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Suit jacket and jeans

21K views 60 replies 28 participants last post by  Jovan 
#1 ·
Leaving aside the fact that jackets have mostly been replaced throughout the UK's provinces by shirts worn outside trousers (the Friday and Saturday night look is then completed by hair gel, slightly flared jeans or black pants and vulgar square-toed black shoes; the trousers are of course always too long), does anyone else share my hatred of those guys - made all the more contemptible by the fact that THEY think they look so cool - who go out for an evening's merriment wearing an aggressively striped suit coat (invariably SB with oblique pocket flaps and flared skirt), white, open-neck shirt and slightly flared jeans? You know the ones: they too have spiked hair, permatans, huge D&G sunglasses and often wear flimsy tan shoes with pointed toes (that often curl upwards).

I say we should detain them without charge for at least 60 days; and torture them; and deprive them of sleep.

:devil:
 
#3 ·
I can't say that I like the look.

The whole suit/jeans look causes too much cognitive dissonance. The formality of the suit jacket, combined with the casuality of the jeans is just weird and too hard to pull off. Maybe some people can do it successfully, but it seems like those who can't don't have the good sense to not attempt it.

How did the spikey hair look even get started. Maybe it was "cool" when just one person did it and was different, but now that everyone's doing it, it looks like a disaster.

Shirt outside of trousers? Terrible. It looks so, so sloppy.

Open neck shirt? I can understand wanting to look casual. But not wearing a tie severely limits the amount of colour and variety one can incorporate into one's wardrobe. These youths could try to compensate with a pocket square, but, sadly, I don't think that they even know what a pocket square is :(. The tie may be seen as a symbol of conformity, but, by abandoning it, they have rendered themselves even more conformist and lacking in avenues of sartorial self-expression.

I don't think those who perpetrate such crimes against good dress are necessarily malevolent. But they are guilty of complicity, going with the crowd without thinking for themselves. Ideally, we could transport them 20 years forward in time, so that they can see how stupid the people of the future will regard the fashions of today.

In fact, I think punishments are unnecessary. These people have already imprisoned themselves in terrible clothes and deprived themselves of the right to look good. Let's just be glad that we are free from their self-constructed prisons of fashion.
 
#4 ·
Cavaliere - while I agree that the look you described sounds bad, I can't help to notice a trend in your recent threads. Why do you have such hatred for people who do not dress like you? The last 3 threads that I recall you starting have been:

- A petition to ban all talks about jeans on this forum (ironically, this thread is somewhat about jeans).
- How bad American students dress
- And this thread about how much you despise the jeans-suit jacket-pointy shoes look

3 negative posts where you are apparently "venting" about just how much you are bothered by the way other people dress. Why do you care so much about how other people dress?
 
#5 ·
At the risk of fanning a fire, I actually quite like the jacket and jeans look (though not all of what you describe).

Yes, it does cause cognitive dissonance, though generally good examples would use a less-formal jacket (what someone might call a sports jacket, but generally a lot more fashion-forward) to reduce this somewhat. But this is part of the idea. Going out is a time when looks matter, when you want to wear something that isn't too normal. Traditionally this is the function of black or white tie, but that's obviously inappropriate for a bar or informal party in a modern world. A suit would also be far to formal and look out of place. They key is not to look formal, but to show some effort. Dressing down a jacket is one way to do that.

Open-neck shirts I'm also a huge fan of. It's not really about being conformist or non-conformist, it's about looking laid back and relaxed. It's more comfortable (at least I find it so) and less formal. A tie, even more than a suit, would look out of place at an informal party or going out to bar. Also, while it reduces the variation you can put into an outfit, it means you can customise elsewhere. You see jackets with embriodery, more-patterned shirts and a whole host of jeans customisations. To add a tie would make it fussy and unbalanced, and by taking it away you can add more detail elsewhere.

I agree that untucked shirts look silly, unless they're one (of the few) that's cut flat across the bottom and short, specifically so that it can be worn outside of trousers.

