I think that I picked up this Black Watch Harrington or Baracuta style jacket about a year ago from Lands’ End. I didn’t like it much then and may have worn it once that season. Fast forward to now and I have been worn it at least 5 times in the last three weeks.

What I didn’t like about this jacket is that the construction and finish (I especially dislike the way the zipper is finished) is lacking but mostly I didn’t like the muted patten. It looked muddy. It all blended together. However, the jacket was cheap. I don’t think that I paid more than $40 for it and I probably paid less. The point is that even though I didn’t love the jacket it wasn’t worth returning. Maybe I will like it in the future?

The future is now  and past me made a good call. I needed a light rain jacket the other day and I didn’t want to wear my Kelly green Baracuta so I grabbed this one. The pattern seemed less muted than I remembered. The pattern seemed to strike a nice balance between muted and overwhelming. It was easy to wear and comfortable.

There is no real point to this post. Perhaps it could be to consider a Black Watch jacket for yourself or sometimes miss picks work out in the end? Pick whichever is the most useful for you. I am just glad that it worked out between past and future me.

I am not one to howl at the moon. Sure I have had my moments in the past, but after dressing trad-ish for the better part of 10 years I now know and accept that things will never be as they were. I am even okay with that. I am currently looking to replace my current set of chinos and I could use your help finding some option, because it has not been easy.
Here is what I am looking for when it comes to chinos. I want them to be flat-front, 100% cotton (that means no stretch), and to not have no-iron treatment. In terms of fit I would like a decent rise of about 11 inches and nothing too slim nor too wide (see above). I know that it doesn’t sounds too difficult on its face, but anyone of you that have been looking recently knows that it is.
If you are wondering what I have been wearing up until now that is a great question. I have been wearing J.Crew Essential chinos in classic since around 2008. Around 2014 they changed the fit name from classic to 1040. At some point in the last 1-2 years they stopped making the Essential version which was their dressier version and now only offer the broken-in version. I will give the broken-in fit a try, but I have my doubts.

My current list of potential chino sources are O’Connell’s Clothing, J.Press, Ralph Lauren, and J.Crew. I have tried O’Connell’s in the past and found them too wide, but both of us could have changed our desired look in that time. If any of you have any insight into specific models, feedback, etc. please do share!

Why won’t my collar roll? I can’t count how many times that I have been asked this question and it does not come without good reason. The perfect collar roll is one of the trad/ivy style features that we all chase. In this post I will go over the two most common issues that I come across when analyzing that roll.

If you are are here and asking this question you already know what collar roll is. For those of you that don’t know check out my “What is Collar Roll?” post that I did way back when. Basically collar roll is that mesmerizing arch created by a tie and a button-down collar.

1. Your shirt is too big.

This is by and far the biggest reason that I see when people ask why their collar does not roll. It is also something that I have a lot of personal experience with. In order for the collar to roll the collar must be snug. Not so tight that you can’t get a two fingers between the shirt and your neck, but almost no more room than that. It is the pressure between, the tie, the shirt, and your neck that forces that roll. If there is too much space or material between the collar of the shirt and your neck it will not create the tension required.

2. Your collar is too short.

I have found that any collar point length under 3.25″ is going to be a challenge to get to roll. The reason is that there is not enough material to get over the tie knot and roll. You could have all the pressure in the world here, but if there is not enough actual material to roll you are out of luck.

These are the top two reasons that I see time after time when asked about collar roll. This is not to say that these are the only issues. Even when you get the perfect fitting shirt you may run into some issues. If this does happen try the solution suggested by Charlie Davidson of the famed Andover Shop (Thanks, Blucher Moc!) which is to move the buttons a little bit (See here). Whatever the type of collar roll you are after I hope this helps you get there!