Cream Sportcoat, Three Ways

When you think about the all-round jacket, it is probably the navy blazer that jumps to mind first - but what if we told you about another a strong summer contender? Here it is, one of our season’s favorites, in the spotlight: the cream sportcoat.

Although it may not be as practical as its rival, what it lacks in practicality, it makes up for in spectacularity, while not giving up versatility. Cream essentially acts as white - and what doesn’t pair with white?

The possibilities are almost endless, no matter your favorite summer color palette. Our seasonal proposition is designed as a jacket that could easily act as your sole summer sport coat, suitable to be enjoyed both up and down the formality scale.

It is made from a wool, silk, and linen mix, woven in a subtle herringbone pattern that adds visual interest to the cloth. The triple patch pockets break up the plain pale surface even more, making the sportcoat easier to dress down if needed and allowing you to experiment with other parts of the outfit. However, thanks to the noble color and classic cut, with the right accessories it can easily be dressed up as a formal piece.

So, to showcase the range of possibilities, we have prepared three examples of how this jacket could be styled, on three vastly different formality levels - take a look.

Let’s start from the top of the ladder - the set pictured above is almost as formal as you can get with this jacket. While you could theoretically swap the dark grey trousers for a black pair and the loafers for lace-ups, this might verge a little too close to a tropical tuxedo imitation - it’s better to stick to a tasteful inspiration and leave it like that. Notice how the cream tone works with the pale whiteness of the shirt; the contrast is low, but just enough to differentiate the two and look elegant.

We have proposed such an outfit at the beginning of the season in our wedding attire article. Here, we stand by this recommendation: it is best suited to summer ceremonies, formal parties, and other social activities that require dressing smartly, such as a hypothetical banquet at an embassy you might be invited to. However, if you are not attending any of these this summer, you might consider swapping the bow tie for a tie…

…and perhaps adding a bit of color. A sky blue linen shirt, greyish-brown trousers, and an amber-striped tie introduce warm summer tones into the outfit, immediately changing the cream sportcoat’s character to a still-elegant-but-holiday-friendly cocktail look that could easily be accessorized with a pair of sunglasses, a Panama hat, and a glass of spritz in hand.

When things get more casual, you can always take the tie off, unbutton your shirt, and show a bit of a bare ankle between your loafers and the trousers’ edge.

Alternatively, you can go full casual; not only on holiday, but also in the city. To suggest a direction you could take, we have decided to show a not-so-seasonal setting that could work as well in spring and autumn as it does in the summer.

This outfit, based on cool blue and blue-adjacent tones, grounded by a casual pair of black KLEMAN shoes, could be your everyday choice that is modern and classy at the same time; less #menswear-oriented and more progressive, let’s say.

Obviously, the options to wear this jacket do not end there - we ourselves tried a few more recently in the studio, showing how little tweaks to the three concepts could end up looking like.

The most unusual of these is surely the styling by Gabrysia - she reached for the jacket herself, immediately calling it her favorite of the collection and claiming it is the one she feels the best in. And while the studio’s shirt-and-tie outfit might feel more suited for an event like the last week’s Pitti Uomo than for daily wear, without a tie this cream sportcoat could be her normal, everyday choice - preferably with jeans or wide, roomy trousers.

And lastly, the twist on the casual outfit by yours truly.

In my wardrobe, I imagine this sportcoat to take the role of something I would take with me when going out in the city, carrying it around when it is still a bit too hot for an additional layer and putting it on as soon as the evening gets a bit cooler. Most of my looks would probably be some kind of Ivy-inspired-but-continental styles: a nice polo shirt or a knitted t-shirt, light blue denim or cool-colored tailored trousers, and some kind of penny or tassel loafers on my feet. That’s about it.

And what would you wear it with?