Much like Aliotsy, I have been combing the internet for a patch-pocketed, lightly patterned brown blazer made of a weighty and comfortable material; this may or may not have been heavily influenced by Derek’s wonderful post on the topic. I felt that a casual brown blazer would help me expand my small collection of jackets while maintaining a high degree of versatility, and thus began the search. Of course, deciding what you want is one thing, and finding it at the right price point is entirely another.
When I saw Suitsupply’s brown blazer in their Havana cut I was immediately intrigued; the company has been getting a huge amount of hype and I have been curious about their wares for a long time now. I wasn’t immensely fond of the way the blazer looked on the model, though. I was looking for something with a longer length, lower button stance and a fit that wouldn’t pull heavily at the buttons. For this reason I ignored Suitsupply’s sizing advice for the most part and ordered based on the garment measurements provided.
The jacket arrive in a large tombstone-shaped box with the blazer packed in a way that would not create a single wrinkle; it stood inside on what was essentially a mannequin made of cardboard and tissue paper. The box also included a fantastic hanger, a garment bag, and a Suitsupply catalog.
The jacket details are as described on the website; partially lined, natural shoulders and patch pockets. The material is a 90% wool/10% cashmere blend from Vitale Barberis Canonico in Italy and I was immediately impressed with the way it felt. It is dense and smooth, but not weighty enough to make the jacket stuffy. The “almost-Prince-of-Wales” pattern is very attractive and subtle enough to not overpower an outfit. Of course, at the end of the day it all comes down to the fit.
The fit is great.
The jacket silhouette is flattering, but not restrictive. The 3″ notch lapels are very congruent with the ties and shirts I wear, making it easy to work in to my existing wardrobe. The sleeves are not too tight (as cool as slim sleeves look, the high risk of sleeve blowout makes it not worth it) and hit right about where they should, making the functional buttons a cool feature and not a tailoring headache. The quarters are somewhat open without being too aggressive and the jacket length is long enough give good proportions. On top of all this is the fabric’s incredible drape; it sits phenomenally well over my gawky and angular body and somehow manages to create smooth lines.
Of course, in a perfect world I would make some small changes. I might bring the button stance down a half inch and add a smidge to shoulders, but a fit like this right out of the box is more than enough to outweigh small tweaks I would otherwise consider.
All in all, color me impressed. The $400 price tag is more than I would like to spend on a jacket (or on anything, because I’m cheap) but the styling, cut and construction of this item suggest that it will be a jacket that I wear for many years to come.
