Yay or nay: One button too many?

I know that some fellows avoid three-button sport coats and suits like the plague, but I have a full three pieces in my collection with three buttons that I wear, and one of them has become almost a staple over the course of the past couple months (more on it below). While I certainly prefer a 3 roll 2 style, and I'd certainly never go above 3, to my eyes a three-button doesn't look so bad at all (especially on someone with an extra-long torso).

It could be, however, that I'm just trying to make excuses to justify wearing this great micro-houndstooth sport coat that I picked up on the cheap. Made by Hickey Freeman out of 100% cashmere, it has the softest touch of just about anything in my wardrobe, and fits like it was tailored for me without any alterations.

I've mentioned it before, and I'll say it again that it is incredibly rare that I find something that fits just so, and my judgement may be impaired here. In terms of checkpoints, it fills all three (great maker, great fabric, great fit) nicely, but sometimes I feel like the extra button looks a bit dorky.

It's been cold (near record, actually) here, hence the extra sweater layer between shirt and coat. The forecast looks to trend upward soon, and so I must ask myself if I need to store this sport coat for the summer or try to find it a new home forever. What say you?

Paper trail

Earlier this summer, I was scanning some ebay searches while rocking my daughter to sleep one night. I ran across a seller who had obviously come into a good-sized stock of Brooks Brothers sport coats that were new with original tags. I could tell that they were older (given the script on the tags) and although there weren't exact measurements in the listings, I could also tell that they were completely unfinished, most with original basting through the sleeves (and later found the small paper packets of mother-of-pearl buttons in the breast pockets).

Even though I typically wear a 42xl in Brooks Brothers, I took a chance and pulled the trigger on a couple of them in size 42l, as they were only $24 each, plus a total of $12 shipping (the seller kindly combined charges). They shipped quickly, and after I'd received them and determined that there was indeed enough extra fabric in the sleeves for my ape-arms, I quickly purchased the final one in my size and had it sent my way as well.

They instantly became some of the most peacock-esque things in my entire wardrobe, and I took the one I thought I'd wear most to my tailor and had him finish it up for me (before he left town for an extended vacation). While it's certainly on the bright side, the deep teal has become a favorite, as it goes especially well with anything blue (even seersucker, as seen in this picture).

The others still need to be finished, and I'm honestly fluctuating back and forth on whether I even have enough swagger to pull off the bright peach number. Heck, it could probably even become it's own Yay or Nay post.

As someone interested in provenance, one of the most interesting things about the sport coats were their original tags, including this one from Filene's Basement with an original price of $48.00 (twice what I paid for it). One can even make out the date on the small sticker attached to the tag (May 6th, 1989), placing the pieces right about where I figured (I had guessed mid 80s in my head).

A true warehouse find, with a decent bit of history. Oh, and I even got the 20-year discount price.

Something old(er), something new(ish)

I've lamented my lack of summer-weight sport coats a lot on this blog, but over the course of the past month I've run across several great pieces. A couple of them have gone into regular rotation, and a couple more of them will be added to that cycle as soon as my tailor returns from a family vacation to Greece.

My most recent (and current favorite) find is this light blue, almost chambray-colored 100% cotton number. Many will scoff at the brand name (Stafford), but it's vintage and fairly well made. Considering it set me back a whole $6 and fit me dang well right off the (thrift) rack, I'm not about to get too snobby with labels.

I paired this new find with one of my favorite ties in my entire collection, a find from way back when I first started this blog. I've found more madras since the three in that linked post, but they're still some of my favorites.

Not quite as sweltering here, but still very, very warm. With a couple months of summer left, I should probably just buckle down and quit complaining, as it sounds like it might be the new norm.

Tweeds and pleats and unknown details

Today was one of those days that was chilly in the morning, then absolutely beautiful once the sun came out and started shining. Of course, it's still early enough in the year that late afternoon dips quickly into cooler temps, so it's best to wear something that's warm but still breathes a little (if you're going to be outside at all during working hours). I went with fairly muted tones, except for a fairly electric vintage Brooks Brothers tie that I picked up recently.

The pocket square was one of these great vintage cotton hankies.

Down below are some burgundy Weejuns and some amazing Polo Ralph Lauren pants that have one forward pleat (hey, I can abide with one or less, especially if it's not a standard pleat). I finally went and bought some over-the-calf socks and I'm loving them. I got a 3-pack of red cotton from Lands' End the last time there was a big sale, and now I'm going to have to stock up on basic colors, because they actually stay on over my chunky calves and have held their color (and held up well) after many washes.

I've worn this sport coat several times before (a vintage Pendleton), but I had never gotten pictures of the interesting shoulder details on it. The photo above is the back of the shoulder. To explain a little further, the detail pictured is actually a sort of accordion fold with two thin strips of fabric that open up when one extends their arm. I haven't been able to find the name of this particular stylistic detail in my sleuthing, so any help (and the functional reason it's built into the coat) would be appreciated. I'm sure one of my readers (and yeah, I'm again looking at you, Yankee Whisky Papa) knows.

Erring on the wide side

If you've spun through the world of men's style lately and run across any advertising in your travels, you've likely noticed that the most popular trends (and ones that have been for awhile now) are skinny lapels and super trim cuts. The show Mad Men has had a large hand in this, but makers like Indochino have seemingly trimmed down their lapels to pencil-thin as well. I own one vintage (50s era) suit and wear it once in awhile, so the trend certainly doesn't bother me (other than the super slim fits, which don't work for me), but I also know that as a whole this infatuation will likely pass in time and things will even out. Trends ebb and flow, but the classics stick around. That's just how it goes.

Recently, I ran across a sport coat with the exact opposite problem; it had massive (and I mean massive) lapels. Fortunately, it had several other things going for it, as not only did it have an interesting pattern that I liked (a multi-color check with crosshatch overlay that looks something like a chunky hounds tooth from a distance), but it was thick as my thumb and 100% wool that oozed texture. My wife had her doubts about it, but I couldn't pass it up, and earlier this week when the temps hit low double digits, I pulled it out and let it ride.

Obviously, this thing isn't for the faint of heart, and although it's dated in terms of cut, I have to admit having a weak spot for it. As mentioned above, I don't really have anything against skinny lapels, and I might as well not be biased against fat ones either.

To play up the texture angle, I paired it with dark green corduroy pants, a smooth merino v-neck, and a shiny silk repp tie and pocket square. The end result is... unique? Perhaps that's a bit too generous and I more closely resemble a fellow stuck in an era that's much closer to my actual birth date than the present time. Either way, I won't apologize too much.