J. Crew Unconstructed Washed Linen Sportcoat – $218.00
Hang out for a sale. With a 30% off code, these drop to a still pricey but more palatable $152.60
J. Crew sells two kinds of blazers/sportcoats; those with measured chest sizes (like 38R, 40S, 42L, etc…) and the more casual variety that comes in Small, Medium, Large, etc. The problem is, if you’re in-between those non-measured sizes, you might end up with a tailoring challenge on your hand.
A project even.
If you’re a blazer addict, finding a casual, rumpled blazer for summer ain’t easy. There’s the light grey Merona Kensington, but say you wanted something softer. The washed, Baird McNutt Linen sportcoat is pricey, but it’s all linen instead of cotton chino. Yet it’s not offered in measured chest sizes.
This is a Medium, which on J. Crew’s website fits between a 38-40 chest. The 38 Ludlow suit jacket fits my frame perfectly, and anything smaller would cause some channeling of The Macho Man.
Before Tailoring:
Boxy around the middle and the sleeves are way too long.
Well first the good news, it’s incredibly comfortable. The Baird McNutt linen is wildly soft, and along with the minimal half-lining (cotton upper back, poly sleeves…that’s it) it’s nice and cool. And the washed fabric is real casual. Precisely what I was looking for, and this is going to pull some duty in the fall too (even on sale, it was expensive enough that it better).
But out of the box… man. It fit about as well as the box. A little contour at the waist, but not much, and the sleeves were ridiculously long. Size down? Can’t. The tail would have been way too short on a size small. And the shoulders fit on the medium.
After Tailoring:
Had the sleeves shortened and the waist suppressed. Might need more…
Took it to my tailor and she went to work with the pins. There was a LOT of potential fabric to remove, but she warned that linen stretches pretty easily. Meaning… tailor it too close, go to give someone a hug, and you might wonk-out the shape of your blazer with some pulling that refuses to recede.
After the much needed sleeve shortening (they could probably even come up more) and a not-too-close nip at the waist, it fits, feels, and moves much better. Even if it doesn’t look drastically different in those still shots above.
But it’s nowhere near as well fitting as my 38R jackets. And that’s fine, since it’s a warm weather casual sportcoat. Doesn’t have to be super-dialed in. But at this high of a price, you’d wish they would have at least offered it in more exact sizes, even if it is unstructured.
Are you stuck between sizes? When it comes to blazers, do you allow for a little more wiggle room the more casual they get? Got a favorite summer blazer? Leave it all in the comments below…
I have the same problem with a casual blazer I picked up from Uniqlo- has the typical uniqlo problem where the chest/shoulders fit fine, but the sleeves are way too long.
I’ll need to visit the tailor in the next few weeks, lest I continue to rock the Miami Vice look (sleeves rolled up)
Does anyone in the Kansas City area have a tailor recommendation?
You may have more success with your question on The Dappered Threads.
http://threads.dappered.com
The before and after pics are pretty impressive when it comes to fit, but do those bottom pockets by the waist seem disproportionately huge to anyone else?
Also…props to Joe for a timeless and classy wedding band. When I went shopping for mine, I was pretty appalled at some of the options. There were seriously ones that had a tribal bicep tattoo design around the ring.
Seconded. Looks almost like one of the Shinolas but the chrono buttons have me stumped.
Yeah, those pockets are pretty big. I need to steam/iron those flaps so they lay down a little more.
And thanks for the kind words about the band. Titanium. Super lightweight. Haven’t lost it yet!
Joe, could you please give the details on that shirt and if you used wurkin stiffs on the collars.
i have the jcrew herringbone linen in 38r and it also runs bigger than the 38r super130s wool navy blazer. the sleeves and shoulders are much roomier. maybe like you said, it’s inherent to linen.
This was a real fun post to read. Thanks.
The pockets may be large, or we may be witness to a genuine ghetto booty. Rock it, Joe!
Huh?
That’s the ol’ Ratio windowpane from a couple years back:http://dappered.com/2011/08/the-splurge-ratio-clothing-custom-made-in-the-usa-shirts/
And the collar was a bit of a mess when I put it on (I didn’t have time to iron it) No wurkin stiffs, no collar stays in those shots. I was in a bit of a rush.
Joe, you and I are similar builds, so yes I end up with slightly boxy Medium casual blazers. Although, with some Classic cut jackets, you can go Small and enjoy a good fit.
I’m in the exact same boat with Uniqlo’s blazers Michael. With that said, their chest/shoulder/body fit is insanely good for the price, so I do consider the tradeoff worthwhile.
Here’s hoping you don’t break that finger Joe!
http://www.snopes.com/weddings/horrors/titanium.asp
Turns out that’s a bit of a myth… although, I still hope I don’t break that finger either 🙂
I’ve pretty much given up on any S/M/L marked jcrew blazers/sport coats at this point and am resigned to spending a bit more for something from suitsupply that is a more exact size.
The sleeves look pretty wide. Thoughts on tapering them?
i got this just now looks to be the same color and material but it is in 36/s (numbered sizing) hopefully this avoids some of the sizing issues