Which tweed for my jacket?

[David]

I have been contemplating getting a made to measure jacket and waistcoat for a while now, but they ain't cheap. So yesterday when I had a bit of spare time while in Glasgow I popped into a well known and reputable high street retailer of highland wear for a look at the off the peg options. It pains me to say I was unimpressed. I'm not in great shape, I'm aiming to lose and keep off between a stone and a half and two stone (21lbs to 28lbs for our overseas members), but I was surprised by the fit of the (3) jackets and waistcoats selected for me by the professional looking assistant; pinstripe trousers, tape measure round the neck, you know the look. I think its fair to say that in each case, both items fitted where they touched and were all considered by the assistant to look good on me. Waistcoat was okay round the gut, but was flapping about at the top of the chest. Jacket was fine across the shoulders and upper arms, but way too big round my belly and the sleeves finished a half inch above my knuckles. One of the jackets had a very sharp crease in the sleeve that would not have been out of place on a pair of trousers, apart from the fact that it was running diagonally down and round the sleeve. How much was all this sartorial elegance going to cost me? The shop has a sale on and the jacket and waistcoat were now priced at a very competitive £299.

So I'm back to thinking on the bespoke kit. For about double the off the peg price I can pick my tweed from Lovat Mills, pick the lining I want, omit the epaulettes and gauntlet style cuffs and have as many buttons and pockets as I want on the jacket and waistcoat.

Now for the big decision, which is where the great and good of the Xmarkers come in. i have narrowed down my selection of the tweed to two. Which one do you guys prefer the one at the top or the one at the bottom? its not too clear in this picture but there is a fine yellow and red over check in both the samples of the tweed.

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[unixken]

I prefer the bottom sample. At least on my monitor, the color is a more neutral shade of brown, which I think would give the jacket it's greatest flexibility with regard to other colors you might wear with it. The top sample appears a bit too "milk chocolate", to have the same degree of flexibility (though it is a lovely shade.)

[Angstrom]

Agree. The bottom one would work better with the grays and blues that make up the typical male wardrobe.

The top one would work better with warmer colors, such as a cream or pale yellow shirt.

[ASinclair]

Although I actually like the top one better, I agree the bottom one would 'go' with more colors.

[David]

Bottom one is actually a green colour

[Calgacus]

Bottom one is actually a green colour

Ah, it looks really quite grey on my monitor. Either way, I'm leaning slightly towards the bottom one.
Both are nice though.

[creagdhubh]

The top sample appears a bit too "milk chocolate", to have the same degree of flexibility (though it is a lovely shade.)

I respectfully disagree, Ken. In my opinion, kilt jackets in brown based tweeds (whether it's herringbone, a lovely gun check, thornproof, windowpane, etc) pair well with virtually any tartan, in virtually any colour scheme. Thus, making it incredibly versatile, as well as unique. One sees way too many tweed kilt jackets that are a shade of green, blue, and charcoal. Boring!

[Nathan]

I'm OK with this one...



I like this one a lot.



This one is great.



All three of these are good, but I see more olive than brown.


I like this, but again, it looks olive green on my monitor.


This one is OK. I actually like the obvious quality of the cloth and the cut more than the colour.




I'm really not a fan of these jackets. Each to his own, but this colour doesn't appeal to my taste. I've seen this photo many times and while the outfits are perfectly traditional and correct, there's nothing here I feel the need to emulate in my own attire.



Lots of great stuff on parade here. The gent with the bias cut tartan waistcoat looks particularly smart.



All four of these gents look good. I really like Kyle's jacket here. It's unique but the check is classic rather than dated.



Three nice earthy jackets here...

[MacMillans son]

I think with that tartan you could wear just about anything you'd like! What, a bit prejudice you say?

[TheOfficialBren]

Slight derail...I've seen this chap before but I can't put my finger on it. Lovely tartan.