Tweed Blazer Battle Royale – Fall 2010
If you love fall (and really, who doesn’t) then you gotta love tweed. A little bristly, a little different, slightly uncomfortable at first but after you get used to it it’s like a second skin. Tweed is pretty big this season, and rightfully so. It’s a vintage fabric that when used to make a modern shaped jacket, it’s tough and refined all at once. That’s difficult to do with Gore-Tex. Take a look at each of these three tweed blazers that are available now, and cast your vote for your favorite in the comments section below.
Moving from left to right up top
1. L.L. Bean Signature Wool Tweed Blazer – $195.00
Pros: Heritage name, terrific color, unique woodsman style, tailored fit, 100% wool
Cons: Price, the split/pleat bellows pocket, three buttons make it look more like outerwear
2. John Varvatos Star USA Grey Tweed Wool Blazer – $195.00
Pros: Slim Fit, slim lapels, dressed up lighter grey
Cons: Price, shoulders look a little stiff, wool/poly blend
3. Express Textured Wool Jacket – $138.00 with $40 off $120 monthly coupon
Pros: Price, tailored fit, versatile color
Cons: The buttons, wool/poly blend, might convince guys a graphic tee under tweed is a good look (it’s not)
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So? If you had to vote for one, which one would you wear? And if the answer is none of the above, leave your favorite tweed blazer in the comments section below as well.
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Im going to have to say the Varvatos one. ts a more modernized version of the classic light grey tweed. SOmething on the Express model looks wierd(aside from the aforementioned atrocious tshirt). Is the button stance too high or something…and I am not realy feeling the slimness of the lapels…
One word: Varvatos.
(The Express blazer in at a distant second)
Agreed. Varvatos, definitely.
I just wish they had a version in a darker grey or charcoal. I have the grey herringbone from B.R., and a brown cord from J.Crew. I’d like a charcoal to complete the ensemble (for now).
It’s not wool it’s 100% cotton but the fit and finish on this bad boy deserves a look.
Hi Joe,
Big fan of the LL bean signature blazer because of its cross over options with denim. The Varvatos blazer would be great if seen as a full suit.
LL Bean. 3 buttons is definitely not my usual style, but it just looks so much more outdoorsy. Maybe if the Varvatos was in a darker shade.
Now that I think about it, aren’t we comparing a sports coat to two blazers here?
I have the LL Bean and it’s fantastic. I love it.
L.L.Bean Signature definitely. It’s fit is superb, I have one and want the grey one shown here. Not only is it heritage, it’s backed by the L.L.Bean gaurantee, which is unbeatable!
@Frank James: Yeah, saw that Banana Republic cotton one, tried it on even. It’s extremely nice. (Better be, for the price). There was a time when you could save $100 on it with an in-store coupon. Here’s the post about that. I did see a stack of 60% off coupons near the register at my local BR yesterday… but I didn’t get one dropped in my bag. Wonder when that’ll happen…
The Varatos one wins, hands down.
Oops Varvatos**
Joe-
What are your thoughts on the J Crew tweed blazer.
I know it’s pricey but I like it better than all 3 options above.
@ESS: I think it’s nails. But for a blazer to sneak up on $300? It better be. The only issue with it is that in the next few years, the lapels might end up looking a little outdated/trendy slim, but… I doubt even that would be the case. J. Crew stuff hardly ever goes on sale. Even though I’ve never tried the J. Crew on, I think it looks comparable to the Banana Republic Italian Cotton blazer mentioned above. And I’d sit on my hands until a big sale (say 30 or 40% at least) came along then get the Banana Republic for under $200. My 2 cents.
Since the one you linked is J.Crew’s “Ludlow” line that means it is most likely similar to their other “Ludlow” fits. I recently purchased their brown cord Ludlow blazer, and the fit is absolutely perfect. Use their fit guide to match up your chest size and you should be good without a tailor (obviously your mileage may vary based on your own size). For me, as a 38S, the small literally is the definition of perfect. Also it is very high quality. I myself was looking at their Twill blazer, because it is charcoal-ish color and I know the fit will be dead on. The price is more than a little up there though so I probably won’t take the plunge.
I bought the J. Crew Italian wool jacket and in spite of it being slim it’s still big around my torso. It’s damn aggravating having to take everything to the tailor.
J. Crew is pretty uniform in their sizes for everything but so I am a medium shoulder wise but my torso is V’ed so I always look like a potato sack lol, untailored.
Good quality jacket though.
Am I the only one who thinks of a nice, textured brown when I hear tweed? The kind a Cambridge professor would wear? I know these are technically tweed but I just can’t give them a thumbs up for that reason.
The L.L. Bean looks best IMO although I wish it would be 2buttons. Zara has a similar blazer for 150. I’ll find the link later. I really want that j crew, but at $300 after taxes i just can’t justify it.
Joe, please keep us updated with that Banana Republic herringbone blazer if there are any big sales that come along. I’m planning on stopping by BR this weekend and trying it on for size.
Tweed is everywhere. Very big this fall. I saw at least 6 different tweed blazers yesterday at the mall. From big brands like D&G to more affordable H&M. Out of the 3 above VARVATOS is the nicest. But one that stood out to me that I will most likely get is this Ben Sherman which fit me great. I like the patch pockets and elbow patches which gives it great detail.
There’s so much variety out there with tweed so no need to rush on getting one you’re not sure you’ll like. My 2 cents.
Ah, the deal with the BR 60% off coupon is for Oct.2 and Oct. 9. It’s buy one regular priced item and get a second for 60% off. But it’s an equal or lesser value thing. So, not great if you had your eye on one high priced item.
@Chris: that Ben Sherman is really nice. I need to go try it on somewhere.
Here’s another tweed jacket from Zara. This one is more laid back.
http://tiny.cc/u0adl
@Frank. Dang. Good info though, thanks for that.
The banana Republic herring bone blazer is 30% off plus free shipping today with codes brmonday and brfree100.
Of course “herringbone” is one word… Ahem.
BR blazer 40% off today with code DG9RXG33P6R8. discount applies to up to two regular priced items. Free shipping with an order over $100 with code brfree100. Enjoy!
In case anyone searches “tweed” and ends up back here, here are my belated two cents. I just spent the last month looking for a tweed jacket. I’ve wanted one for more than a year and after reading this article i finally decided to go hunt one down. i must have tried different jackets in at least 15 stores in new york and around. After a lot of frustration (e.g. uniqlo’s tweed was sold out like the day they got it, topman’s barely even reached down to my belt, club monaco was 3 button and super expensive) i finally bought the jcrew one last week.
With the student discount you get in their stores, I got it for around $230. It fit like a glove, sleeves were perfect and so the price wasn’t actually that brutal if you consider how it can cost $70 bucks to have a jacket altered in the back and sleeves.
Now, from the moment I put it on, I have literally received non-stop compliments about it. Everybody loves this jacket. I’m so happy with it that I even went back today and ordered the brown herringbone version as well (students, you can get the 15% discount if you order from the “red phone” in a store instead of online).