Lightweight Jacket for a wedding

December 7, 2011 8:51 PM

Help me find a lightweight Jacket for a wedding I will be attending in February. Caveats inside.

I am flying in to India for the wedding of a dear friend and colleague in Feb. Coming from a well-to-do family, the dress code is either stylish Indian or casual western.

I am thinking of the latter for one of the days (its over 2 days by the way), so asking your suggestions for a light Jacket that I can throw over a nice shirt and trousers. A suit seems "overdressing", so not very inclined to go that way.

Types, fabric, brands, specific models welcome. Any other dress advice is also welcome. I am not sure about the costs, but will not be able to afford more than a couple of hundred dollars.

posted by theobserver to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 answers total)

Linen, seersucker, 'tropical/summer weight' wool, with the caveat in return that you should try to avoid looking like you just stepped out of the Raj (or the plantation South). A loosely structured linen jacket may fit the bill, though linen has a tendency to crease.
posted by holgate at 9:11 PM on December 7, 2011

Rebecca Taylor, Nanette Lepore, Theory and Diane von Furstenberg all make versatile lightweight jackets. I'd check those brands on Ebay first, retail second.
posted by devymetal at 11:39 PM on December 7, 2011

Thanks for the responses. Do you have links to some images (even expensive ones), so that I can search for similar ones?
posted by theobserver at 7:42 AM on December 8, 2011

BTW, If anyone is still wondering, I am a guy :)
posted by theobserver at 7:44 AM on December 8, 2011

I've linked before to Cary Grant in Cannes, which is a pretty fantastic look.

It's tricky to find items on sale right now, as the obvious places within your budget (Banana Republic, etc.) are still selling winterwear. This Boden wool/linen mix blazer is only available in one size and colour, and I'm not impressed with the cut on this all-linen blazer, but you get the idea. Or this from Tommy Hilfiger in seersucker?
posted by holgate at 10:18 AM on December 8, 2011

If you've got the time, have you considered just getting it in India? It will be worlds cheaper and you'll have a much easier time finding something climate-appropriate.
posted by Tamanna at 10:58 AM on December 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

@holgate: The Tommy Hilfiger one looks great - will try that or something like it.

@Tamanna: I would, but I have heard that most stores there either don't have them or are too expensive. One of the online ones was about $380, for which I could get a good one here I think. But if you have some recommendations, I am quite open to it.
posted by theobserver at 3:08 PM on December 8, 2011

@holgate, most high-end mensswear stores /should/ have them, I think, but I'm not sure of the prices, since I'm neither male nor in the market for a jacket. :) I'm surprised that it was that expensive, most (women's) jackets I've seen retail for $100 or thereabouts. Could you post a link, please? Anyway, I'll ask around for recs, I'm reasonably sure you do get decent jackets for cheap here, since a good chunk of what's sold in US stores /is/ made in India...
posted by Tamanna at 4:39 AM on December 10, 2011

Whoops, that should be addressed to @theobserver, not holgate. My bad.
posted by Tamanna at 4:40 AM on December 10, 2011

@Tamanna: Unfortunately, don't have the link now. I tried Shopper's Stop though, suggested by an Indian friend of mine - but they did not have a wide selection and most of them were formal work wear.

The thing is I am looking for something that can be worn with a nice pair of jeans or a khaki trousers/pants and not very formal (have a couple of suits).

Do you have any specific sites to look through? - I have no doubt there are stores that carry such items, considering many of my Indian colleagues look well-dressed, but not sure all cities/towns have such shops.
posted by theobserver at 9:45 PM on December 10, 2011

@Theobserver The problem with Indian stores is that their online presence is either nonexistent or terrible. People here just don't do the online shopping thing like they do in the west.

If I were in India at the moment I'd go have a look around the shops myself, but I'm in Europe until May. Off the top of my head... Allen Solly, Park Avenue, maybe Westside. Raymond is a little more high-end but I can't remember if they do ready-to-wear. Sorry for the lack of links, I'm on my iPod. None of them have online stores, but the sites should give you some idea of what they carry.

Whereabouts in India will you be? I can shoot an email to friends back home for more specific suggestions, if you like.
posted by Tamanna at 7:47 AM on December 11, 2011