Back Talking Clothes: The 3/2 Roll Roundup


Well, I decided to do a new post. Maybe a 2-year hiatus did me some good. I feel like there is a little bit to talk about in the trad and ivy world, but not many places to talk about it. Let’s kick it off by taking a look at a few current 3/2 roll sport coats and a blazer. I am still WFH btw, but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t dream about wearing jackets and ties, off we go!

First up, Spier & Mackay has recently offered a 3/2 roll sack cut blazer. I have no experience with the brand even though their sport coats and OCBDs get a fair amount of fanfare around the internet (they are almost always out of my shirt size fyi). Their sack blazer looks like a solid debut and looks to have sold pretty well too based on what’s left in stock. Priced at $298 I can see why. This is a good thing. Maybe we will see more sack cut jackets from them in the future.

J.Press has had some nice offerings of lately. I like that they are currently offering quite a few jackets with lower patch and flap pockets. For a while it was all flap and no patch pockets. Which is perfectly fine for the dressier set, but I more of a sport coat and khakis type guy. It might just be me, but there is just something jaunty about lower patch pockets. I hope they continue to offer them.

J Squeeze also have some nice looking sport coats in their newly launched Pennant line. They look like they come with all the right details. Ok, maybe not all the right details as they are alpha sized and I don’t love that they are labeled as pre-order. They are however reasonably priced between $400-450 though. I’m interested to see where this line goes.

The ivy shop across the pond known as John Simons also makes the list. Lately John Simons has been producing more and more of their own clothing. Their made in London Ivy jackets (now on sale) look particularly nice to me. These too have all the details that we want. These jackets are not alpha sized. They are also unstructured and unlined. Unstructured has it’s pro’s and cons. It has a very relaxed look favored by UK ivy enthusiast, but doesn’t always drape so well. Likewise with benefits of unlined jackets. They are very light weight but not always so easy to get on and off. I will say that out of all the sites that I visit John Simons has far and away the best copy. I will leave you with one gem from the site. “Natural Shoulder spoken here!”

Last but not least I saw a nice looking natural shouldered jacket from Uncle Ralph. Like the jackets above it is unstructured making the shoulders maybe a bit too natural. Unstructured jackets tend to show every nook and cranny beneath them. A bit of structure is not the enemy of the TNSIL look by the way. This jacket is also alpha sized. On the other hand it does appear to be a 3/2 roll with no darts which is not so common over at Ralph’s place. The short of it is that to my eye this is a great looking jacket. You can see it being worn in the image at the top of this post to get a better idea of the fits. There are jeans involved so some of you may need to look away.

That’s it for my current sport coat (& blazer) round up. It’s nice to see a 3/2 sack offering from Spier, it’s always good to see JPress still knocking around, John Simons has been making a strong showing of late, and we can all use a reminder to never count out Uncle Ralph. I am curious if anyone has tried out any of the above. If so, thoughts?

I will most likely be back for another post. I might do a life update. I am sure I have a few new pickups I could talk about. All that to say that I have a few ideas. If you don’t follow me on IG and you do the IG thing. You can find me here Oxford Cloth Button Down IG Last thing, where is everyone getting their OCBDs these days?

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

9 Comments on "Back Talking Clothes: The 3/2 Roll Roundup"

  1. Old School says:

    Welcome back, Jerrod!
    What a pleasant surprise it was to see you listed here: http://theblogsimfollowing.blogspot.com/
    Looking forward to your posts.

  2. Eli says:

    I have two of the John Simons Ivy jackets, in tweed and linen. I really love the tweed, which has enough body to drape pretty well even though it’s unstructured. The linen is maybe as you suggest a bit too unstructured, but it still works in some situations.

  3. Fred Johnson says:

    Welcome back Ox, you have been missed! I have seen the Press jackets in person and they are fantastic.

  4. Evan Suggs says:

    On the last point, Spier also has their Classic Ivy line of OCBDs now. Fabric takes a while to break in (might be a plus) and wish it had more colors (especially the oft forgotten peach) but they’re classic neck AND sleeve sized. It came out around the same time as the Navy Blazer so maybe Spier is going in on Ivy now.

  5. Triple Monk says:

    Hi Ox, glad to see you’ve returned!
    I get most of my OCBD shirts from Brooks on eBay.
    I have some style questions for you if you don’t mind:
    1. What’s your thoughts on button down collar pop over shirts? Personally I’m a big fan but they’re really hard to find RTW and very few people make them with the classic Brooks collar shape.
    2. Do you know of any fabric that performs like pique with it’s natural stretch, but in a Winter weight cloth?
    3. What are your thoughts on extreme cutaway collar shirts?
    4. What are your thoughts on a contrast collar button down shirt?

    Thanks, Love the blog, welcome back!

    • oxford cloth button down says:

      Thanks, Triple Monk!

      1. I like them…but. I have learned that for me they work best in short sleeve madras format. I like other varieties on other people, but I never feel like they look quite right on me. This is especially true with OCBD versions.
      2. I think a merino wool would be a good wintertime substitute.
      3. Not my cup of tea.
      4. I like it. I think they can be fun and when dressed up a but different in a good way.

I would like to hear from you