Steal Alert: 51% off J. Crew’s Italian Wool Legacy Blazer

J. Crew Ludlow Legacy blazer in Italian wool flannel – $219.50 ($450)

Pricing Note: These are part of an “up to 40% off” long weekend event. Yet the blazers are more than half off. Beats me. Anyway, no code needed at checkout. Prices are as marked. Not final sale either. So returns/exchanges are accepted, although it’ll set you back a $7.50 pre-paid label unless you can hoof it over to a brick and mortar location.

It’s getting darn near impossible to find a nice-wool navy blazer for under $300. And for it being such a menswear essential which can be worn with everything from jeans to chinos to cords to dress slacks (“slacks!” what a word. etymology here.) you’d think there’d be more options.

J. Crew to the (limited time) rescue?

One of J. Crew’s flagship men’s collection items

Made from soft Vitale Barberis Canonico Italian wool flannel in a 3-season weight (don’t worry, it’s not heavy, thick, or suffocating), the Ludlow legacy blazer has been around for more than a decade. But since no one can just LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE these days, their designers tweaked it this year to have a 3-roll-2 closure.

Wait, a what?

Pay no attention to that button behind the curtain lapel roll!

A 3-roll-2 is a tailoring detail/technique that some #menswear nerds geek out over. There’s an “extra” button and button hole on the lapel that’s not meant to be used, but is still there as a nod to styles of the past.

“But wait, isn’t a standard 2-button jacket timeless?”
Yes it is.
“And probably cheaper to make?”
You’d think so.
“So why’d they do this?”
Because boring is bad, and that’s bad.

But truly, 3-roll-2 blazers and suitcoats have caught back on in the last year or two. Spier & Mackay have been doing it more, as has Suitsupply.

Tonal buttons = classy and not dated like gold.
Patch pockets w/ flaps on lower half differentiate it from a suit jacket.

To some, a 3-roll-2 is a cool detail.
To others, it’s… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It shouldn’t affect the comfort or versatility of the blazer. It’s still half-lined for extra breathability, the buttons are tonal instead of a dated/gaudy brass or gold, and the sleeve cuff buttons are non functioning for easy/cheaper tailoring.

The $219.50 price runs through this upcoming Tuesday, 1/16/24.

That’s all.

Carry on.