Modern MV Clothing Reviews

[IA-SteveB]

I don’t mind slim fit. It looks better on me and that’s what counts.  I’m just trying for a modern take on the basic MV style. We shall see how this one works out.  I have made mistakes before but that is what free returns are for.  I haven’t bought more than a shirt from brick and mortar. There are just no good stores near me.

[Kladdagh]

I am waiting for your next review @IA-SteveB ... 

[TylerDurden389]

As someone who is also a 38S when it comes to suit jackets/sports coats/blazers, I am loving this thread. Thanks!!!

[IA-SteveB]

My favorite blazer so far is the Uniqlo yellow one which is out of production, much to my chagrin.  I have gotten so many compliments on that one.  I am really hoping they release the comfort blazers in more colors in the spring.  You can't even find second hand examples anywhere so I guess I got lucky for once.  It is very hard to find stuff for my frame.

I am excited to get the Zara blazer I mentioned earlier.  I know it looks short but  I think a lot of these sites showing slim fit put smaller sizes on tall models.  It makes a slim fit look ... slimmer.    I will be sure to include pictures of how they fit me.

The mint Zara is coming from Greece so it may be a bit.

Edited September 6, 2019 by IA-SteveB

[IA-SteveB]

Here is the next blazer.

Zara Men Single Breasted Cotton Blazer - there is really no official name for it.

Material:

This blazer is unlined and is made of 97% cotton and 3% elastane to give it some stretchiness.  You can definitely feel that it stretches a bit but we will get to that later.  The blazer doesn't feel like it will breathe as well as a linen model but it still seems pretty light.  This particular one is mint but it does come in pastel blue, pastel mint, beige or navy.  It might come in more colors but this is all I have seen.  The label says that it can be machine washed but should be line dried and not thrown in a dryer.  I can understand why because I get the sense that it could shrink or do weird things with the lapels. 

It looks stiff in the pictures but it feels pretty good when wearing it.

Fit:

I am 5'4 and weigh 142 pounds and usually take a 29 to 30 waist.  With online shopping, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  In my case, I went with a Small and I wish I would have sized up.  It IS advertised as slim fit but with other brands I had been swimming in a Medium even in slim fit.  Not this time.  I do lift weights but if you have arms of any size you will definitely want to size up.  I honestly felt like my arms were in sausage casings.  I got used to it but this is not a blazer I can comfortably wear with the sleeves pushed up and I definitely can't button it but I never do anyway.  As you can see below, it isn't as short as I thought it would be but you can tell that it is too small for me.

Quality:

This is a nice blazer for the money.  I wasn't expecting a ton for $50 but this seems to be made quite well.  I can tell it will be able to hold up to many washings without much problem and all of the stitching seems sturdy and well done.

Price:

I figured $50 was a decent price to at least give it a try.  It is unfortunate that I can't return it without a hassle (overseas eBay purchase) because I think I would be happier with a size up.  This is definitely not in my top 5 list and I will probably donate it.

Overall Impressions:

As long as you size yourself correctly and don't mind a slim fit, it is a nice option.  I was more of a fan of the color and the fact that it was cotton since slim fit doesn't really bother me that much at all as long as it isn't too tight.  I'm going for a more modern take on MV style and slim fit is modern to me.  I know some of you don't like it but I do.  I just wish, again, that I'd sized up.  Grrrr.  My favorite blazer in this thread is STILL the out of production Uniqlo.

Please ignore the pairings in the pictures.  I just played 4 sets of tennis and was being lazy.    The jacket is wrinkled from shipping and the right lapel needs to be flattened a bit with an iron since it likes to lose the crease and then looks bigger than the other.

Edited October 15, 2019 by IA-SteveB

[IA-SteveB]

This will probably be the last one of the season.  You may think I have a closet full of 20 blazers, but I don't.  I don't keep all of the ones I order to try out unless I can see myself wearing them on a regular basis.  I have zero stores by me where I can find stuff in my size or style needs so I am 100% mail order.  It isn't easy finding good stuff.

KIMILILY Sport Jacket - Cream

Material:

This made in China blazer is lined, is made of 100% cotton and doesn't have a lot of stretch to it.  The Amazon ad is wrong in saying it is 65% cotton, 35% poly.  My example says 100% cotton right on the tag and it feels like it is exactly that.  It is also a little heavier than I expected but that isn't a bad thing either.  It has a full lining and a bit of padding in the shoulders but it is minimal.  I wasn't aware of the padded shoulders when I ordered it.  I was mostly interested in it because it was cotton and designed to be totally casual.  It is advertised as cream but it looks to me like it is more silver than cream to my eye.  The label says that you can machine wash by itself or have it dry cleaned.  Quite honestly, the thing smelled terrible taking it out of the plastic bag so it went into the washer immediately with a good dose of Gain anti-stinky fabric softener.

Fit:

I am 5'4 and weigh 142 pounds and usually take a 29 to 30 waist.  With any blazer advertised xs-xl I usually fall right in between a S and M.  It really depends on the blazer.  If it has "real" sizing, I feel the best in 38S if that means anything.  I took  a gamble on this one and ordered a Small and it seemed like the right choice.  It fits really well throughout and I am not squeezed in any particular area.  My biggest problem with any blazer is with the sleeves being too skinny and thankfully this one was just right.  If the sleeves are too tight it is an automatic return for me.

As you can see in the pictures, the presence of shoulder padding is evident but it isn't over done.  Also, I don't feel like it is slim fit since it doesn't taper as much on the sides like you see on the model on Amazon.  I feel like a lot of things get lost in translation when you are buying overseas.

Quality:

I wasn't really expecting a whole lot but this is surprisingly well made.  The stitching seems well done and everything remained intact after a wash & dry cycle.  It is a touch heavier than I would have preferred so I am not sure if this will be a great choice for a hot summer day.  The first blazer I reviewed in this thread is still the best warm weather example.  

