Worsted odd jacket

[T.K.]

I can’t seem to find anything in the better known jacketing bunches for a new summer jacket. Most of it I find either too thin/flimsy or too extravagant in terms of colour and luster. I’m looking for something along the lines of my navy fresco jacket: easy to wear, low maintenance, classic. I was presented a 300 gms houndstooth cloth from a Harrisons suiting bunch that I link in my mind to pictures I have seen of men wearing a grey worsted nailhead jacket with white or cream trousers. With patch pockets and the right choice of buttons, I wonder whether I can pull this off as well. Or if it is a trap to be avoided. Has anyone ever tried such a thing?

[alden]

The answer is

L I N E N

A worsted like this will almost always look like an orphan...ie it will look bad.

Cheers

[rodes]

T.K. Yes, linen. Especially with the cream colored trousers that you mentioned for it tends to cancels out the one drawback of linen. This is a quite refined and traditional style that will always look good.

[T.K.]

Maybe I should give linen some more thought. Any idea where to find any of the good stuff?

How heavy and/or dense does linen have to be in a jacket for it not to crease excessively and start looking like rolling paper?

[hectorm]

With patch pockets and the right choice of buttons, I wonder whether I can pull this off as well. Or if it is a trap to be avoided.

I´m afraid that Michael is right again. A light weight soft finished grey worsted jacket -even with patch pockets- will look like an orphaned coat.

Maybe I should give linen some more thought. Any idea where to find any of the good stuff?

MERSOLAIR
Great pure Irish linen of the best quality by Harrisons. At 10 oz is pretty substantial and it comes in an extensive array of colours and patterns including pin stripes, fil a fil, nailhead, diagonal, heathered, etc.

[davidhuh]

Maybe I should give linen some more thought. Any idea where to find any of the good stuff?

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... 39&start=0

[Gilles Deleuze]

Maybe I should give linen some more thought. Any idea where to find any of the good stuff?

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... 39&start=0

The London Lounge linen is fantastic stuff. I have a jacket in the Siena and a suit in the RAF blue. I absolutely love them both and want more. Go for some LL linen and you won't be disappointed. It rumples with class and panache and looks elegantly relaxed--just what I like.

[T.K.]

Thanks gents. I love linen quite a lot for shirts but find myself reaching less often to my linen trousers because of the extra care I have to give them to make them look proper. But these aren't of the best quality, I admit. I remember liking the designs in the Mersolair book but I can't remember the hand. I will certainly check it out.

The London Lounge linen is fantastic stuff. I have a jacket in the Siena and a suit in the RAF blue. I absolutely love them both and want more. Go for some LL linen and you won't be disappointed. It rumples with class and panache and looks elegantly relaxed--just what I like.

Did you go with patch pockets on that jacket, GD?

[Gilles Deleuze]

I did, indeed, go with patch pockets on both the suit and the jacket. They look great on both.

[hectorm]

I remember liking the designs in the Mersolair book but I can't remember the hand. I will certainly check it out.

Dear T.K.
The Mersolair linen designs (particularly the pinstripes and the heathered with irregular lighter flecks) also captured my attention because they offer a wide array of choices that goes beyond the usual basic solid colors for jackets and suits. Their hand is cold, and on the dry, crispy side. Although they are all around the 10 oz., some of them are noticeably looser than others depending on the weaving.

[T.K.]

I did, indeed, go with patch pockets on both the suit and the jacket. They look great on both.

I can (almost) see that! A linen suit really is something chique.

I remember liking the designs in the Mersolair book but I can't remember the hand. I will certainly check it out.

Dear T.K.
The Mersolair linen designs (particularly the pinstripes and the heathered with irregular lighter flecks) also captured my attention because they offer a wide array of choices that goes beyond the usual basic solid colors for jackets and suits. Their hand is cold, and on the dry, crispy side. Although they are all around the 10 oz., some of them are noticeably looser than others depending on the weaving.

Thank hectorm. I will be at the tailor tomorrow to see for myself. I am curious what it is you describe as 'cold'. In the meantime I have also found a rather nice hopsack that would be perfect for me. It will be end good all good.

[T.K.]

For those interested, the Mersolair book has been renewed somewhat. No more pinstripes and soft twills and many lighter weight mohair blends. The whole thing seems a bit more refined than before, but maybe my memory of it is not completely right. Some very nice herringbone's have been added.

[hectorm]

Thank hectorm. I will be at the tailor tomorrow to see for myself. I am curious what it is you describe as 'cold'.

I´m sure that if I try to put down in words what I mean by "cold" I would be betraying the feeling, but here I go. It´s just like the difference you feel when you touch plastic and when you touch wood. Plastic usually feels colder, doesn´t it?

For those interested, the Mersolair book has been renewed somewhat. No more pinstripes and soft twills and many lighter weight mohair blends.

The Mersolair 26701, 02, 03 and 04 are all pinstripes and seem to be there still on the Harrison´s book. Am I missing something?

[T.K.]

The Mersolair 26701, 02, 03 and 04 are all pinstripes and seem to be there still on the Harrison´s book. Am I missing something?

All I can say is that the book I was given did not contain pinstripes. I was told it came in just a few days ago as a replacement. The older version was still laying around and this one started with pinstripes and ‘denim’ designs. I think it’s the same as what you can find on Harrisons website at this moment. I didn’t ask whether the designs from the previous version are still available. If you want, I can ask for you.

I´m sure that if I try to put down in words what I mean by "cold" I would be betraying the feeling, but here I go. It´s just like the difference you feel when you touch plastic and when you touch wood. Plastic usually feels colder, doesn´t it?

I follow you totally. Some of the linens felt soft and warm (like the herringbones), others felt hard and somehow 'synthetic' (not necessarily a bad thing).

[hectorm]

... the book I was given did not contain pinstripes. I was told it came in just a few days ago as a replacement. The older version was still laying around and this one started with pinstripes and ‘denim’ designs. I think it’s the same as what you can find on Harrisons website at this moment. I didn’t ask whether the designs from the previous version are still available. If you want, I can ask for you.

Yes, I saw Harrisons was still offering the patterned linen on their website and took the catalogue # from there. Now I checked their Sold Out list updated January 17th and apparently all the line of 2670s and 2671s (basically all their good stuff) is in it. If they no longer make them available, then it's a significant loss. There is plenty of linen in solid colors out there; pinstriped and heathered linen jacketings are far less common. May be this is an opening for the LLCC to fill.