About the Author: John B. is a retired US Army tank officer, husband, and father living in Northern Virginia. When he’s not spending time with his family, he enjoys traditional archery, mountain biking, canoeing and the occasional pour of nice bourbon. If you spend anytime on Threads, you would know him as TankerJohn.
What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. With pandemic restrictions easing and spring weather attempting to show itself, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day might be… exuberant. More so than normal. Yesterday was dressed up, today is the wheelhouse (for this website) Smart Casual level. Let’s aim for more of a classy “Quiet Man” vibe. Deftly walking the line between rugged and refined, a textured wool sport coat and denim is the ideal rustic attire for knocking back a pint or three at your favorite pub, or taking in your local St. Paddy’s Day (never “St. Patty”!) parade. Erin go Bragh!
The Sport Coat: Banana Republic Factory Tailored-Fit Wool Blend Blazer – $150ish. Or whatever your favorite tweedy sportcoat happens to be. It’s getting pretty late in the season to source something so fall/wintry, but if you don’t have one and want one, check your local thrift store. Tweed sportcoats can often be plentiful at thrift stores and resale shops. You may even get lucky and find real Harris Tweed among those dusty racks. Have it dry-cleaned and tailored, and it’ll feel like “yours” in no time, with wear.
The Shirt: Charles Tyrwhitt Button-down Check Shirt – Pale Teal Green – $99 ($49.75 with multi-buy). Green, so you don’t get pinched when you take off your jacket by the roaring fire at the pub, but a lighter shade so you get the full benefit of the “V-shaped torso” when the jacket is on.
The Jeans: Amazon Goodthreads Slim Fit Jean – $39.90. 98% cotton, 2% elastane. From the Amazon’s own brand Goodthreads. Or your dark denim of choice. Denim looks great with tweed and lends a nice modern touch that keeps our outfit from sliding too far into Peaky Blinders territory.
The Belt: GAP Leather Belt – $44.95. Nothing too complicated here. A basic brown leather belt with a warm brass-tone buckle.
The Watch: Orient Men’s 2nd Gen. Bambino Ver. 2 – $121. Still one of the best bang for the buck items in the men’s watch world, if not men’s style as a whole.
The Pocket Square: The Tie Bar Denim Chambray With Border Light Blue Pocket Square – $5 FINAL ($10). Running with the smart-casual/upgraded workwear theme with a chambray pocket square. Looks just as good with cold weather stuff like jeans and wool blazers, as it will with a light tropical wool or linen suit in the dead of summer. Also, it’s five bucks!
The Socks: Taylor Stitch Italian Merino Socks in Charcoal Dot – $22.50. Same as yesterday, because they’re the best. Perfect amount of cushioning, easy to wash and dry, and made in Italy.
The Shoes: Tricker’s Lambourn Chelsea Boot – $292.38 ($625). A rare opportunity to get some Tricker’s under $300 WITH free shipping and free returns. Yes they’re still spendy. But they’re handcrafted in England (not Ireland, sorry), on sale, and now an extra 15% off thanks to that Huckberry deal that’s running. Limited sizes at post time, because these are understandably walking out the door at half off. Order one half size smaller than your normal US shoe size.
The Hot Take: Murphy’s > Guinness. There, I said it! Don’t get me wrong, I love a pint of either off the draft. But Murphy’s has the edge for flavor and creaminess. Don’t forget to let the nitrogen bubbles settle before you imbibe. Sláinte!
(Very Top Photo Credit)