Old Navy Wool Mix Herringbone Blazer – $49.50
UPDATE: Before you go and buy this off the web… check out the comments below. Looks like these have been seriously marked down in many in-store locations.
In terms of quality the GAP family of brands are ranked as followed:
#1 Banana Republic
#2 Gap
#537 Old Navy
I kid. But the mainly accurate conception is that Old Navy stuff is just thrown together. It’s as cheap as it can get and it’s made for the masses with little real off the rack fit to speak of. Most of those accusations do apply, but when it comes to their blazers and some of their outerwear… they’re worth a second look.
Their Wool Mix herringbone blazer is back in stores and online, and after a field trip to the Old Navy closest to the Dappered home offices, it’s fair to say this blazer isn’t half bad. The make up is 50% poly, 39% wool, 6% acrylic, and 5% “other” fibers (wood pulp? frog legs
Will it last more than a few years? Probably depends on how you treat it. The reason I’m not buying this one is because I already have and wear an almost identical wool-mix version I purchased from Old Navy… in 2004.
No seriously. Here it is.
Timely article for me. These blazers were om sale in store this week for $29. At that price I was going to grab a herringbone and a black cord. Unfortunately, the fit was strange. The L fit “ok” from a front view. Sleeve were a little shorter than I prefer (I measure out at a 35-35 sleeve which always causes a L/XL conflict when buying shirts with my standard L 16.5 neck size but that’s another topic completely ). When looking from the back or profile the jacket had absolutely NO tail. Like my entire butt exposed no tail.
The website doesn’t say how much longer an tall large is, and it is also more expensive. The XL in store had a more acceptable tail, but shoulders and everything else was way too big. With so little tail on the L is the tall size likely to be ok? I know i’ll need Tailoring but don’t want to break the bank reconstructing a cheap blazer. For reference I am 6’0″ and about 205-210 athletic build and generally wear 42L blazers..usually suffering from some tightness in the biceps/triceps area of the sleeves. My question is specific to this jacket but would appreciate and advice you could offer on buying blazers for my body type in general..especially affordable ones wthanks
Agreed on Old Navy outerwear. Picked up a couple plain wool zip front jackets a couple weeks ago and they are very nice and slim fitting.
@Alex: You had no tail on a Large? I tried on a medium (5’10” / 165 – 170, 33″ sleeve, 40 or 40s jacket, 39 is usually perfect) and if anything the sleeves were a little long. Tail was just fine. Needed to be brought in at the sides but otherwise, but that’s normal for Old Navy jackets and me. My suggestion is to try the large tall if you usually wear a 42L in a jacket. But at 6 foot, are you used to wearing jackets a little longer? Have you tried the ol’ curl your hands at your sides trick to see where the jacket comes to an end? Perhaps you’ve got a long torso. Anyway, jackets must fit in the shoulders (here’s a quick fit priority guide), so if an XL doesn’t fit in the shoulders, than I say skip it. Try the Tall from the web. Might even be able to return it to the store if it doesn’t work out.
@Joe thanks for the response. If a M fit you perfectly shouldn’t I expect some issues at 40 lbs heavier, 2 inches taller and 3 inch longer arms? I don’t think (could be wrong) that I wear my jackets “longer”. Regular jackets just NEVER work with my long arms and rarely are long enough to cover my butt, which is usually where I want my jackets to go length wise (the majority of it). The jacket Im wearing now passes the cupped hand test perfectly and gives me the backside coverage. The old navy one fit as if it were longer in the front and chopped in the back even though I know it wasn’t. Slim fit jackets from alfani red (although snug in the arms in my normal size), j.crew and tommy hilfiger fit nice in L but look shrunker in regular in my opinion. I wish I could get by with R sizes the selections are usually better.
@Alex: Absolutely. And if the jacket passes the cupped hand test? Then you’re good on the length. I’d say the M fit well in the length but the body was kinda big. Maybe you got a factory defect if it was that short?
Two days ago I just picked up an Old Navy brown corduroy jacket, 100% cotton. I’m 5’11, 160 with 35″ sleeves in dress shirts. The medium fit me like a glove, even had a slight taper at the waist. Needs minimal tailoring. For $29, I’m satisfied.
in total agreement Joe (as usual), but my biggest and possibly everyone elses is “where is the BLACK FRIDAY STUFF” considering this is my go to site that i check daily “religiously” i might add, I know your on this already…tell the masses what going to be hot!!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Just picked this up on sale for $25 and took it straight to the tailor.