I think wearing a normal suit jacket with jeans doesn't work as well. For the really outgoing, I've seen tuxes worn with jeans that look great, though usually somewhat customised (some designers do great examples designed to be worn like this - Holland Esquire springs to mind). Though more normally, you'd simply use a less-formal jacket (for example I have a linen one-button jacket to go with jeans). I even quite like it with a jumper or t-shirt, rather than a shirt underneath. Basically using a jacket as I would any other light summer coat.

I appreciate many people will not like this, which is fine. Were I going to a fine restaurant, the theatre or to work, I would dress more smartly. However I would ask, what would you wear when being dressed smartly - even wearing a shirt, tie, slacks and a sports jacket - would look out of place and be inappropriate? Or would you just never be in that situation? To me, dressing appropriately, while still showing your own style and flattering your shape, is the key to dressing well. Personally, I feel this applies as much when dressing down as dressing up.
 
#6 ·
Now that you mention it, I don't much fancy this either...

Actually, this sounds a bit like Amjack with a sport jacket added. I know a many people that dress like this. They behave reasonably well, though, so they aren't, strictly speaking, Amjack. To be Amjack (or guido, or slob), one has to dress a certain way and behave badly...
 
#7 · (Edited)
does anyone else share my hatred of those guys - made all the more contemptible by the fact that THEY think they look so cool - who go out for an evening's merriment wearing an aggressively striped suit coat (invariably SB with oblique pocket flaps and flared skirt), white, open-neck shirt and slightly flared jeans?
I certainly don't share your "hatred". It is indeed a sad state of affairs if we start hating people because they dress in a different style. It's one thing to be displeased with those who dress inappropriately for something, such as a wedding or funeral; and quite another to hate someone who is merely going out for an "evening's merriment" dressed differently than you. Besides, to their friends and members of their group perhaps they do look "cool".

I hope your choice of the word "hatred" was not accurate.

Cruiser
 
#8 ·
At the risk of fanning a fire, I actually quite like the jacket and jeans look (though not all of what you describe).

Yes, it does cause cognitive dissonance, though generally good examples would use a less-formal jacket (what someone might call a sports jacket, but generally a lot more fashion-forward) to reduce this somewhat. But this is part of the idea. Going out is a time when looks matter, when you want to wear something that isn't too normal. Traditionally this is the function of black or white tie, but that's obviously inappropriate for a bar or informal party in a modern world. A suit would also be far to formal and look out of place. They key is not to look formal, but to show some effort. Dressing down a jacket is one way to do that.
Sport jacket and jeans is quite another matter, as they are both associated with sporting and activity. I'm especially a fan of the tweed jacket and jeans look. It conveys maturity without stuffiness.

Open-neck shirts I'm also a huge fan of. It's not really about being conformist or non-conformist, it's about looking laid back and relaxed. It's more comfortable (at least I find it so) and less formal. A tie, even more than a suit, would look out of place at an informal party or going out to bar. Also, while it reduces the variation you can put into an outfit, it means you can customise elsewhere. You see jackets with embriodery, more-patterned shirts and a whole host of jeans customisations. To add a tie would make it fussy and unbalanced, and by taking it away you can add more detail elsewhere.
The OP specified white open-necked shirts, which are rather dull and unimaginative. If your shirt is unique and colourful, then I agree, a tie is not necessary.

I think wearing a normal suit jacket with jeans doesn't work as well. For the really outgoing, I've seen tuxes worn with jeans that look great, though usually somewhat customised (some designers do great examples designed to be worn like this - Holland Esquire springs to mind). Though more normally, you'd simply use a less-formal jacket (for example I have a linen one-button jacket to go with jeans). I even quite like it with a jumper or t-shirt, rather than a shirt underneath. Basically using a jacket as I would any other light summer coat.
Interesting. I don't think I've seen a tux and jeans look before (though somewhere on the internet I saw a terrible tux and sweatpants combo). I think this might work best with a shawl-collared dinner jacket, to give some more informality, but in a gentleman's cigars-and-brandy sort of a way.

