To our youngest readers: pull up a carpet-square. “Uncle” Joe has a story to tell…
A few decades ago, wearing a suit was unpleasant at best and often a real pain in the arse. They were uncomfortable, bulky, stiff monstrosities that made you feel the opposite of cool, powerful, and sexy. People wouldn’t admire how you looked in a suit. They’d often and understandably feel sorry for the wearer.
Then along came Mad Men, J. Crew, and How I met your Mother. It’s not hyperbole to say those three made wearing a suit fun again.
Those three (along with assists from other pop-culture touchstones) killed off the hard shoulder pads and cascading accordion pleats our fathers and grandfathers looked and felt miserable in. And instead they ushered in a new era of easier wearing, very sharp looking men’s suits. Other brands and retailers followed.
The overall philosophy that wearing a suit should be fun and make you look awesome, thankfully continues today.
Inside J. Crew’s suit jacket construction.
J. Crew’s lapel widths have since normalized (thank you) but the Italian fabrics, nice build quality, and most importantly accessible price points and design remains the same. They usually exclude their suits from their regular rotation of codes and promos… but not now. It’s their twice-a-year suit sale. So bear down, and suit up! Let’s get to the picks. The 30% off code SHOPNOW runs through Thursday October 3rd.
Their new foundational, slimmer-leaning suit separates. Yes, separates. They’re suit separates. And that’s ideal (if not a must) for those who don’t fall into standard nested-suit “drop” zones. Often suits are sold in un-breakable pairs. A 40R jacket would come with a 34 trouser (or thereabouts). And then it’s up to your tailor to make some magic happen. But that’s not the case here. With separates you get to pick the size of the jacket and the size of the trousers. If you get really lucky, minimal to no tailoring is possible. But the advice is always to take it to the tailor. A dialed-in-fit looks awesome. Expensive. Even if the suit wasn’t. Fabric is a worsted wool from Italy’s Tollegno 1900 mill. It’ll look a little more interesting and less flat than most other suit fabrics, without shouting or being weird or shiny.
Same fabric, different fit. These are their more athletic fitting suit separates with more room in the shoulders, chest, seat, thighs, etc.
Their super soft, bedrock blazer. Can bedrock be super soft? If it’s this blazer, than yes. It has gone on sale for less in the past, but 30% off is a plenty fair price for this thing. Full review here if you’d like it. TL;DR: Italian wool flannel from Vitale Barberis Canonico. 3-roll-2 closure is on trend but not overly noticeable. Non functioning sleeve cuff buttons make for easier and cheaper tailoring if you need the sleeves adjusted.
These use a slightly different fabric compared to the worsted wool suit separates listed first at the top of the picks. Different mill (fabric comes from Loro Piana, which is a famous Italian fabrics producer). More colors to choose from. Not better or worse. And in fact, a few options of the Loro Piana “superfine” wool has a bit of visual interest (see the “Deep Pacific” at left above) just like the worsted wool options from Tollegno.
Same Loro Piana superfine wool fabrics, just in their more athletic leaning Crosby fit. Not as many colors to choose from compared to the Ludlow though. C’mon J. Crew! Show the Beast Mode fellas some love! Totally don’t understand why there’s no gray option here, but… that’s why there’s the worsted option jacket and trousers.
Every year J. Crew makes a bunch of Moon-mills cotton/wool unstructured blazers for fall and winter. These be them. Two patterns (above) and three tweedy-looking/sorta marled “quieter” fabrics. Not stiff like a thrift store tweed blazer though. Soft construction to these. Unlined in the back.
Their suit separates purposefully engineered for the jet-setting, bike commuting (watch for chain grease and puddles), on-foot and moving fast types. 4% elastane is woven into the Italian wool blend fabric for some stretch. A half-lined jacket in the back is another difference from their flagship suits (which are fully lined). Half lined = a little less weight and more breathability. Just two colors to pick from.
NOTE: Strangely enough they don’t seem to make Crosby fit jackets in their traveler stretch-wool. But they do make Crosby fit traveler stretch-wool trousers. Which is perfect if you truly are a cyclist and have big legs. As always, you can mix and match Crosby and Ludlow fit garments.
From J. Crew’s “unsuit” line, these are unstructured (meaning you can forget that canvassing and interlining graphic at the top of this post) and meant to be worn more casually than their wool suits. Absolutely no lining in the back and no shoulder pads. Made to look, wear, and feel extra-breezy. Perfect for spring, summer, and early fall. 72% cotton/28% linen from Ireland’s Baird McNutt. The mid-blue “deep water” option has gotten lots of coverage here on Dappered over the years. It looks great with jeans. It looks terrific with lighter chinos during hotter times. It’s also nice to see them making a true navy, cream, and a few other options.
Available in Crosby Fit? Nope. Not yet at least.
What about the matching pants for those who want to make it a suit? Those can be found here.
That’s quite the smart looking suit. A bit more expensive than the rest, but if you’re looking to expand your suit collection from the basics, then this could be the one. Tropical-weight wool from Italy’s Vitale Barberis Canonico should keep you cool during any early Autumn heat spikes, and the color and pattern are appropriate for year round use.
Tuxedos are expensive. Any savings helps. Plus again, these come in separates, which is exceedingly rare if you’re shopping for a tux. Italian wool, shawl collar, traditional one button closure (although the buttons are standard and not covered like a “true” tuxedo).
Available in Crosby Fit? Not for the shawl collar jackets. But they do have black peak lapel tux jackets in their Crosby fit. Trousers are here.
Yes, some of their shoe (and boot) collection is included with this SHOPNOW 30% off code. Full review of these oxfords can be found here. Really wish they made these in dark brown along with black.
The 30% off code SHOPNOW for the J. Crew Semi Annual Suiting Event is set to expire this Thursday October 3rd.
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