Casual glen plaid

While tradition (and many others) says you probably shouldn't wear a tie without a suit, blazer, or sport coat, I'll admit that it's one of the rules I break sometimes. I've written before about mixing more casual shirts (and a tie) with more sporty jackets, and I'll probably do it again at some point in the future. There are days where I require at least a thin extra layer in the morning and after work, but barely leave the office during the day, and sometimes I find myself with this combination.

I fell into this look recently, during a week when work was a grind and the temperature was just a pinch below the heat oven it's been for months. It made even more sense given my bicycle commute.

It is summer, and a cherry red linen tie popped over a brightly-colored striped shirt. Showing a complete disregard for eyeballs everywhere was the lightly-colored glen plaid jacket over the top.

The jacket itself is a vintage (I'm guessing 60s or so from the tag) piece that I picked up years ago, and despite being lightweight, it's held up incredibly well (the talon metal zipper alone is massive and feels indestructible). It's not really a windbreaker and it's certainly not waterproof, but sometimes it's the perfect jacket for layering, tradition be damned.

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.