Style trend – Check sports jackets

There’s something about a sports jacket which makes it more than the sum of its parts. Seriously, think about it: it’s just some tweed (or wool, or corduroy) in a vague blazer shape which doesn’t have matching trousers and is traditionally the preserve of toffs on the shooting field.

And yet. There is an indefinable chic to a man who can pull off this most basic item of clothing with panache. Whether he’s a French actor in a Jean Luc Goddard film, a rapper trying to smarten up his act, or simply a guy on the street with impeccable taste, he makes you stop and look.

It’s because it’s so easy, such a staple. A plain old jacket can camouflage or celebrate its wearer. And this is where the check sports jacket comes in: it’s the classic, but with a look-at-me twist. Yet it’s not ostentatious: it speaks of a quiet inner confidence, a man who knows he looks the part for whatever his day is going to throw at him. From a business meeting to a mid-afternoon walk in the park to a dinner date in the evening, this item will never look out of place.

So it’s no wonder that designers this season have picked this key item and played with it, giving it a youthful and irreverent twist. Andre 3000, of Outkast fame, launched his own clothing line – Benjamin Bixby – a few years ago. The collections are full of English staples with a cheeky American outlook. His jackets are softly tailored and fun, with rich tweeds and a very subtle check.

Canali have a few, too, in gorgeous wool-and-cashmere blends. Their take is more traditional – all sharp lines and ever so slightly sloping shoulders. For a luxe version turn to Alexander McQueen, who this season have a sumptuous cashmere jacket in dove grey with a light black check. It wouldn’t look out of place on a young Jean Paul Belmondo.

Agi & Sam offer a long-line houndstooth number in muted hues. Meanwhile Etro’s version is made for the grouse moor (or the oyster bar) – deep heathery brows and Scottish-sunshine blues, complete with their trademark silk paisley lining.

It would be hard to go wrong with a piece of this versatility and calibre. So this summer it’s a no-brainer when you’re rifling through your wardrobe. Just remember to have clean hair: you wouldn’t want to look like an extra from Casino.

By Violet Hudson

CANALI – Capri Plaid Wool and Cashmere-Blend Blazer £785 mrporter.com

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – Slim-Fit Check Wool Blazer Was £935, Now £467.50, 50% off mrporter.com

Agi & Sam – Slim-Fit Houndstooth Check Wool Blazer £425 mrporter.com

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