The madras sport coat is for those who are confident in their style. It is not an easy look to pull off. I doubt that I need to tell you this as I am sure that you have seen countless fails. These attempts are made more often than not by those who have yet to master fit let alone have the prowess that it takes to pull off the madras jacket. If you are brave enough to take the plunge. My advice to you is to keep it simple. See the “how to wear it well” pics below.

Not only is it hard to wear madras jackets, but they are also hard to find. Well, the small-medium-large sized variety in patch madras are not hard to find. This isn’t too surprising considering these pieces are usually no more than cheap costume clothing rather than functional clothing. This is exactly the look that you want to avoid. Finding a correctly constructed and sized sport jacket in non-patch madras is a bit more difficult. I did find a few. Brooks Brothers has two nice madras jackets and O’Connell’s has a large selection of vintage bleeding madras jackets available right now. If I were in the market I would head over to O’Connell’s.

O’Connell’s  Clothing Madras Sport Coats $295

Brooks Brothers Madras Sport Coats $398

Let’s do a quick recap of this post. Madras sport coats are hard to find and even harder to wear. So you may be asking, why wear them at all? It is simple. When done well they look cool (see pictures). They also keep you cool. I myself am not quite ready to attempt a madras jacket yet, but I am getting closer every summer.

I did stray away from the establishments of Tradsville and ended up far from home at Uniqlo. I was on H&M’s site looking at linen jackets, not seeing much I liked, and through some type of psychological brand association I ended up on the Uniqlo site. After navigating to the blazer section I was immediately attracted to the shape of their jackets. I loved them. They reminded me of the vintage Brooks Brothers sack illustrations that I recently posted. So much so, that I can’t imagine that classic sack jackets weren’t the inspiration for the design of these jackets or at least the shoulders. I was hooked.

Uniqlo Premium Linen Jacket

Vintage Brooks Brothers Madras Image

I purchased the Premium Linen jacket in blue mini-herringbone for $69.99. It is darted, with a 3/2 roll, and a very natural shoulder. I ordered a small which to my surprise fits a lot like a 37R. It matches up with the measurements available online, but for some reason I expected it to show up fitting like a 36XS. I take my hat off to Uniqlo for fighting the urge to make small mean xs.

Like all off the rack clothing there are going to be a few issues. This jacket needs one, maybe two alterations. The sleeves need to be shortened (cheating in the pic) and the jacket could benefit from some waist suppression. Neither of these issues reflects poorly on the jacket. Unfortunately, it is just a touch long for me which may seal its fate.

Seasonal Tie/Jacket combo.

If you are looking for a cheap summer jacket Uniqlo is worth checking out. This jacket has a great sack shape even though it is darted. It does have 3/2 roll, even if there is not much of a roll. To be fair, I have said the same thing about a newer 3/2 roll from Brooks Brothers. I am not an expert on construction or material. If had to take a guess on the quality of this jacket which I would base on price point. I would say that it is pretty mediocre. Nonetheless, this is a well-shaped and well-priced jacket. I am not sure if I will keep or return my jacket due to the length, but I can tell you that I really want to keep it.

*The Premium Linen jacket appears to have very limited availability. However, the linen cotton jacket has a great shape, too, just minus the 3/2 roll. See below.

Uniqlo Linen Cotton jacket in Navy (more colors available)

Ties to be altered (narrowed, bow tied, etc.)

Two years ago I had fewer than 10 ties. This was not problematic as I rarely had the opportunity to wear one. At some point, I decided that it would be a good idea to stock up on ties and that future me might appreciate that. Two years later and I now have around 50 ties. I have also started to wear a jacket and tie on Tuesday/Thursday. Guess what? Future me appreciate past me’s decision.

Okay, not all of these ties were purchased at a thrift store. 8 were purchased via Etsy and another internet re-seller, 3 were purchased at the Brooks Brothers outlet, and  2 were gifts. The other 80% of the ties were purchased at thrift stores and kept or traded away for others.

Not twins, but maybe brothers or cousins. The tie on the left is Brooks Brothers and the tie on the right Gant.

Thrift stores have proved to be an invaluable resource for acquiring ties cheaply. If I take my time I can usually find at least one tie at every store, which is a great ROI. It does require a lot of patience. You will sort through tons of ties, find one you like, and then find the stain. It is often painful to find that stain. In fact, I have learned not to get too excited until I have done a thorough examination. Which leads me into a short rant:

Why do thrift stores accept flawed ties? I understand that “beggars can’t be choosers,” but who would benefit from a stained tie? The only person that I can imagine who might be interested in a stained tie would be someone who would use it for the material. So, all stained ties, if accepted (and I don’t think that they should be) should be placed in a bin marked as “Flawed Ties.”

Sorry for the rant, but it needed to said. The moral of this story is to be patient and consistent when looking for ties at thrift stores. Eventually you will have a day like this one (Tie Haul). String a few of these together over the course of a few years and you will have a nice collection of ties before you know it. I do want to leave everyone with something to think about. Why aren’t there more striped ties at thrift stores?

Ties are  3” and 3.25” width with less than a handful of 3.5” width ties

Clothes are only a small part of what makes a girlfriend trad. She will be your partner in mixed doubles, be at home on land or water, comfortable in the country (at the country club) or the city, and will help you weather life’s storms just like your trusty old Barbour. If you are really lucky she might even make you a needlepoint belt. This post is about appreciating all of the trad ladies out there.

This is me.

Tom from Ivy Inspired

Some inspiration for summer.

]]> http://oxfordclothbuttondown.com/2013/04/the-pink-ocbd-ties/feed/ 1