I’m 5’9″, 190 lbs with an athletic build and average torso/leg length. I wear a 16.5/32 dress shirt and 42R jacket. Picked the L in this jacket. The length and shoulders were perfect. Just getting the sleeves shortened and sides fitted – definitely too boxy off the rack. Can’t wait to get it back next week.
Great recommendation.
@HM: Thanks for the compliments. For the Black Friday stuff… it’s slowly rolling in but a lot of retailers are pushing pre-black Friday “Thanksgiving” sales. We’re working on something to (promo code / deal) but nothing is set yet so it could be a no-go.
According to their black friday ad, outerwear is supposed to be 50% off, and nearly all their sweaters at $15 at Old Navy next Fri. Their black friday deals are also usually online so I’ll be waiting on this one.
Hopefully this hits $25.
These are on sale at old navy right now. I just picked one up for $25 this afternoon.
acrylic does not grow from the soil, nor off the back of an animal. it should not be worn. i have been growing even more displeased with the frequency of synthetics mixed into all lines of clothing.
@Grant: In store for $25? Nice.
@Pepe: Old Navy + Black Friday = My own personal nightmare. Oy… online is the way to go. Agreed.
I actually picked this up on Tuesday along with the black cotton blazer. I got each in L and they fit well. I am usually a 44R (although I could stand to lose a bit in the waist) but the L in this one fits very well off the rack. I’m a 34 sleeve and they arms are perfect. I got get it taken out at the waist, but i like the slim fit and would rather keep working on slimming the waist so eventually i have to take it in a bit.
Best part… I got both blazers for the $29.50 AND there was a 30% off in-store coupon… so my total damage was $41.30. I’m regretting not getting the black and brown cord ones too at this point…
Off the strength of Dappered, I bought this blazer today.
It’s only $25 at the store!! Looks gorgeous in person too.
I’m a 40R and bought a medium. I’ll bring it to a tailor to get the sleeves shortened and waist suppressed a bit, but beyond that the fit is damn good.
I hope Old Navy continues rolling out these gems. FWIW, a lot of their winter stuff looked very good. I’ll be back there within two weeks. Nothing beats cheap fashion!
I also made a stop at Old Navy on the way home from work and got mine for $26.50 after tax. The only issue I have had is that every blazer I tried on in Old Navy seemed to fit my left shoulder perfectly and my right shoulder not quite right. I passed on the corduroy blazer because the shoulders had padding and I didn’t want to look like Paula Poundstone.
Hows this compared to the Gap’s new Herringbone blazer?
25$ for any blazer in NJ. BOOM! And it’s not a special sale, they got proper big price tags next to it.
@Fish: It’s boxier. You can get away with not having the GAP one tailored. You’ll need this brought in on the sides. But as far as quality goes? It’s not that big of a difference to me.
I picked one up today for $25. I’m usually a 38R and the small fit me almost perfect. Of course I’ll need to take it in on the sides some, but for $25 you can’t beat it.
I also tried on one of their “military” styled coats and it fit rather nice also.
I returned an Old Navy blazer and nabbed the the last small for $25. Today I went to the gap and they had one nearly identical. The cloth isn’t heavy and the Gap one felt exactly the same, except it was $98. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were the same. Yikes!
Gents: I stumbled upon this discussion the week before Christmas when I was deliberating buying a second J Crew Whitman Herringbone Blazer. It was on sale for 160, but that’s still a fair bit of coin. I bought the brown herringbone Whitman and it is fantastic, but buying two was just not in the budget. When I came across this thread, I immediately called my nearest Old Navy and asked if they had any in stock. They did, so I ran over and bought one (I typically wear a 36 R, so I got the small). It fit great in the shoulders and was a shorter fitted coat. The material was, surprisingly, thick. I took it to my trusted tailor here in St. Louis (a wonderful Sicilian woman) and she brought the sleeves up a slight amount and nipped it in the middle to take away the boxy shape. I just picked it up yesterday and it fits like a glove. I love J Crew’s Whitman Herringbone, but for 25 dollars at the store (it was on sale from 49) and 37 in tailoring (17 for the sleeves, and 20 to bring it in in the middle), I’d say I got a great coat at a great price. It will look great with black dress pants and black cap toes as well as with dark jeans, a sweater, and black loafers when I take my beautiful wife out for dinner. I would definitely recommend this blazer; that is if they are still available.
Have a great New Year everyone!