Harris Tweed Jacket by Barutti in the house!

Anyone who has sent any time on this blog will know of my love of tweed in general and my love of Harris Tweed in particular.  Have I got a beauty for my fellow tweed lovers today!   It's a wonderful check Harris Tweed jacket made by Barutti and from a tweed especially woven for them consisting of a light Price of Wales check with prominent colors of brown, black, beige, rust, and even a subtle olive green mixed in for good measure. Like many of my Tween jackets, I picked this one up on Ebay.co.uk. (if you are interested in reading my guide on buying used jackets on eBay, please follow the link here: Landless Gentry's guide to buying online).

The Details:
This jacket has just about all the great features of a classically style British style Harris tweed jacket:

• Leather buttons
• Neck latch
• 2 button front
• Side vents
• Double hip, flap pockets
• Welted breast pocket
• Suede elbow patches
• Super custom Harris Tweed lining 

The Lining:
This jacket was made by Barutti and looks to be in total extremely well made and the overall fit.  The dusty rose-colored lining is made from a custom Harris Tweed with a great map of the Outer Hebrides woven into it, which I find fun and charming.  It's in excellent nick and looks new.  As I said, I think this jacket cannot have more than a handful of wears.

The Weave Close-ups:
Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: The pattern of the tan and brown Prince of Wales check Harris Tweed features a black, brown, tan, rust, and olive green overcheck on an ecru background which I find extremely attractive. This weave has a bit more 'fuzzy texture than my other Harris Tweeds, but I like it!  Of course, the subtly of colors and upon closer inspection, the blend of different colored fibers are nearly infinite, which is the hallmark of Harris Tweed and why I love them so much.  

The Wear:

The wear of this jacket is about perfect for me right out of the box and it's been wonderfully tailored with just about the perfect proportions for me:

Newly Arrived: Dougal Harris Tweed Jacket by Harris Tweed Scotland

 

I'm nothing if not a believer in self-gifting, especially during the holidays.  Of course, I also believe in self-gifting throughout the year, but that's a story for another post.  I had discovered this great 'Dougal' Harris Tweed limited edition jacket from Harris Tweed Scotland a little more than a year ago but had been hesitant to add it to my wardrobe because honestly, I've got so many Harris Tweed Jackets, it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify adding one more to my wife (thank god she loves and is patient with me).  This jacket as I mentioned was a limited edition issue from Harris Tweed Scotland, but back from 2012, so very few of these jackets are still available, and I was able to locate them for sale new from the fine people at Parkins School and menswear (UK based) who still have a limited supply of sizes available.  I have also seen them in limited sized at the Fine Swine (US based)

In any case, I had been looking to add a Prince of Wales Tweed in brown to my jacket collection for a while and so this 'Dougal' is an answer to my prayers.  Of course, being Harris Tweed and a limited edition jacket, just makes doubly irresistible.  Featuring suede elbow patches, slanted pockets, 2 side vents, leather buttons, and the black ‘Centenary Label’and a beautiful crimson/burgundy lining.

This like every Harris Tweed Jacket I've owned is a quality build and in this case the tailoring is very nice as well with better than usual pattern matching on the seams.  Case in point the center back seam is spot on:

The Close-ups:
Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: The pattern of the Dougal jacket contains burgundy, orange, beige and brown which creates a classic check plus the addition to a bit of extremely subtle green and yellow just to add a bit of subversiveness). This Harris Tweed is one of their 'lightweight' weave (630gm per meter) which apparently is 20% lighter than the 'Normal' weight Harris Tweed, but I must say even the 'lightweight' feels very substantial to me.

I only received the jacket today and so have had a limited opportunity to build outfits around it but no doubt, that will become a wonderful addition to my wardrobe and I'm looking forward to experimenting with color and pattern matching this new addition. For today I've combined it with a paint blue Oxford cloth shirt, Cream White Aran Sweater, Selvage Denim from Bravestar, Brown Ryan boots by Grenson.  

Vintage Harris Tweed - A Closeup

Ah, late summer is my favorite season in Bavaria only surpassed by my love for autumn.  I'm feeling autumn in the air these days, although I hope for a beautiful September, I love the crispness in the air, which of course is all the justification I need to begin to think about taking out the tweeds.  Of course, Harris Tweed being my favorite for both it's textureous, rustic nature and it's availability is a nearly endless variety or weaves.  Vintage Harris Tweeds especially come in nearly infinite varieties.  This jacket is a perfect example of this assertion.  Essentially a black and white herringbone with some barleycorn added in with very subtle gold and teal vertical stripes.  Certainly not a weave you would ever expect to find in shops today (except perhaps those selling vintage wear), this jacket was made up by a company (no longer in business sadly) called Cricketeer.  Purchased last spring from Misters E & Bay, this past spring, this is the first real opportunity I've had to wear it, which is a real treat.  Tailored with a beautiful 2-3 roll, which along with the weave itself and the patch pocket details was the reason for my purchase.  I think this jacket looks very sporty in an old school sort of way.  Indeed, this particular combination was inspired by my recent re-viewing the movie Chariots of Fire, one of the most influential style movies of my youth.  I love the casual way that tweeds and other sportswear such as the ubiquitous cricket jumper were combined in this movie, to set a mood of classic monied elegance. incidentally, some great stills from this classic movie have been gathered on Goldneagemenswear blog.

Also, looks great with tan, woven leather buttons:

Wool Pocket square from Gutteridge in Milan:

This sports coat is nicely done with patch pocket, which to my mind really makes it more casual and therefore conducive with sportswear (here shown with Chino's, White Polo shirt and cricket jumper).  Half-lined, and tidily finished on the inside, makes it breathe a bit more than a fully lined jacket and easier to wear in shoulder seasons when the weather can be a bit warmer (even here in Bavaria).

The Close-ups:

Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: Harris Tweed in black and White herringbone with a bit of barleycorn - giving the jacket a light gray overall presentation and with teal and gold/mustard stripe, which in this jacket just adds to its sporty feel.   Of course, as is nearly always the case with Harris Tweed, upon closer inspection the range of colors in the weave is amazing, adding up to a richness and depth of color that is just phenomenal:

I think it looks great over a pair of chinos from Marinepool, Cricket Sweater in ivory cotton and merino wool with navy stripe detail by Abercrombie & Fitch, white Polo shirt by Lacoste, and white and tan saddle shoes by G.H. Bass & Co.