Price:

This example is $37 on Amazon.  I didn't think it was a bad price

Overall Impressions:

I think this is a really nice option that can easily fit outside the scope of a MV look.  I plan on keeping this one and pairing it with jeans since it is definitely a casual only type of jacket.  As long as you realize that it is heavier and basically chino material, it would make a good all around blazer that can live outside of the MV style scene.

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by IA-SteveB

[IA-SteveB]

I just thought I would post a little update.  I've tried a lot of jackets over the past few months (either cheap eBay or places with good return policies) and I have decided that the best fit for me are Uniqlo blazers.  The comfort line they currently have on their website is really nice and they sit comfortably between totally casual and business.  I like that quality a lot because I don't want to feel like I am wearing a suit coat.  You can find a lot of their older unlined and unstructured models on the auction sites, which I like.  Their first gen line had a lot more colors and that's where I got my yellow (avatar) and green models.  Thin and casual, just like I want.

Edited November 27, 2019 by IA-SteveB

[BunMVO]

On 11/26/2019 at 7:37 PM, IA-SteveB said:

I just thought I would post a little update.  I've tried a lot of jackets over the past few months (either cheap eBay or places with good return policies) and I have decided that the best fit for me are Uniqlo blazers.  The comfort line they currently have on their website is really nice and they sit comfortably between totally casual and business.  I like that quality a lot because I don't want to feel like I am wearing a suit coat.  You can find a lot of their older unlined and unstructured models on the auction sites, which I like.  Their first gen line had a lot more colors and that's where I got my yellow (avatar) and green models.  Thin and casual, just like I want.

I can attest to Uniqlo's quality. I have some Uniqlo clothes that I bought in the flagship store in China and they are just great.

[Lit Up]

uniqlo is brilliant but unfortunately they don't do pastel colours. it's usually earth tones and deeper shades. 

[IA-SteveB]

They did at one point, around 2013.  I have a peachy yellow one which I think is officially known as goldenrod.

[Lit Up]

So I've bought the Taoliyoulan linen blazer. I found it on Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083TM65BS?pf_rd_r=RFY81YAF4A20BMECDWNN&pf_rd_p=e632fea2-678f-4848-9a97-bcecda59cb4e

and I had to send it back. It is an extremely cheaply made item from China, and when I see loose threads and crap stitching around the button hole, I knew this wouldn't be for me. I spent £27 on this and simply had to send it back as it is not worth that amount of money. I could get a decent quality uniqlo blazer for £15 so it was a no brainer that I would return this thing that costs twice as much but is half as good. 

I agree that aside from the crap quality it would work well as part of a Vice wardrobe, but there's only so much space in my wardrobe and I want it to at least be high street quality and not chinese import sweatshop quality

[Marco Falcone]

For me/my frame, the Tasso Elba Island Linen blazers fit best.  (6-0/192lbs.  48 jacket, 32 waist.)

The Taoliyoulan’s fit pretty nicely, but were just a little too unstructured for me.

I also found a Robert Graham that said it was a 46 on ebay for a steal of a price.  I bought it but it fit more like a 44.  (Thought I was Incredible Hulk it when I was trying to get it on.)

I have a few of the Taoliyoulan’s and the Robert Graham for sale.   They are posted in another post.  I’ll put them here if anyone is interested.

[Marco Falcone]

Here are the 4 other linen blazers I’ve picked up over the last several months that either don’t fit (too small) or are a little too unstructured for me that I would love see end up in in the hands of some fellow fans.

I’ve got one each of the black and navy Taoliyuan single button unstructured Blazers.  Size XXL.   They fit like a 48 regular.  They fit me pretty me well, but are completely unlined and little too unstructured.  The navy one had the sleeves shortened about 3/4 inch, the black one is unaltered.   (Sleeves do push up nicely on these.). $25.00 plus shipping.

I’ve got a mottled blue/light grey JC Penney Stafford, size 46.   $40.00, plus shipping.

The real honey is the mottled light grey Robert Graham.   It says size 46, but fits more like a 44.  $100 plus shipping.

PM me if interested in any of them.

Here are the pics:

[Marco Falcone]

IA-SteveB;  Looking really sharp PAL!  

And thanks again for the reviews.  Very helpful in tracking down brands that actually work.


Oh, and if you’re going to push up the sleeves, at least do SOME forearm/grip exercises...

Just kidding.  You look like you could crush a cue-ball in your bare hands!

[IA-SteveB]

That made me laugh.

I haven’t bought much of anything this summer. In fact, this weekend will be my first outing as Sonny.  Going with a pink shirt, sky blue blazer and white pants/shoes.  I will pretty much be a living Funko Pop Crockett.

 

 

[IA-SteveB]

One thing to note about Taoliyoulan’s is that you have to get the one button model. For some reason, the two button models are a different material and seem cheaply made.  They are more like a lab coat. 

[IA-SteveB]

Here's what I looked like. I didn't pack the darker pink shirt that I wanted but oh well.  This is just at the lake condo, perfect Sonny attire for the relaxed little town.  Tauliyuan one button blazer.

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by IA-SteveB

[Dadrian]

@timm525 I do believe that’s a ductless condenser behind him. 

[Marco Falcone]

Looks great Steve!  Lake house sounds NICE!

We went out to dinner last night, and I went with “wanna-be Johnny-Depp/middle-aged rock musician.”

The last time we went out I did more of a 5th season Crockett; with a light grey Tasso Elba linen sport coat, pink Henley, jeans, and light great suede wingtips with no laces.   (The same as the pic where I’m leaning against my Camaro, except the hair was down like in the attached pic.)

Here’s me and the wife last night...