I appreciate many people will not like this, which is fine. Were I going to a fine restaurant, the theatre or to work, I would dress more smartly. However I would ask, what would you wear when being dressed smartly - even wearing a shirt, tie, slacks and a sports jacket - would look out of place and be inappropriate? Or would you just never be in that situation?
Home, work, fine restaurants, theatres (and concert halls)--where else would I want to go? These days, people spend their time binge drinking in bars with music so loud that conversation is impossible.

I don't choose my situations by what clothes I would have to wear, but I guess that, purely by accident, I don't really put myself in situations where being dressed smartly would be out of place.

And if I do end up in such a situation--too bad! I'm smart on the inside, so I'm always going to be smart on the outside! You can't change me!:p:icon_smile_big:
To me, dressing appropriately, while still showing your own style and flattering your shape, is the key to dressing well. Personally, I feel this applies as much when dressing down as dressing up.
I agree 100%:aportnoy:
 
#9 ·
This is partially my style.

No.

slightly flared jeans
Yes.

or black pants
No.

and vulgar square-toed black shoes
I prefer the pointed toe, usually brown.

the trousers are of course always too long
Full break. Jeans of this style are supposed to bunch up a little at the bottom.

an aggressively striped suit coat (invariably SB with oblique pocket flaps and flared skirt)
Sometimes.

white, open-neck shirt
No.

and slightly flared jeans?
Yes.

spiked hair, permatans, huge D&G sunglasses
None of the above.

and often wear flimsy tan shoes with pointed toes (that often curl upwards).
Sometimes.
 
#10 ·
If this is how you feel, please do not ever step foot on Staten Island.

In my neck of the woods, these people are called "guidos"...as an Italian American it does not offend me, especially as many guidos are not of Italian ancestry.
 
#11 ·
Cavaliere - while I agree that the look you described sounds bad, I can't help to notice a trend in your recent threads. Why do you have such hatred for people who do not dress like you? The last 3 threads that I recall you starting have been:

- A petition to ban all talks about jeans on this forum (ironically, this thread is somewhat about jeans).
- How bad American students dress
- And this thread about how much you despise the jeans-suit jacket-pointy shoes look

3 negative posts where you are apparently "venting" about just how much you are bothered by the way other people dress. Why do you care so much about how other people dress?
Completely agree.

If you are going to a lounge or nightclub in 2009 - even wearing Jeans and a sport coat is often going to get you comments about "being overdressed", so there is no way a 22 year old is going to wear a tie and dress trousers. Forget it.

To me, the fact that they are trying to step it up a bit over the rest of their buddies wearing untucked dress shirts or worse skin tight t-shirts, shows at least they are makign an effort.
 
#13 · (Edited)
To me, the fact that they are trying to step it up a bit over the rest of their buddies wearing untucked dress shirts or worse skin tight t-shirts, shows at least they are makign an effort.
One of the best observations yet. Well said.

I regularly wear sports coats and jeans, but suit coats with jeans is not my style (best reserved for guys in their 20s IMO). That told, I would never criticize anyone if it looked like they were "making an effort."
 
#14 ·
I'm a big jacket-and-jeans kind of guy when going out, but the jacket in question is usually a sport coat or blazer (most likely unconstructed and obviously casual, at that) and definitely not a suit jacket. I think a sporty blazer and jeans is a pretty cool look, and women seem to agree. "Smart casual" is nothing to scoff at.

Now, if we're talking about those guys who walk around in suit jackets, ties, and jeans, then that's a different story. If you're going to wear a suit, wear a suit.
 
#15 ·
I certainly don't share your "hatred". It is indeed a sad state of affairs if we start hating people because they dress in a different style. It's one thing to be displeased with those who dress inappropriately for something, such as a wedding or funeral; and quite another to hate someone who is merely going out for an "evening's merriment" dressed differently than you. Besides, to their friends and members of their group perhaps they do look "cool".

