The Sport Coat as Old Friend

Here's the coat I got from Silver

A new sport coat I ordered from Ben Silver arrived yesterday. I was impressed for several reasons:

• It does not look new.
• It came when they said it would.
• Cashmere is a wonderful material.
• Soft, yes, but I never knew how light.
• They made it up for me in just my size.
• It was in essence exactly as pictured.

Needless to say, this is not my usual experience with mail order.

Somehow the right sport coat conjures up images of old money lazing around the yacht club, chatting idly, clipping coupons. Fitzgerald would approve. So would Peterman. You know what I mean.

When this jacket arrived I was reminded that I owned one very similar to it back in my teens. It was not cashmere, however. I have never owned a cashmere coat, and, now having felt the thing, I'm wondering how I ever got along without it. As exclaimed upon above, it is exceedingly light, and to this old gent who sweats easily, that is a most welcome development.

As an article of clothing, the sport coat is just right. Not too hot and not too cold. I don't know if it's the tweed or the professorial look or the elbow patches in tawny suede, but it conjures up the look that says I don't care too much. Some may call it "sprezzatura," but to me, isn't that what we're really after? That carefully-studied, unstudied look. Somebody asks you about it and you say, "what, this old thing?"

I've been buying a lot of suits lately, probably preparing for occasions of state or job interviews. But, the fact of the matter is, I don't get dressed up that often. Business casual, as much as I frown upon it, has fully taken root here in my household in the Midwest. And I am all about comfort. Also, versatility. I know I can dress this jacket up or down, wear it with a tie and a spread colored shirt as pictured above or dress it down with no tie and just a button down.

Jimmy Stewart - love the scarf

J. Press used to make a sport coat just like the scarf in the above photo. It was a handsome coat, the colors, as I remember them were a deep mulberry wine, and the darker color, as it appears above, was navy blue. I have looked and looked on the internet and have been unable to find it. This scarf definitely captures it. The photo below from 1954 is a close cousin:

Cashmere, custom tailored by J. Press, SI, Oct. 25, 1954.

Final image, from The Consortium of Gentlemen Farmers, a blog which seems to have stopped publishing. Too bad. Doesn't the name just say it all?

Love the jacket, dislike the floppy bow tie. Part of a suit. Ralph Lauren.