I see too many men putting too many odd jackets into their wardrobes these days. At a certain age that's to be expected. An undergraduate generally has reason to maintain twice as many odd jackets as suits in his wardrobe. The dress on most campuses is appropriately oriented towards tweed jackets with casual trousers and a man has relatively few occasions that require a suit during those years.
After his school days are over, times change. Most men do not graduate immediately into five day a week suit-wearing occupations, but, assuming they plan professional careers, they have just a couple of years to prepare for those days. The first years after school should see an expansion of the suit side of their closets until there are at least twice as many suits as odd jackets.
Now it's understandably difficult to change one's thinking overnight from colorful tweeds to drab worsteds, but there's opportunity in every challenge. The most neglected part of the wardrobes I see are 'Friday' suits that are a bit too casual for every day office wear, like the one musician Charlie Watts is wearing in the photo. That's the opportunity. Consider accumulating a couple mid-blue, tan, glen checked, linen or tweed suits that could be worn to the office when there's nothing formal on the calendar. Not only do they look good during the week, their relative rarity makes them a stand-out choice on weekends and holidays.
Wear them instead of odd jackets.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Instead of Odd Jackets
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12 comments:
Will,
Do you have a time machine? That's got to be the way you're seeing tweed odd jackets on campuses these days. From what I can observe, it's usually just odd. Not that there's anything wrong with that when you''re in your 20's and all you have to do is show up for exams
What are feelings on going without a necktie on such an occasion, as Mr. Watts has? I feel that sometimes with a patterned brown or medium blue suit, one can get away with a button-down and still look professional without running the risk of looking like Tom Ford. Although this may be taboo, I'm not sure.
That depends on where you're looking. I met with a young man who is about to enter St. Andrews in Edinburgh this week and he told me it's still black tie for dinner if you want to eat.
How is an odd jacket different from the jacket part of a suit? I don't know clothing terms too well.. what's so odd about the odd jacket?
In some parts of the world formality still reings in and you need to dress like ascholar or a business professional all the time. I like wearing a odd jacket and slacks w/or w/o a tie to the office on Fridays. Rarely is a suit required on a friday unless a court appearance is set. As for colleges, living in So. Cal. I rarely see underclassman wearing odd jackets. Jeans and a polo with a sweater or sweat shirt is about all. Who can afford even amodest tweed when your are in college unless the parents are buying the clothes.
An odd jacket is one that does not have matching trousers. Often called a sport coat in the U.S. There are often stylistic differences between suit and odd jackets such as swelled edges on the odd jackets.
I don't know to whom you were speaking, but I spent a semester at St. Andrews in Edinburgh and never once donned a black tie. Needless to say, I did not starve. Dinner is served regardless of your attire.
I particularly like Will's suggestion that suits can and should be worn more often in casual situations. A couple of considerations...
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran never wears a tie, whish is considered a symbol of Western decandance. And yet he still manages to portray a professional image.
Also, in the current US presidential campaign, candidate/Senator Barak Obama often chooses to wear a suit without a tie, balancing the professional image of the suit with the need for a more casual appearance and approachability.
I used to think that a suit was a uniform that demanded a tie, but I now favor the suit without a tie over the odd jacket.
Will,
As a student, and an avid fan of both menswear and your blog, I have to respectfully disagree with your post. I, for one, definitely cannot put my resources into paying for jackets and trousers and so on and so forth, as much as I would like (and as much as I spend time on SF lusting over member's ensembles). I would love to own a pair or two of the shoes you regularly purchase, however I'm limited to scrounging ebay for the cheapest deals I can find, which usually come once, maybe twice a year, and this has only left me, in 2 years of searching, with a decent pair of black brogues and a pair of pebble grain brown monkstraps. The general consensus is why would one spend over $100 (conservatively, and not considering additional tailoring if you have my awkward proportions) on an odd jacket that will only be called on once in a while, when one can spend a very small fraction of that amount on clothing (t-shirts, etc) that will cover you for a week or two? Generally speaking, not only is it not fiscally possible for the average college student, but it's also not very socially acceptable, with the consequence of acquiring the stigma that you're either an elitist, spoiled rich kid, or you're just trying too hard. As much as I would love to be able to wear a shirt and tie and odd jacket everyday (as I actually enjoy it), I just can't afford to. I most agree with nungesser when he asks if you have a time machine. If so, please transport me back to the era where I'm not surrounded in a noon-time class by pajama wearing slobs. I look forward to reading your blog everyday, Will, however this post has just depressed me a little more about my sartorial surroundings. To make things worse, In my field of study (Engineering), I, as an intern, almost managed to offend my superiors wearing a full suit on my first day. Apparently the government believes in "casual everyday" between memorial day and labor day. A stupid rule that I have to abide by, meaning I can't even wear a tie to my first legitimate job.
Shamigo, I write for people who aspire to more than chinos and tee shirts. The aspiration is all that matters.
And nungesser, there are still thousands of university closets with four or five tailored jackets hanging in them. It may require sacrifice in the rest of life but that was how I did it.
But in today's post I regret that I apparently wasn't clear that I was directing advice principally to men in their mid-twenties who wear suits and odd jackets professionally. They are in a distinct minority but there are still many of them.
Finally, Brett, better a suit without a necktie than no suit at all.
Hi Will, apart from the colour, is there anything else about Charlie Watts' suit that makes it a casual suit as opposed to a business suit?
PS it was good to see you posting on Ask Andy again,it renewed my interest in your excellent blog.
Peter Bailey (outrigger)
Shamigo -- same happened to me at my first engineering job, about eight years ago, and I didn't even wear a jacket. I was told never to wear a tie to work again. I'm afraid that, in the U.S. at least, the engineering profession is generally much less professional than it once was.
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