I hope your choice of the word "hatred" was not accurate.

Cruiser
It is a look that I certainly don't care for, but I agree with what Cruiser has written above.

I think that a untucked shirt worn with a jacket really looks sloppy. I wonder how things like that get started as being way cool.
 
#19 ·
suit coat and jeans, just looks like you don't know what you're doing.
Maybe to one out of a hundred people. Keep in mind that the overwhelming number of people out in the world don't frequent men's fashion forums or live by the somewhat rigid rules that the few who do live by. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that either group is right or wrong, they just have different opinions.

For example, just about any men's magazine that you care to pick up, be it GQ, Esquire, whatever, doesn't hesitate to endorse this combination. One of them just recently suggested taking a navy or charcoal suit on a business trip and then wearing the jacket with a pair of jeans at night. You may not like it, but it's hard to say with any credibility that these folks don't know what they are doing; and it certainly doesn't come across that way to the majority.

Cruiser
 
#20 ·
Maybe to one out of a hundred people. Keep in mind that the overwhelming number of people out in the world don't frequent men's fashion forums or live by the somewhat rigid rules that the few who do live by. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that either group is right or wrong, they just have different opinions.

For example, just about any men's magazine that you care to pick up, be it GQ, Esquire, whatever, doesn't hesitate to endorse this combination. One of them just recently suggested taking a navy or charcoal suit on a business trip and then wearing the jacket with a pair of jeans at night. You may not like it, but it's hard to say with any credibility that these folks don't know what they are doing; and it certainly doesn't come across that way to the majority.

Cruiser
Fair enough. But I didn't think we were talking about the casual observer. I was talking about what one "should" do. Style books I have read discuss how casual coat fabrics should be worn with casual pant fabrics, otherwise it doesn't go together well. I read the article you mention. I think the author's point focused on how to travel light and best maximize the wardrobe. To that extent, I would have to agree with the author. Thank you for your response.
 
#21 ·
Sport jacket and jeans is quite another matter, as they are both associated with sporting and activity.
I think the link between the kind of jackets commonly worn for a night out with jeans and any kind of sporting activity is quite tenuous.

I'm especially a fan of the tweed jacket and jeans look. It conveys maturity without stuffiness.
I'd agree, though it takes something to pull it off. I tend to look like a country bumpkin lost in the big city with a tweed jacket, which is a pity.

The OP specified white open-necked shirts, which are rather dull and unimaginative. If your shirt is unique and colourful, then I agree, a tie is not necessary.
I'm not sure I'd agree. Firstly, I'm a huge fan of simple, clean lines, and I like the simplicity of a well-fitted white shirt tucked into jeans, with some good footwear. One of my old lecturers, a late 20s Japanese guy, pulls it off impeccably, looking effortlessly stylish. A lot of modern mens style seems to be about looking good without looking like you're trying too hard. I'd compare it to a perfectly cooked fillet steak: simple, but very good.

Secondly, if you're wearing a more interesting jacket, a simple white shirt, without a tie, provides a nice contrast and balance.

As an aside, I quite like wearing an open-neck shirt with a suit. It looks relaxed, while still smart. In an office like mine, where 2/3 of the people wear a shirt and trousers, with no tie or jacket, it's a little bit smarter than average, while still being distinctly laid back.

Home, work, fine restaurants, theatres (and concert halls)--where else would I want to go? These days, people spend their time binge drinking in bars with music so loud that conversation is impossible.
I agree entirely. Though I tend to go to quite a few pubs or more relaxed bars where the music is quiet enough that you can talk, and house parties. Plus just for general weekend wear if I'm going for lunch with friends or to the park, a tie would seem distinctly over-dressed. Or when I have friends over for dinner, as most of my friends wouldn't wear a tie for a casual dinner, so being over-dressed myself may make my guests a little uncomfortable. But as you say, if where you enjoy going happens to be where a smarter look is more appropriate, then there's no need to dress down.
 
