It’s just not fair. A guy in a well tailored sportcoat or blazer has an unfair advantage vs. the rest of the room. A jacket cleans up your lines. It makes you look stronger and smarter. And fall is the prime season for sportcoats. Wear em’ with jeans, cords, dress trousers, etc… With a balance of quality & affordability in mind, here’s this season’s best. Note: All in-person shots show the blazer or sportcoat in question straight off the rack. No tailoring (yet). Wanted to give you guys an accurate feel for how each jacket would look pre-tailoring. Also, for a fit perspective, here are the measurements of the wearer. Sizes shown are a 40R unless otherwise noted.
Suitsupply Havana Fit Sportcoats – $399 – $639
Half canvas. Terrific fabric. More than a few pattern options in this “Havana” fit, which features a more athletic template as well as patch pockets on the lower half. Sleeve buttons are functional, but at least they ship and return for free. That steep $639 price point? That’s for the all cashmere stuff. Jacket shown above, in a 40R, goes for $399.
J. Crew Moon Mills Tweed Sportcoat in Ludlow Fit – $298
Another return of a favorite. Partially unconstructed, and you notice as soon as you slip it on. Lighter and easier to move in than other tweed sportcoats. Fabric blend is a 55% Wool / 45% Cotton mix that’s nubby enough to feel like an all wool tweed. Patch pockets. Available in a highly tempting “woodland green,” a standard medium gray, as well as navy. Size shown is a 40R. Most will want the sleeves to be shortened, but that’s easy to do thanks to their non functioning sleeve buttons. Shown above is a 40R in their Ludlow fit.
Bonobos Unconstruced Italian Wool Blazer – $400
Still one of the best, and most unique, wool sportcoats on the market. Pretty unique and flat out incredible. Made from Italian, Barberis wool in a looser style of knit, these things are extremely breathable, unbelievably flexible, and can be worn year round. Lots of colors to pick from too. A terrific blazer to pack for a trip. Only lining is the sleeves. Ultra soft shoulders. 2.5″ lapels. Available in standard or slim. Non functioning, easy to tailor sleeve buttons. Does go on sale during high threshold promos, but, those are pretty few and far in between.
Spier & Mackay Slim or Cont. Fit Moon Mills Tweed – $326ish USD
Half Canvas, 100% Merino wool, just butterfly lined in the back, and easy to tailor non functioning buttons at the sleeve cuffs. We’ve got another winner from Canada based Spier & Mackay. Size shown above is an unaltered, 40R in the contemporary fit. Remember, prices on their site are listed in CAD. Also, your first suit or sportcoat purchase ships and returns for free. But just your first.
Spier & Mackay Slim or Cont. Fit Moleskin – $255ish USD
English milled cotton moleskin. What’s moleskin? Moleskin is like velvet with a crew cut. So you lose the shine and fussiness, and you get a warm cotton fabric that’s extremely touchable. Like, good luck having your date keep their hands off your jacket. Unstructured, just 1/4 lined in the back, and the shoulders are unpadded.
Target Goodfellow & Co Deconstructed Knit Blazer – $49.99
Cheap? Yes. But beware the fits. Seems like there’s quite a gulf between sizes. Size shown above is a medium, and I’m feeling more than a bit squeezed here. Yet, a large in their other blazers is way too big. 58% cotton / 42% polyester. Not lightweight. Some will consider it leaning towards the heavier side (although it’s not super thick or tweedy). Center vent in the rear. Poly/cotton butterfly-style partial back lining with poly lined sleeves. Sleeve cuff buttons, unfortunately, are functional.
J. Crew Factory Navy Moleskin Blazer – $100 – $120ish
More moleskin, just for much less. This could be something. A sportcoat, so, not excluded from all promos and codes like suits are. Thompson fit, so slim without being super skinny, and 2.5″ lapels.
Gap Classic Cotton Stretch Blazer – $48.57 w/ FAMILY & MORE ($89.95)
Not bad for the price, as long as it fits you pretty well off the rack. Why? Because GAP continues to insist on putting functioning sleeve cuff buttons on their sportcoats. So, good luck shortening them. Size shown above is a medium, and note that I have average length arms (70″ tall, 70″ wingspan). And I’m swimmin’ in that sleeve length. Gap’s site says the fabric is all cotton, but the tag says 98% cotton and 2% spandex. Chino, not Moleskin, yet a bit thicker without being overly stiff or weighty. Lined, but at least the body is lined in cotton. Also available in khaki and navy. For the two codes, they stack. FAMILY knocks 40% off, and then MORE takes another 10% off the remaining.
