GAP Pinstripe Cotton Blazer – $98.00
| Classic Solid Cotton Blazer – $98.00
Left: Check Shirt by Alfani Red. Tie by J. Crew. Chinos by Banana Republic.
Right: Shirt by Merona. Svest by Banana Republic. Pocket Square by LEC. Jeans by Todd Shelton.
KARMA FUELED UPDATE: Thanks to JMG for passing along this in store coupon. Get 30% off at GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy, BR Factory and GAP Outlet stores next weekend, 3/17 – 3/20. 5% of your purchase gets donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. That’s a win / even bigger win right there.
Non Karma Update: Or, if you have to shop online for sizes, get $20 off $80 with the code GAP2080. Good 3/10 – 3/12. Not as good as the 30% / 5%. Now back to our regularly scheduled non italicized programming….
Thanks GAP. These will do nicely. These are not a rumpled Old Navy chino sportcoat. Nor are they a stuffy wool blazer. They’re modern, decently trim in design, and almost if not completely identical in layout.
The fabric is cotton but it’s a smooth and refined weave. It’s feels more dressed up than the fabric on say, LL Bean Signature’s New Traditional Twill. Not so dressy though that it can’t be paired with jeans.
They’re trim through the body and most reasonably fit guys could get away with not having it tailored (above pics = off the rack. This pic too). Shoulder pads are slim and armholes are decently high. The tail drop seems pretty standard on my 5’9″-10″ frame, and the the interiors are fully lined with the standard silkish poly.
The sleeves might be a little long for some, and both come with the over proliferated functional sleeve buttons. Which could cause trouble for guys with shorter arms who need the sleeves taken up.
All politics aside, James Carville famously once simplified a friggin’ presidential campaign with: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Forget stupid. When it comes to looking smarter than most other men? It’s the guys in well tailored jackets who have the distinct advantage. Consider investing in the black. Wear the hell out of it.
Joe,
Next weekend is another gap give and get weekend. I will send you The code for 30% off the gap family with 5% going to the leukemia and lymphoma society.
JMG
This is a terrific blazer. Having seen it in person in action, I have to say, this is on my list. Thanks for the post Joe!
Joe, what size are you wearing in the photo…38R or 40R?
It’s a medium (S, M, L, XL for these). I didn’t really need to get it tailored, but, I’m having it brought in at the sides just a touch.
Who is the watch by?
Citizen. They don’t seem to make it in the black strap / silver dial anymore. All that seems to be available from non-gray market feeling sites is brown on brown: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012IR0BG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dappered-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0012IR0BG
Sweet. In two months or so, these will be knocked down to $40, give or take.
I just picked up the navy pin blazer with the matching GAP Tailored Khakis. It’s a nice set with a great feel and a surprisingly well-tailored fit.
I will echo Joe’s word of caution: watch out for the functional sleeve buttons if you need the sleeves shortened. It’s a nice touch and all, but terribly inconvenient (and a deal-breaker) if you have shorter arms like me. Luckily, these sleeves are just long enough that I need them shortened to right above where the original buttonholes are located.
If it were available in light tan color, I’d buy another in a heartbeat.
Functional sleeve buttons? On a jacket less than $100? While this should excite me, it’s kind of a disappointment. I’ve always dreamed of telling some tailor that my new bespoke suit must have functional buttons… to learn that I can get them from Old Navy takes away some of the magic…
Not only does it take away some of the magic, functioning sleeve buttons make it more expensive to shorten the sleeves.
Joe, thanks for the post. Will pick one up this weekend. Love the blog.
My pleasure! Thanks for the kind words.
assuming the blue pin striped jacket and pin striped tailored slim fit khakis are a spot on match like Jim A says, this could make for one heck of a cotton suit for around $100 (w/ the 30% off coupon).
I’ve got a couple of pairs of the tailored slim fit pants already, and they’re some of the best fitting khakis I’ve seen for less than a benny or so.
Off to the Gap next weekend to see how well those pants match up!
FYI, if it hasn’t been mentioned here already, most of my local Gaps have a coupon booklet that gets you 40% off a regular priced item (45% if you have a Gap Card) every Wednesday this month.
Also I tried on both jackets yesterday. It seems that the Solid Cotton Black is cut a bit trimmer than the pinstripe. Arms holes were pretty high on the black and body was very trim. Blue pinstripe is trim through the body but slightly less so than the solid black. I say this because I almost split the seam of the solid black but was able to get the pinstripe on with less difficulty. Both seem pretty well made for the price.
Thanks to the blog Im currently in the store and just tried the black one; great piece as stated here. Unfortunate for the sleeves on these right off the rack.
In my visit came across the $49.99 Madison “modern fit” 100% Cotton blazers available in three colors at *belk.
Does anyone have any personal input on these by Madison?
I now owe more than one conscious decision on style thanks to the collective work done in this blog. Great work to you Joe.
Thanks JP, we all have a great time putting the site together. I personally don’t have any experience with the Madison/Belk blazers… hope something somewhere along the line works out for you with the sleeves…
Just ordered the navy pinstripe blazer using the 30 percent off deal, but they were out of the matching pants in my size. Any recommendations for other pants to pair with it, other than maybe a nice pair of dark-rinse jeans?
I’m pretty partial to light grey chinos. Regular khaki would absolutely work too. You’ve got just enough pattern on top so solid won’t look bad at all. If you really want to take a risk, white jeans or chinos would look great with a light blue shirt and maybe some medium to lighter brown shoes.
I’m pretty partial to light grey chinos. Regular khaki would absolutely work too. You’ve got just enough pattern on top so solid won’t look bad at all. If you really want to take a risk, white jeans or chinos would look great with a light blue shirt and maybe some medium to lighter brown shoes.
Thanks, Joe. Excellent suggestions!