A Cross Between A Semi-Formal Sports Coat and a "Regular" Jacket
Written: Feb 11 '09 (Updated Feb 12 '09)
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Pros: A multi-purpose jacket with lots of pockets.
Cons: Fairly expensive but very durable.
The Bottom Line: I recommend that you look at Duluth's online catalog and see if you might want one. The company is great to work with and respects the customer.
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| Ed.Williamson's Full Review: Duluth Trading Co. Men's Twill Presentation Jacket |
The Duluth Trading Company offers some unique clothing, and among these is what they call their "Presentation" Jacket, which is a sort of hybrid outerwear you just might want. They seem like they are primarily designed for men, but a woman might like one as well.
This jacket fills a need some of us have. Let's say you have a job where you are required to wear something like a sports coat- your job has formal and semi-formal situations where a "regular" outdoor jacket might seem out of place. And yet at the same time you also go to work or play areas where a "regular" jacket is what most of the people wear. What can you wear without changing jackets? Voila! Consider the Presentation Jacket.
This jacket looks very much like a normal sports coat or even a formal dress coat you'd wear with a suit. It has the traditional lapels and hangs on you like a sports coat. And yet it also is "outdoorsy" enough to be considered a working-man's jacket. In that sense it is a hybrid, and it fits in in all types of places. A teacher or professor might wear one to teach in or to a faculty meeting. A professinal like a doctor, lawyer, minister, or accountant might wear one. A contractor who has to rub shoulders with the "suits" and then go out to the construction site might wear one. People who have worn these jackets say they fit in at weddings, church events, plays, dinner outings, and even concerts with ease, as well as a night on the town, or down at the coffee shop or the truck stop. It is acceptable in all sorts of venues. A college student who wants to appear a bit more "serious" than his peers, yet without looking like he's wearing a formal sports jacket, might enjoy wearing one to class. They have been known to draw positive comments.
The Duluth Trading company, known for quality clothing and other products, makes the jacket in several different kinds of cloth, and the one I am reviewing here is made of twill cloth, which is probably the most "formal" type of weave cloth. As I am a professional, I find it blends in just fine in almost all except the most formal of occasions. The cloth does not wrinkle easily and it stays clean. The twill is 100% cotton, and it resists wrinkles and repels stains of many kinds- oil, mustard, coffee, coke, and grease.
Aside from its remarkable ability to be acceptable in looks in many types of settings, another thing I love about mine is that it is full of...pockets! And these pockets are really amazing. It has 13 pockets in all. These include 3 "obvious" ones on the outside (two of these are flap-free hand pockets that your hands fall into naturally- with hidden inside zippered pockets for small items like a pocket knife, etc.) and a chest pocket I find easily fits a pair of sunglasses. Inside there are 8 other pockets. On the left side are two large buttoned pockets and two smaller pockets suitable for pens, a small notebook, or a small digital camera. On the right inside pocket are the last 4- again two large buttoned pockets and the two small pockets for pens, a small camera, or whatnot. I sometimes use these larger pockets for carrying my cell phone and a check book, or my iPod. And because the material hangs loosely the things in your pockets normally do not show unsightly bulges, unless you are carrying an unusually bulky item. My cloth color is dark navy blue, which hides the any potential bulges pretty well also.
Topping it off is that it has hidden underarm vents, a rear center vent, and same-color, unobtrusive elbow patches for durability. It also has a bi-swing back that lets you reach up into overhead areas without much change in the jacket's looks when stretching.
Duluth offers the Presentation Jacket in sizes up to 3XL (mine is a perfect fit in 2XL) and the colors come in navy blue, fatigue green, and khaki. As I said, mine is navy, because that seems to add to the semi-formal look. No, it does not fit you as trimly as a tailored suit jacket, but it still will look great on you most of the time.
For $119.00, this is an great every-day jacket that looks like it will last for years and simply become more and more loved as you wear it.
I have another one similar to it, but made with a different cloth, in khaki, for less-formal settings, which I also plan to review here soon.
These may be ordered from:
(online) DuluthTrading.com
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Duluth Trading Co.
170 Countyrside Drive
P.O. Box 409
Belleville, WI 53508
Phone: (800) 505-8888
Five Stars/*****
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 119.00
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Ed.Williamson
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Member: Ed Williamson
Location: Way Out West, USA
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Fight 'em till Hell freezes over, then fight 'em on the ice!
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