This is the second article on my washable custom cotton jacket pictured above, made by Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. For information on why a washable jacket is unusual, and how it has been worn and washed so far, see that article. Today’s article is a review of the jacket itself, excluding washability.
A tailored cotton jacket is great. Its style makes it formal, but its material makes it casual. It’s hard wearing and functional, yet can wear a t-shirt and jeans.
The linen is nice too, and my dirty linen db It has many similar properties. But you can actually wear a cotton jacket down – stuff your hands in the hip pockets, load up the other pockets, put it in a bag, sleep in the corner of the car – and a good jacket will look even better for it.
Linen is not as tough, and a summer cotton jacket is that way comparable to tweed or corduroy in warmer climates. It is also easy to repair, even with patches.
Perhaps most importantly, it makes great sewing more accessible.
If I have an ongoing battle with sustainable style, it’s to find and show the ways in which great tailoring can be modern and relevant, not pretentious or anachronistic. A special cotton jacket that fits beautifully, but looks like you’ve actually slept in it, is a great way to do this.
I’ve had cotton suits over the yearsbut few cotton jacket. One reason is the material – 9 oz (255 g) twill which is standard for suiting can be made very nice suit But it’s a little weak for a knockabout jacket.
There are heavier cottons, mostly sold for trousers, but they are usually too stiff to be comfortable as jackets. There’s also moleskin and corduroy, but they’re more for winter.
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury sourced a Japanese cotton to make this jacket – or rather, sourced it for another customer I looked at and asked to make something similar.
It’s a little heavier than the 300g twill I’ve used in the past, but it’s not made like traditional sewing cotton. It is thick and dense, making it casual and tough. I also think the density means it stands farther away from the body, making it cooler.
This type of cotton is not generally used for sewing partly because it cannot be worked to the same extent – cannot be tailored. But Whitcomb did an admirable job of shaping it, creating a nice custom fit despite no canvas or padding.
I simplified the design from another customer’s jacket. He wanted a more traditional safari-jacket look, with tabs, epaulettes and so on. I wanted something new and simple, intended to be subtle and easy to wear.
In fact, I only went with the reverse pleats that you can see on the pockets at the last minute. I’m glad I did, because they’re a lovely detail and don’t make the jacket look so messy. But my lesson from past experiments has always been to keep simple whenever I’m in doubt.
The edges of those pleats are lovely, especially reflecting their handmade nature in a very subtle way I have washed the jacket.
These handmade details look different on a particular cotton suit everywhere I’ve seen them. discussed in the past. Some of them include:
- Pique stitching, clearly not the AMF-machine-imitation style you get on finished jackets
- Hand-stitched buttonholes that appear more prominent due to being on a stiffer material
- The stitching on the inside of the sleeves that you can see coming through around the cuffs
- Hand-jointed collar that is visible when the collar is opened
- One for specific nerds only: In the absence of arm padding, the upper chest cut is used to give my chest some shape
However I found one or two things wrong with the style.
Looking back I would have noticed a gap down the lapel – I’m not sure how I missed this in the fitting process, as these days I always went for the bottom. Although it doesn’t matter much because I wear the collar more upwards than downwards.
And we should have checked the functionality of the collar latch. It’s a nice detail, concealed and buttoned in the back, and I would never use it again. But it would still be nice if it could be tied comfortably around the neck and is a little high to do so.
As far as I’ve found I wear the jacket, it’s exactly as I expected – with a shirt and tailored trousers, but also with jeans and a T-shirt.
As always, I’ve shot with both here to provide examples. What makes the jacket especially easy to wear with jeans is that the collar opens up nicely when raised. Bespoke jackets often don’t do this naturally, as they tend to have more structure.
It’s much neater with the t-shirt tucked in (but the blouse a little outside) and interestingly, I quite like a jacket with the button at the top of the three buttons, I like it more like a house jacket.
The tailored combination is in my now pretty standard palette of cream, brown and black (I fell in love with that combination the first time I shoot this I think six years ago).
This is a pretty plain version of this, but it’s livened up with a pop of orange lens color and a snuff-suede tint to the sunglasses. Metier Tote.
The trousers can be quite smart – high twist or linen, as here – but the shirt should be quite casual. Something in denim or chambray, or a light cotton like this, and preferably a soft collar.
This jacket, priced at £2400 including VAT, is custom-made from Whitcombe and Shaftesbury. Other colors available in the same material include black, navy, olive and beige.
Painted Fabric:
*Cotton is not usually available for purchase by cut length, as mills do not usually employ tailors. Whitcomb buys by the roll, the same way he does his chinos.
