and a t-shirt or sweater or you can dress it up with a smart shirt and chinos. I have a charcoal cotton flannel jacket I bought from Marks and Spencer's and it's just crazy versatile. The only thing it doesn't work well with is bad weather.
I’ve worn a suit for almost 30 years and am comfortable in them. Sport coats/blazers have always been baffling to me. Though now, I’m trying to wear them more to keep from wearing out my suits. I’ve worn them casually with jeans for years but I’m still learning how to put together a dressier outfit for work. Thanks for the video!
I always wear sport coats, you can get great combinations with all type of trousers, shirts, pocket squares and t-shirts... Just let your imagination fly!!! Great video guys.
I like to pair sport coats with workwear. My favorite combo is a denim sawtooth shirt under a tailored navy jacket, loose chinos and color 8 cordovan bluchers. This lets me stand out without looking like I'm trying too hard :-)
They are massively popular in the UK, especially tweed in winter and linen in summer. When I was at Oxford in the early 2000s they were worn pretty much everwhere by almost all the men in the daytime
The climate plays a role though. For instance the average daily high temperatures are only around 20 degrees Celsius in the UK and the weather mostly sucks. But in continental Europe wearing any sort of jacket becomes unbearable by the end of May (unless you're in some business lobby with AC on). My point is that the Britons have an "excuse" for wearing their jackets. But if you're in Greece for instance you'll drown in sweat before 8 PM even while wearing a polo shirt.
I often get complemented on my nice "suit" when I wear a sport coat. I even got complemented on my nice "suit" when wearing a nit sweater on top of a white dress shirt and a green tie the other day.
Also the Grey and blue Pince of Wales check sports jacket that Ralphel has is just stunningly pleasant I LOVE THAT JACKET, the colors and what not is just perfection
I think plenty of people still pride themselves on looking sharp. It's just that what's sharp these days is a $100 t-shirt made in a sweat-shop, featuring a tick, with accompanying $100 trackies.
The average winter temperature in my country is 20ºC. How to choose the fabric of my sport coat? Using linen in winter is weird, but tweed seems to be too warm here.
Could you provide details on the jacket Sven is wearing at around 5:01? I like that one. (I come from a lower noble European family and my grand dad always said that sportcoats are better cause they are more leisurely and actually w pants, more expensive than to buy a suit. and that they actually harken back to Baroque/Rococo times ;))
Become the CEO then. Howdy, neighbour! My sports coats don't fit beneath overcoats very well due to bulk; whereas my sleek suits do. I've never had a pair of suit pants wear out; by that time I would likely have tired of the suit design.
@Daniel Taylor. While it's been a while since I worked in N.Z. I found that business executives in Auckland repeatedly compared Auckland with Sydney, particularly referencing apartment values and claimed that it was the Business Capital of N.Z. Well I thought that they were dreaming. But based on what you say it seems that they are back to reality. But I really enjoyed the very quite Business life style which ran at half the speed of Sydney and Melbourne, but not as slow as Brisbane, which has a very large Kiwi population. Phil.
A major advantage of a Sports Coat for Business dressing is that with today's weight and size limit on carry on luggage one can create considerable dress options by flying in a plain colour suit, where the trousers can be worn with a plain pattern sports coat that can be packed into a standard size soft construction flight bag. That leaves enough space to pack a second light weight suit, along with a pair of wool trousers that can be worn with the sport coat and possibly a tie for formal business meetings. And from decades of experience I know that their is still room in the flight bag for a pair of chinos and a lightweight wool jumper. While I would sometimes pack a second pair of dress shoes, these days I mainly pack a pair of premium quality leather driving shoes. While they of course look smart when worn with chinos, I mainly were them in place of slippers, when I am relaxing in a hotel room in my pyjamas watching TV after I have raided the very expensive fridge/bar. While I regularly travelled around Australia on three day business trips, with two overnight stays, by carefully selecting the weight of the fabric in the coats and packing an extra plain white shirt, along with a couple of ties, packed inside the slip-on/driver shoes, I could extend my trip to cover up to 5 days of business meetings, while being dressed in a distinctive professional style every day. Phil.
I think for the average man who just wants to look stylish, sport coats are a better option than suits. They can really elevate an outfit when worn with jeans or chinos, but when worn with dress pants and some nice loafers, they can look quite nice. Maybe not quite as nice as a suit but still pretty nice.
Great video! I’d like to incorporate more sport coats in my wardrobe, but I’m not exactly sure where to start. Maybe a video on the first 5 sport coats to own, similar to the suit video, would help me and others get started.
Number one, get a corduroy sports coat to start with. I think it's the best introduction to sports coats. You can wear them with jeans or chinos. A turtleneck looks good with a corduroy sports coat. It's been enough years gone by that few people with think it looks like the sixties or seventies. Also, turtlenecks seem to be making a comeback. I heard someone comment recently that he's seen more younger people wearing them. It looks good with a dress shirt or a flannel and a thin to medium crew neck sweater. For more casual, a henley shirt and jeans.