J. Crew Shawl-collar Workwear Jacket in English Wool – $328
Still no idea what to think of these things. They’re like smoking jackets for the rugged types. English wool. Zero lining in the back. three button front and a shawl collar up top. From their upgraded “Wallace & Barnes” line.
Brooks Brothers Regent Fit Wool and Cashmere Sport Coat – $498
These things are works of art. Barely constructed, and has a really soft feel to the fabric. Just butterfly lined in the back. The Regent Fit from Brooks Brothers is also perfect for broader fellas. Size shown above is a 41R. Shown above in the lighter blue, and also available in a lighter grey. Note that while this will go on sale, at some point (and was already 30% off during their most recent wardrobe event) you can find a few alternative colors from last year lurking about in the sale section. Sizes are scattered there though.
B.R. Slim Olive Wool Tweed Blazer – $160.92 w/ FAMILY & BRMORE ($298)
Haven’t gotten hands on with this one yet (no standard fits at post time, just slim), but it is 100% wool, appears to be… 100% lined (drat), and if past is prologue you can expect the sleeve cuffs to be functioning. Yet you’d think it’s popular for a reason. Not many sizes left at post time. Double codes here too. First one is for 40% off, and the next is for an additional 10% off what’s left.
J. Crew Ludlow Unconstructed Corduory – $198
J. Crew’s unlined corduroy sportcoats are back. Again. Fine wale, so, the lines of corduroy aren’t super thick or plush like that couch your parents/grandparents have had since 1971. Finer wale = more refined. Just the sleeves are lined with bemberg. Super versatile. Nicely affordable for what you get, even without (gasp) a discount. And navy corduroy can be quite dashing. Even with denim. Used to be small/medium/large sizing, but they’ve (thankfully) made the move to measured chest sizing. Navy or Dark Chocolate Brown this year.
L.E. Wool Flannel Sportcoats in Grey, Wheat, Dark Olive – $249
Yes, there are matching pants available in case you want to make a quite reasonably priced cold weather suit, but the jackets should do just fine on their own as well. Lands’ End is claiming a true half-canvas with these things, so, that’s something new. 100% wool shells, Rayon body lining and Polyester sleeve lining. Drops to $150 with a 40% off code and pin. Shown above in their “tailored fit” option, but they have regular fit too. UPDATE: Try the code PINECONE and pin 7204 for 40% off one item. Thanks to Andrew for the tip!
JC Penney Stafford Merino Wool Sportcoats – $80ish
Is $80 for an all merino wool sportcoat a deal? Most would think so. There’s just two issues. First, these are lined in all polyester. So that’s a bit of a drag. And it’s not even the best feeling stuff either. Second, the shoulder pads are pretty substantial, and the traps-area is pretty structured. So expect buckling and denting as shown above. Do most people notice this kind of thing? Not really. But it can become a bit of a comfort issue for the wearer. might want to check in store at this point, being that this year’s crop is just starting to hit the web.
JCF Sportcoat in Charcoal Herringbone or Blue Tweed – $120ish
That charcoal herringbone option is a nice addition to the Thompson Tweed Blazer staple. Wool, poly, and viscose shell. Fully lined. Meanwhile, this year’s blue tweed option doesn’t have any elbow patches, so, that’ll please plenty. Also fully lined. 50% wool/50% poly shell. Size shown above is a 40R.
Todd Snyder USA Made Unconstructed Wool Sporcoat – $598
Incredible looking sportcoat, but we need a sale. A major sale. Six bills is what many are shelling out for their monthly rent (and some in the big cities wish they were paying). That’s a lot of dough. Still, made in the USA from Italian wool. One day perhaps. One can dream.
The Reminder: Check your local thrift stores
Want to source a fall or winter blazer on the cheap? Scout your local thrift stores. Some areas are better (like, much better) than others when it comes to thrifting, but finding a dozen or so tweed blazers ready for a cleaning & tailoring isn’t too uncommon. Just depends on finding your size and color/fabric preference.
And that’s just the first crop. There will certainly be more blazers & sportcoats worth a mention in the coming months, so watch for those in future posts & features. We miss something? Feel free to email in any further suggestions to joe@dappered.com.