The men's wardrobe offers many interesting pieces, but the sport coat or sport jacket remains one of the classics of men's elegance.
This jacket, too often relegated to the realm of formal wardrobe pieces, was originally considered a casual garment. Made from fine, hard-wearing materials such as linen in summer or tweed (carded wool) in winter, this type of jacket can be worn with trousers in a contrasting fabric — unlike traditional suit jackets. You can therefore wear them with your favourite jeans or smarter chinos. The sport jacket is also recognised as a very easy piece to style, at the crossroads of formal and casual dressing.
A brief, non-exhaustive history of the sport jacket
In the mid and latter half of the 19th century, the sport coat, as it was called in England, was a sturdy outdoor jacket used notably for shooting sports such as hunting, but also for fishing and riding. These jackets, made from very hard-wearing fabrics, often virgin wool, were intended to protect the body while lending their wearer a certain elegance. Hunting and riding were indeed sports reserved for bourgeois, even aristocratic circles.
The famous Norfolk jacket, one of the best-known sport jackets, was designed specifically for shooting parties. Over time, these jackets were gradually shortened to approach their current length. A symbol of English-style class, these jackets are now worn both in more formal settings, in place of a suit, and in more relaxed contexts, for going to a restaurant, a wedding or dinner with friends.
The sport jacket, Hast style
For the Le Goût du Sel collection, we developed two new jacket styles in herringbone wool, one green and one blue. Our styles remain true to all the hallmarks of the traditional sport jacket. Both are designed with Neapolitan shoulders — shoulders that adapt to the body, constructed without padding — and a fine lining.
Both feature three front pockets, a breast pocket and two lower pockets: patch pockets on the green version, flap pockets on the blue. Inside, there are two large pockets and the traditional coin pocket.
Here are a few outfit ideas to inspire you. We chose to wear them with jeans, a leather belt and shirts (one forest green in corduroy, one in light blue flannel). Did you say formal? We say chic, whatever the occasion.