We only meant to communicate that elbow patches are a more casual detail, and thus aren't as commonly seen on suits--not that they're "incorrect" by any means! You'll note that we didn't include our standard "red X" with those images, so they shouldn't be seen as a "bad example." Indeed, Brian wears the tweed ensemble well (and he's a valued friend and contemporary in our space, of course)! - Preston
Thanks for that. I prefer suits but I was looking for a sports coat to wear on my casual days now as the weather is turning colder. And I was looking for some good advice on matching sports coats.
There was a time when I wore a suit and tie everyday to the office. Those days for most places of work are gone. I can wear s classic sport coat with dress slacks and dress shirt and not be too overpowering in our sloppy casual business world. My father, bless his soul, thaught me how to dress like a gentleman. I would always ask him I looked when I got properly dressed. He, being a man who lived as a young man in the 30's and 40's, tell I look sharp as a razo
I don't like them, personally. However, they fit right in with corduroy. If I could only find a corduroy sports coat with patches, I would still buy it. Tweed as well. I would avoid other sports coats with patches.
If you're going to own only one piece of tailoring, make it a business suit. If you're building a collection, start with a business suit. There are situations where there are just no alternatives. And obviously, if you're required to wear a suit to work every day for work, make sure you have enough of a rotation. But even most professional offices are relaxing their dress code. And they probably work in a wider range of situations outside of work. But I think more importantly than this is that I tend to wear through worsted wool suit trousers much faster than their jacket. And then if you can't find that exact fabric again, the orphaned jacket can become unwearable. Sportcoats and odd trousers avoid this problem and both tend to come in harder wearing fabric, so each last longer. You can also mix and match, creating more outfits with fewer pieces. So when you can wear an item more times, in more situations, with more other things in your wardrobe, that's where it makes sense to spend more money.
My rule of thumb is- Green and brown go with blue, despite the archaic "Blue and green must never be seen." Dark blue jeans or olive chinos can go with almost any sport coat. You can also go with that same color trouser in a different shade, but don't match it too close or it will look like a poor attempt at making a suit with separates. Medium brown with chocolate brown, etc. Also, I only put one item with pattern in the clothes combination. You have to have a bit of skill to mix patterns. But one pattern with the rest solid colors is an easy way to keep from too much of a busy look. Experience and videos like this will give you the confidence to go beyond that. I normally play it safe.
Your first point is moot. Most people don't really care what you are wearing, and the average person has little to no knowledge of the differences between sport coat, blazer or suit jacket. And the fact that people will still complement you on your "suit" is a powerful illustration of that. Pretty much as long as you are conservative and don't do anything too outlandish in the way that you dress, nobody's going to know the difference, or care.
No, the rule is don't wear two or more pieces of corduroy together, unless you are wearing a corduroy suit. Olive color chinos or dark jeans seem to look best with a corduroy sport coat IMHO.
I’m looking at a cashmere sport coat for lounge wear, something to keeps me warm but also formal, also everything an American says Norfolk I just feel pain lol
I took a Lyft ride to my work a couple days ago, and my driver was wearing a sport coat. He and I had a nice conversation about how you don’t find many people wearing these kinds of things anymore. Usually, people nowadays don’t dress up unless they really have to. I’m one of those that loves to dress nice.
I like sport coats. There is such variety; two button, three button or more. I love a navy double breasted as well. I purchased a new stone colored linen sport coat this year at a great price. I love the patch pockets. Now I have to start going places again. Thank you for your video.
Very informative and excellent presentation, Preston. Working in an environment where people mostly wear tees and hoodies, I mostly lean towards sport coats as opposed to a full suit. I think I should say, used to, as I completely work from home now, due to the pandemic.
I enjoyed the informative video. I have a question. I'm curious about the length of the jacket you wore. I bought a sports coat this time and it was 76.5cm length . I am about 174.5cm tall, so please let me know if the figures are appropriate. Thank you.
Rafael at 6:33 Mixing Checks and Stripes... with a super-bold, rope-stripe, double-breasted suit, no less. This is not an honest way of depicting suits with no tie. You don't even show the matching pants because it doesn't even matter if this was suit - it would be wrong on many levels without even considering whether it was a suit. If it was a solid Navy, 2-button single-breasted or a three-roll-two, with a medium point collar on a solid white shirt, it would be fine. Nevermind that you can make a suit out of any material that you make a sportcoat out of. You can own an unstructured Tweed suit, for example.
Great video and good foresight into offices becoming more casual post-2020. Would it be possible to share the brand of the sport coat at 6:18? I like the texture and color.
Answer me this, I’m looking at some 40s style wool trousers and a waistcoat in a nice light blue. Would those pair well with a heavyweight ivory herringbone linen coat for casual wear?
As a woman I love your channel! Men in nice suits is equivalent to women in lingerie for me. I own a double breasted Balmain army green wool sports coat that reminds me of a man’s hunting coat. This video taught me a lot