#22 ·
Fair enough. But I didn't think we were talking about the casual observer. I was talking about what one "should" do. Style books I have read discuss how casual coat fabrics should be worn with casual pant fabrics, otherwise it doesn't go together well. I read the article you mention. I think the author's point focused on how to travel light and best maximize the wardrobe. To that extent, I would have to agree with the author. Thank you for your response.
I think the should is a bit harsh. I think the way GQ, Esquire, et. al. mention it shows that a lot of people, who care about style, think it looks good. I think saying someone should or shouldn't wear something, that many people think looks good, because other people think it doesn't or because it doesn't conform to traditional rules, is going to far.
 
#23 ·
I am slowly moving jeans out of my non manual labor clothing rotation. I find I am more comfortable in a pair of well fit trousers. That being said, when I do step out to the occasional bar/nightclub I have been known to wear a sport coat and jeans. I would prefer not to but I also refuse to cast pearls before swine.
I find my wife to be largely un-supportive of my effort to mostly remove jeans from my wardrobe. I think she doesn't understand me... No one does but you internet people.
 
#24 ·
I think that a untucked shirt worn with a jacket really looks sloppy. I wonder how things like that get started as being way cool.
Same as anything else in pop culture. It's different than what came before. It's an attempt by the youth to carve out their own identity, the same way they do with music, hairstyles, language, etc. And best of all, it really pisses off their parents. What's not to love?
 
#25 ·
I find my wife to be largely un-supportive of my effort to mostly remove jeans from my wardrobe.
My experiences have always led me to believe that more often than not women tend to like guys wearing well fitting jeans, provided of course that they are being worn at the appropriate time and place. They especially seem to like them when worn with a nice shirt and jacket.

I can assure you that if I thought they didn't like them I certainly wouldn't wear them as often as I do. I doubt that I will ever be one of those guys who doesn't pay attention to what the women say they like.

Or put another way, I don't dress solely for myself and I care what people around me think about what I'm wearing. :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser
 
#26 ·
I'd agree, though it takes something to pull it off. I tend to look like a country bumpkin lost in the big city with a tweed jacket, which is a pity.
Here's a picture for inspiration:

Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor.
I'm not sure I'd agree. Firstly, I'm a huge fan of simple, clean lines, and I like the simplicity of a well-fitted white shirt tucked into jeans, with some good footwear. One of my old lecturers, a late 20s Japanese guy, pulls it off impeccably, looking effortlessly stylish. A lot of modern mens style seems to be about looking good without looking like you're trying too hard. I'd compare it to a perfectly cooked fillet steak: simple, but very good.

Secondly, if you're wearing a more interesting jacket, a simple white shirt, without a tie, provides a nice contrast and balance.
True, it's all about balance. A tie is not necessary, and may even detract from the look, if the suit and/or shirt have done enough work.

And of course, any rule of style can be ignored, if one is capable of pulling off the look.
As an aside, I quite like wearing an open-neck shirt with a suit. It looks relaxed, while still smart. In an office like mine, where 2/3 of the people wear a shirt and trousers, with no tie or jacket, it's a little bit smarter than average, while still being distinctly laid back.
I guess it's a matter of context. In your case, it makes sense. But if everyone was wearing a suit and no tie, I'd wear a tie with my white shirts. Recently, I saw some people on TV: five men, wearing dark suits, white shirts and no ties. It was like a bizarrely casual uniform, and I wondered if someone had confiscated their ties!

I suppose that I feel that at least three colours are needed to sustain visual interest. A black suit and white shirt is too monochromatic. A third colour needs to come from somewhere: stripes on the shirt, stripes on the suit, an odd jacket, trouser or waistcoat, or a tie or pocket square. Choose whichever option suits your level of formality best.
 
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