Dressing down a tan suit jacket?
tl;dr: thinking about thrifting this jacket but would need to find ways to wear it casually. Fit check and recommendations welcome!
So I love thrifting (not just because I'm broke) and yesterday I saw this €30 jacket that I'm debating going back to purchase today. Suit jackets are a bit outside my comfort zone, but I want to broaden my horizons and I like the look of it!
The thing that's holding me back is that I can't justify spending money on a piece I wouldn't wear semi regularly, and I don't encounter a lot of formal opportunities in my life. So, I'm looking for ways to dress this down.
I feel like it being tan already makes it kinda casual for a suit, and I'm thinking the fit in the picture is... Fine? It's just what I had on when I was going to the thrift store, but to me it kinda gives "cool college professor".
I'd really appreciate a second opinion on the fit, and thoughts on other ways to dress down something like this. Like I said I'm very much not used to wearing suit jackets, so any recommendations would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance!
22 Replies
In a recent GQ video, the host suggests that buying suit jackets is not the way to go if it looks like you're buying half a suit. instead he says to go for sport coats which you can identify by having different buttons. I don't necessarily believe thats always true but it can help you in picking the right jacket. For this fit i'd go with a black sweater to bring out a bigger contrast compared to the ton sur ton of the beiges
An easy way to dress down as well is to not go for the sweater + shirt underneath combination but just stick to either one of the two
personally ido think tan jacket + black sweater + light wash jeans + hard bottom shoes is a very chic combination but im just european yfm
I mean I'm European too so maybe that's why it sounds good to me as well lol
I do generally like the idea, as well as this recommendation
if its spring you can also just wear a white or black blank t shirt instead of a shirt or a sweater
makes it a bit more youthful
I'm realizing I don't have a black sweater though. That's kind of a hole in my wardrobe
Closest I've got is a dark turtleneck... Shirt... Thing?
It's close to the skin, anyway
But I see the vision!
White tee once the temperatures start rising again also sounds great, very... Breezy? I think is the word in English?
yeah
Anyway I do see the point about buying orphaned jackets, but I feel like it's a bigger concern with sober charcoal or navy or gray
yeah for sure, i think this particular one looks good
With tan it's kind of inherently a bit iconoclast, right?
I remember when Obama had the tan suit scandal lol
Well you've helped me talk myself into it. I need a black sweater... But maybe I'll try it on with the Uniqlo Heattech turtleneck thing
Probably look like an unbearable twat though but we all must suffer for the sake of experimentation
heres a fit of mine wearing a tan-ish suit jacket
theres a lot going on though and today i would probably wear them with loafers but i didnt have any at the time
I mean I kinda like that it's a bit extra!
And in my case it might be easier because the jacket has no pattern so it can sit back a little easier
Sorry patternless is not quite accurate but you know what I mean
@gv thanks for all the advice honestly, I'm feeling a little less nervous about it and more excited now!
I do think I'll buy it because, I mean, it looks nice and it gives me new options.
good! It can feel strange at the beginning wearing something that's so 'formal' but from my experience you start wearing it way more often than you think and before you know it you start wearing it as a sweater or jacket
in the sense of the ease of it
I do have a suit jacket that I've worn a couple of times and honestly, it's been fine every time. But yeah I've generally been moving into an increasingly formal/preppy direction.
I used to wear nothing but frayed jeans and a faded T-shirt and the same sneakers every day
I'm not there anymore and thank God, this is much more fun
So I'm looking forward to being more chill about jackets, at my age there's a lot of social pressure to not be too formal but I'm starting to get past that.
gv said basically every i'd say in this instance so I'll just post these fits with a tan wash and wear - biggest thing is just wearing it so there's less stigma associated with it
if the buttons are an issue it's not too difficult to swap them out - YouTube has plenty of vids on that
Honestly I quite like the way you’re styling it there
All of the looks are great but that third one is iconic lol, I love it
Do you always wear a light top under the jacket, or is it only with lighter pants?
Thank you! It wasn't really styled since it was pure coincidence, I was wearing that and then tossed the jacket on and went :digs:
"well hello there"
Anyway I ended up buying the jacket, and lucked out because they had high waisted suit pants that are an almost perfect color match, so I can even wear as a full thing
I can't take pictures rn but I'll definitely take a few when I get back home
for the most part i've funneled down to white/off-white button ups but i typically avoid a darker top with the jacket- either the top stands out in a not great way or the jacket feels like an afterthought - but it depends on the individual garments imo
these are good examples imo, though bishop's fit (left) is a white-backed pattern and evane's fit (right) is technically light-dark-light
Thanks for the pictures! I quite like them both, though the first is definitely a bit closer color wise. I wish I had pants like either of those, they look gorgeous
I ended up experimenting with a few looks with the jacket and what I already own.
Pardon the tiny mirror and bad overhead lighting, it's what I've got lol
The jacket is definitely growing on me a bit. And I think you can see some of the inspiration I took from your fits, too