Event: Jacket and Tie

YSL Foulard Tie

I finally had an event to attend that required wearing a jacket and tie. This was an occasion in itself to celebrate and even better as my outfit turned out to be a success. I was surprised that it drew any responses at all, because in my eyes it seems so simple and nondescript. However, I received many compliments and was asked jokingly, “are you running for office?” multiple times. Looking back over my outfit I learned two things; classic clothing will always be relevant and vintage items can be incorporated into an outfit without looking costume-ish. Here is the run down on my outfit.

Outfit

First the blazer, being that I am still in pursuit of a new 3/2 sack blazer (hopefully there will be a post soon!) I wore a vintage poplin 3/2 sack blazer by Brooks Brothers. I purchased this blazer second hand off of a message board for about $40. Even though it shows a  little wear it was a great deal. I lucked out that event was outdoors which made a poplin blazer all the more acceptable. To be honest, I don’t think that this jacket would have drawn any unwanted attention in the dead of winter. Needless to say the jacket served me well.

Brooks Brothers Poplin Blazer Label

Blazer Buttons

The tie is a vintage Yves Saint Laurent Foulard. I chose the Foulard over the Repp stripe tie that I wanted to wear. I thought that the Foulard was a little more formal and might reduce the amount of “college boy” comments that I might receive and that I wanted to avoid. In my opinion, the tie may have been the element that really pulled my outfit together and added a touch of sophistication to my appearance.

YSL Foulard Tie

Yves Saint Laurent Tie Label

The shirt, trousers, and shoes are all current, or at least relatively current. The shirt is a white Lands’ End OCBD from a few years back when their original oxford was still of the must-iron variety. The trousers are wool flannel from J.Crew. The trousers are pretty light weight and weren’t too warm for the mid-70 temps. They came sans cuff, but my seamstress easily resolved this for me.  I had planned on wearing a pair of AE McAllister wingtips, but last minute I decided that my Weejuns looked better.

Full Outfit

The pocket square (PS) was the icing on the cake. I wore a simple white cotton pocket square in a “TV fold” which is a simple and understated fold.This fold also goes by other names such as the “Architect” or “Presidential.” The PS garnered many positive comments which more than justified the $2 spent on it (they were 8 for $15 ). If you have not wore one, I highly recommend trying it.

All in all it was a good evening. I got the chance to catch up with friends that I had not seen in quite a while and the event served as a good practice run allowing me to test out some of my wardrobe that generally remains dormant. Due to this, I will probably be a little more confident about my wardrobe in the future. The greatest take away from the whole thing, is that all the time that I waste thrifting might not be a waste after all.

 

 

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

2 Comments on "Event: Jacket and Tie"

  1. oxford cloth button down says:

    @Muffy – Thanks, that means a lot coming from you!

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