SuitSupply’s Excellent Hidden-in-Plain Sight Jort Line

[UPDATE 4/10/2020: This exact jacket is in the SuitSupply outlet for $350, half off. Here is the link. The code is BIGOUTLET.]

After a decade of building a tailored wardrobe, this was the year I was finally going to go bespoke.

We’re taking a trip to Italy this fall, so I’ll be there; I’d picked out a Sartoria which had a house style I loved, and which had been used by reputable individuals I trusted; and I don’t have any other high-priority other purchases I felt the need to make, so I could use this goal as motivation to hustle and save the money I’d need, since it’d be the most expensive menswear purchase I’d have ever made.

But first, I wanted advice from those who had gone before: I asked on Twitter, I asked in my Instagram stories, I asked the Blamo! Slack folks, and I asked my personal friends and family. The majority supported me; the experienced supported me but cautioned me; and the jaded warned me against it. Voxsartoria, the enigmatic Boston Brahmin who works out at the same gym as John Malkovich (and is also a longtime Styleforum member), responded to a tweet where I asked what the worst noob mistake I could make on my first bespoke commission might be, saying: “A major big noob mistake is ordering a bespoke suit from halfway around the world from a tailor you are unlikely to see frequently, or even, ever again.” Point taken. I still want to do it, but perhaps instead of stretching to reach the top of the tree, I’d go for a little lower-hanging fruit on my metaphorical tree of menswear “needs.”

So instead of plunging into bespoke this year, I decided to finally buy a blue double-breasted (DB) blazer. It’s a style I’ve always been drawn to ever since I saw this epic pic from Loro Piana on Tumblr in like 2012. Like its single-breasted brother, the navy DB is timeless and versatile. But it’s also a little bit extra—who wears DB jackets these days? Dudes who like to look cool and aren’t afraid to stick out a little bit in the ever more casual world we live in. Sign me up.

I’ve owned two in the past several years: a lighter navy RL Black Label jacket with strong, padded shoulders; then a vintage early ‘90s Polo RL “doeskin” blazer with wide lapels and even wider, though slightly less structured, shoulders. I loved them both, but ultimately sold them because something else came along I wanted more at the time.

I’m picky about how double breasted jackets are configured. I’ve never liked the 6×1 buttoning configuration that was popular in the 1980s (meaning it has 6 buttons, and the bottom-most button is the one designed to be buttoned—I think it accentuates the paunch we all have). I don’t like low gorges (the name for the seam where the collar attaches to the lapel; a low one results in the notch or peak sitting lower on the chest, which looks very dated to me). The shape of the lapel has to be just right—if it’s cut razor-sharp straight, it looks cheap; but if it’s got too much of a belly, that doesn’t appeal to me either; something in the middle with just enough belly, but not too much. It must be peak lapel, of course, and the width and direction the peak points matters quite a bit—it’s something I need to see on me to know if it’s flattering. As always, Antonio Ciongoli nailed it with his Ciro DB cut—6×2 configuration (so you button the middle button), excellent bellied lapel shape, moderately high gorge and perfect angle to the peak shape. I’m sad I never got to get a jacket in that cut.

Thankfully, there are are least three good DB cuts on the ready-to-wear market I really like (that I know of, and which I can acquire with some ease): Anglo-Italian’s, Ring Jacket’s own 256 as well as the “Model 6” they make for The Armoury; and SuitSupply.

Ultimately, I ruled out Anglo-Italian’s jacket (my first choice) this season because it’s 100% linen, which isn’t what I wanted, as well as Ring Jacket MTO through The Armoury (the pricing was going to be a bit high). On a bit of a lark, I ordered this blue jacket from SuitSupply in their special “Jort” make.

In the past, I’ve found Suit Supply’s product to be good for what it is, but below the quality, fit-and-finish, and overall styling that I’ve come to enjoy from makers like Eidos. It also never fit me super well without alterations, and for some reason their sleeves are cut super short, but with functional buttonholes, meaning altering them is basically impossible. That said, I had never tried their premium Jort line, which is a small capsule collection they put out every season designed by their “Menswear Historian” Jort Kelder, made with a full-canvas construction and out of high quality fabrics (I know, I think of cut-off jeans every time I read it, too). This season’s Jort collection included a mid-blue wool-silk-linen blend DB jacket that looked mighty good to me, so I gave it a try. It wasn’t quite the slightly-less-dark-navy color I was looking for, but the general feel I was going for it fulfilled.

It was an easy decision to make this jacket part of my wardrobe. Honestly this type of bolder color would’ve scared me off a few years ago when I was buying jackets to be as versatile as possible. But now, with a wardrobe full of versatile jackets, I guess I’m ready to have a little fun.

Quality-wise, I’m impressed by the Jort. The soft, full-canvas construction is as light and comfortable as any of my made-in-Italy jackets. The shoulders have a natural expression with the perfect amount of grinze (that small pleating at the top of the sleeve on a shoulder made with spalla camicia, a.k.a. natural shirt-sleeve-construction). The fabric is a wonderful wool-silk-linen blend in a hopsack weave. The lapels are wide, extending out to the shoulders with a pretty dramatic but not too extreme belly that cuts a masculine silhouette. SuitSupply has several DB lapel shapes ranging from somewhat narrow to very wide like this, and this is by far my favorite. They cut the collar to extend and almost meet the peak lapel, where as most jackets’ peaks jut out from the collar a good bit. It’s a design detail that makes it instantly recognizable as a SuitSupply, but one I like nonetheless. Perhaps if I were going to choose my “perfect, ultimate DB navy blazer,” I’d do something different, but you know what? It’s fun to be able to shop for clothes and be able to buy something just because it delights me and not worry about versatility. 

The sleeves were cut short for me, sadly, meaning my normal size of 52 did not work and couldn’t be made to work. Thankfully, however, one size up made the sleeve length good, and it still fit well in the shoulders and chest; it only needed slimming in the waist. The armholes are lower, which made me sad, but the sleeves aren’t as slim, which makes it a more comfortable jacket ultimately.

For the price, it was a no-brainer. I’ve always been focused on opportunity cost when shopping for clothes, because what I can spend is so limited. But I’ve always shopped sales and second hand to be able to maximize my dollars. Obviously I’ve gotten the taste for luxury clothes, LOL, so I’m obviously doing fine. And of course as my wardrobe has grown, so, too have I been able to wait longer and spend more on any single purchase (though I still prefer to get a deal). Anyway, the price for this jacket made it an easy yes for me. $699 for a full-canvas jacket that checks all the boxes, even with $80 in alterations, is an absolute bargain. When I was considering $1500 for Anglo-Italian (with the exchange rate plus import duties), $1350 at the minimum for Ring Jacket MTO, or $2,000 for bespoke, I’m feeling very good about my decision.

Give Suit Supply Jort a try if you haven’t yet. It’s quite impressive.

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