Tweed Time

The weather here in Atlanta and all over the South has been a bit nutty over the last few weeks.  We celebrated Christmas around 70 degrees, then had an ice “storm” and highs in the 20s last weekend, and today is supposed to be 64, which will continue through the holiday weekend.

I love tweed jackets, and as David Coggins said: ‘you can’t have too many’.  I completely agree.  They are extremely versatile wardrobe staples.  At their core, they are built to go with wool pants, a dress shirt, and a good earth-toned tie.  Add a pair of cap toes and you are in business.  On the other end of the spectrum, you can go Ivy: a pair of khakis, penny or tassel loafers, and a blue OCBD.  Either is a classic look that will never go out of style.  How I like to wear tweed jackets in the vein of a work coat.  Pair it with a good pair of jeans, a solid dress shirt or OCBD, some double monks and an engine turned belt.  It’s my winter uniform.

Beyond finding a jewel at Goodwill every now and then, there are some excellent tweed options out there.  I would highly recommend sticking with a Harris Tweed in a good cut.  Here are a few that are 100% RCS approved:

From top left:

1. Brooks Brothers Blue Harris Tweed Sport Coat:  I’m really digging solid tweed jackets.  Brooks Brothers does it as well as anyone, and this shade of blue is killer in the winter.
2. Ledbury Randolph Tweed Sport Coat:  A good cut is as important as the color, hand, etc.  The jacket has to fit, and Ledbury jackets fit GREAT off the rack.  For the quality, the price is just right.
3. Southwick Rust Sport Coat from O’Connell’s:  Solid rust, put this over a blue OCBD and navy trousers.  Big business.
4. Beams Plus Slim Fit Houndstooth Harris Tweed Jacket:  This is a bit of a lightweight, but that’s OK.  You can wear this unlined jacket all day around the office and be comfortable.
5. Drake’s Harris Tweed Olive Tweed Jacket:  Drake’s cuts these OTR as good as anyone.  Olive is a strong choice for tweed.  Like most Earthy colors, be sure the rest of your wardrobe palate follows suit.
6. Peter Millar Alpine Tweed Sport Coat:  Or you can go with a bold color, like this deep purple option from Peter Millar.  Be sure you’ve got the stones to pull this one off…
7. Harris Tweed Patrick Jacket:  Plaid are always great, like an exploding jacket.  The 70’s plaids are coming back, but not the 70’s cuts.  You don’t want to look like a game show host.
8. Harrison Limited Olive Windowpane Tweed Jacket:  Don’t forget to stop by your favorite men’s store and peruse their selection of tweeds, as they usually have some jewels, like this bad boy from Harrison LTD in Birmingham.  Top shelf.

Do you have a favorite tweed jacket?  Let’s see it…