A couple decades ago, wearing a suit was unpleasant at best. They were uncomfortable, bulky, stiff monstrosities that made you feel the opposite of cool and powerful. Then along came Mad Men, J. Crew, and How I met your Mother. That was the pivot point. It’s not hyperbole to say those three made wearing a suit fun again.
Those and other pop culture touchstones killed off the hard shoulder pads and accordion-pleats our fathers and grandfathers looked and felt miserable in. In came 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 usually excludes their suit separates from their regular rotation of codes and promos… but not now. This is their twice-a-year suit sale. And as J. Crew makes suit separates instead of traditionally nested suits, you’ll get to pick the size of the jacket and then the size of the corresponding trousers. Getting more precise can help minimize post-purchase tailoring costs. It’s also great for those who don’t fall into the usual suit sizing “drop” zones, as traditionally “nested” suits come with a jacket wedded to a pair of trousers. (Industry standard is a “drop 6″ Example: a nested 40R jacket would come with 34” trousers.) That’s not so with J. Crew. Separates are much more flexible. You pick what you want.
So yes. This is nice. Quite nice. It’s a quick one. Ends Thursday. Off we go with the picks.
Their flagship Italian wool suits. Fabric is a worsted wool from Italy’s Lanificio Di Tollegno. It’ll look a little more interesting and less flat than most other suit fabrics, without shouting or being weird or shiny.
Same fabric, just in their more athletic leaning Crosby fit. And if you’re wondering, you can mix and match Ludlow and Crosby items. Say, a Ludlow jacket and Crosby trousers for the quadzillas out there. (soccer players? cyclists? kangaroos?) Just make sure you’re getting the exact same fabric and color so they’ll match.
Ocean Blue or Carbon Gray. Full review here. Size shown is a 40R and 32×32 trouser on 5’10″/185. Italian wrinkle resistant stretch-infused wool from Tollegno. Two versatile colors to pick from. Jackets are half-lined in the back for extra breathability.
Slightly different than their worsted wool flagships. Fabric comes from Loro Piana, which is a famous Italian fabrics producer. Six colors to choose from. Half canvas construction. Sleeve cuff buttons are non-functioning for easy tailoring. In terms of styling: know that you are very much not required to wear your pants “flood stage” short as the J. Crew models are doing. That’s just something the stylists seem to do for their photos. Trousers shouldn’t be artificially cropped in terms of fit out of the box. It’s just J. Crew doing J. Crew things with their visuals.
Same Loro Piana superfine wool fabrics, just in their more athletic leaning Crosby fit. Again, The Crosby is their more athletic fitting suit separates with more room in the shoulders, chest, seat, thighs, etc. Not as many colors to choose from compared to the Ludlow though. C’mon J. Crew!
Surprisingly good. Maybe not great (like something from Ledbury) but good. Quite good. Lots of colors and patterns, three fits (slim, classic, and tall), and made from a not flimsy feeling twill fabric with good stretch. 67% cotton/28% polyamide/5% elastane. Sold in “alpha” sizes though. So they’re more ballpark than the traditional neck and sleeve measurement shirts you’ll find elsewhere. Size shown above is an unaltered medium slim on 5’10″/185, and it’s a tad too small (especially in the neck) for my normally 16/33 shirt wearing frame.
Every year J. Crew sources fabric from England’s Abraham Moon & Sons for a set of their unconstructed fall sportcoats. These are those. 53% cotton/47% wool. Unlined back. Non functioning sleeve cuff buttons make for easy tailoring. Wear it with jeans, chinos, cords, etc. They do have matching trousers, so you can make a suit out of them if you’d wish. But the jackets work just fine if not better as stand alone sportcoats, with their light structure, minimal lining, and 53% cotton/47% wool fabric.
From their new Spanish made line of shoes. Goodyear welted. And one would think these won’t have the squeaky shank problem their previous, other derby shoes have allegedly suffered from. Key word: think. Super-traditionalists would say one should wear true oxfords (with closed lacing) when wearing a suit. But that’s a pretty old rule. The world has changed a lot in the last five years. And derbys look great with just about everything from suits to chinos to jeans. Plain brown lace-ups are as versatile as it gets. See the image of the Traveler Suit at the very top of the post you’re reading now. Those aren’t even dress shoes. They’re boots!
At present, J. Crew is strangely selling two tiers of penny loafers, with bizarrely almost identical descriptions despite them being clearly different:
– A cheaper version (item AV166)
– These shown above (item BJ009)
They’re both called the Camden. But the option shown above appear to be higher quality/of J. Crew’s upgraded “Ludlow” line. Stitched leather sole, “gentleman’s notch” at the heel, etc. Available in brown or black.
Hard to beat that price. Yes they’re final sale (no returns or exchanges) and yes they’re mostly out of season. But they’re a best seller and more versatile than most think. 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. You get the idea.
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.
Ouch. Tuxedos are expensive. These are no exception. Any savings helps. But again, even 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.
The 30% off J. Crew suits and more event is set to expire this Thursday, September 25th 2025.
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