Readers who follow me at Put This On will have already heard, but in case there are some readers here that don’t, I have an exciting announcement: Steed Bespoke Tailors will be making their first trip to San Francisco on April 13th. I’ve been trying to get them to come out for some months now and am excited they’re finally scheduled to arrive. They execute a beautiful drape cut, and readers interested in a classic, soft-shouldered English look would be wise to book an appointment. You can do so by contacting Steed directly through their website.
I’m personally looking forward to getting a pair of gray trousers, a navy suit where the jacket can trousers can be worn as separates, and two autumnal sport coats. I’m undecided on the fabrics, but for at least one of the sport coats, I’m leaning towards a simple brown houndstooth.
I first really started thinking about the pattern last year, when I saw it on an older sales associate at one of Ralph Lauren’s flagship stores. He was wearing a brown jacket with a semi-large scale houndstooth pattern, a pair of gray flannel trousers, a blue and white Bengal striped shirt, and a burgundy repp striped tie. Though the jacket’s pattern was loud, the ensemble was not. And that’s what was so appealing.
Since then, I’ve had it on my mind to get something similar. The fabric I choose is a Shetland houndstooth made by Lovat Mills. I’m thinking of turning it into a three-two roll single-breasted, with two patch pockets, a welted breast, dual vents, and possibly just a single horn button at the cuff. The rough, wooly texture of the Shetland ensures it can never be mistaken for a suiting, and the pattern is large scale enough that one needn’t worry about it clashing with a striped shirt or tie. A smaller scaled houndstooth on a smoother worsted, I think, would be harder to wear in this regard. Plus, being a clearly rusticated sport coat, one has very simple, straightforward options for neckwear: either a rep striped tie or a textured solid, such as a knit or grenadine. Nothing too smooth or “suit-ish” for this jacket.
Pictured here is a wide array of simple brown houndstooth jackets. The image above is a swatch of the fabric I choose, and the first three image below are cuts of the same fabric, photographed by different clients. The other pictures below are of various brown houndstooth jackets I’ve come across. Though they vary in scale and texture, I think each and every one would look good with a pair of gray flannel trousers or some olive cavalry twills. How can one resist wanting to wear something like this come fall?