At first glance, the sport jacket above may not seem compelling enough to merit its own newsletter, but allow me a few moments to make my case.
We believe sport jackets are generally most useful when made in textured, seasonal fabrics. In the warmer months these primarily include open-weave blends of wool, silk, and linen. In cooler weather, we rely heavily on wool and cashmere blends, often in milled finishes such as soft flannel and lightweight modern tweeds.
Because similar textures tend to harmonize naturally, these kinds of jackets pair easily with a wide range of trousers. For example, fresco, cavalry twills, flannels, cotton chinos, and denim are all heavily textured fabrics which can look incongruous when paired with smooth worsted wool jackets. However, they often pair quite nicely with the more seasonal jackets due to the similarities in texture.
There are tradeoffs however. Seasonal jackets can spend up to half the year hanging in the closet during the alternate seasons. And the more convincingly a jacket works with chinos and denim, the less appropriate it tends to be in more formal or business settings, where they don’t work as well with fine worsted wool trousers and gabardines. Even so, this emphasis on more casual versatility is why the majority of our jackets, I’d estimate north of 75 percent, are made from these noticeably textured fabrics.
That’s a long preamble to establish why I like this cloth so much. It’s a mid-weight 10oz pure wool from Drapers, in an easy-to-wear navy glen plaid with extremely subtle rust-brown accents. The finish is quite matte, with a slightly larger yarn that gives the cloth a lovely texture. While technically a worsted wool, it has a soft, very lightly brushed hand.
Here’s how it all comes together to make an unusually special garment. The navy base makes it extremely easy to wear, and the subtle rust-brown element helps it pair especially well with similar earth tones like tan chinos or calvary twills. The cloth’s 3-season weight and pure wool construction make it more resistant to wrinkling than many seasonal jackets, and more wearable through the shoulder seasons. The slightly larger yarn and matte, lightly brushed finish offer more texture than a classic pure worsted wool jacket, allowing it to pair especially well with trousers of all levels of formality (such as those in the header image above).
Aside from the solid navy blazer, I consider this the best possible sport jacket for someone seeking ease of use. Throughout this Fall/Winter season it has been my primary recommendation for new clients, and anyone seeking a go-to conservative yet subtly interesting jacket.
Below are a few examples of different trousers pairings with this jacket.
Important! This was a Fall 2025 seasonal special from Drapers, and will not be continued. We have a bulk piece from which we can make 10 jackets, and once we sell through this piece we are unlikely to be able to offer it again.
Selections include the same colorway in a small houndstooth design, the same patterns in slate blue and brown colorway, and a copper brown/rust glen plaid.