Travel sport coat / suit

[PK-Mia]

I've had my Rohan Envoy suit for a year and have been very happy with it. I've packed it in a carry-on, inverting one sleeve and packing one shoulder into the other. It has come out very well on several occasions.

[holygoat]

I recently picked up a Gramercy blazer by Bluffworks. Held up to 48 hours of travel in 7 days with nary a wrinkle. Some stretch, good pockets.

I vastly prefer the fit to the Rohan Envoy, which I found really boxy and unflattering.

Pair with some Bluffworks pants and you have a machine-washable stretchy suit that — unlike the Ministry of Supply suit — doesn't look like it's sportswear.

[Zoechow]

I recently picked up a Gramercy blazer by Bluffworks. Held up to 48 hours of travel in 7 days with nary a wrinkle. Some stretch, good pockets.

I vastly prefer the fit to the Rohan Envoy, which I found really boxy and unflattering.

Pair with some Bluffworks pants and you have a machine-washable stretchy suit that — unlike the Ministry of Supply suit — doesn't look like it's sportswear.

This is super helpful, thanks. Sounds like I’d prefer the Bluffworks. But can you comment on its fitness for hot weather? If it is too heavy, is there something better? Thanks!

[holygoat]

This is super helpful, thanks. Sounds like I’d prefer the Bluffworks. But can you comment on its fitness for hot weather? If it is too heavy, is there something better? Thanks!

It's as good as you can expect a blazer to be for warm weather without going to a specialized summer linen jacket, really — perforated back, unlined arms, 6oz fabric, very breathable, dries very quickly.

[bouncing]

FWIW, I would just go with a light wool suit Depending on how it's woven, regular wool can be very cool and refreshing. You can also go with silk or searsucker, but that's getting a bit spendy for a one-off trip. Since those are natural fabrics, you can just put them in the shower when you arrive and they'll mostly de-wrinkle. Or use an iron.

I do travel with one sportcoat. If I'm meeting a client or whatever, I consider it a reasonable expense just to drop off the garment with the front desk upon check-in. Usually they can press it and get it back to you same-day at any business travel hotel.

[bb93fo57]

The Bluffworks travel blazer gets some love on The Pitch podcast:

https://shop.bluffworks.com/blogs/jo...h-podcast-whoa

Interesting to hear the Bluffworks founder discuss the company's plans for the future (which include offshoring as they scale / expand their lineup).

[bouncing]

The Bluffworks travel blazer gets some love on The Pitch podcast:

https://shop.bluffworks.com/blogs/jo...h-podcast-whoa

Interesting to hear the Bluffworks founder discuss the company's plans for the future (which include offshoring as they scale / expand their lineup).

Hmmm, I dunno. I've seen it in person and it does not look like you're wearing a "real" blazer. It looks ... goofy. It's hard to describe why. The fabric has sort of a strange sheen to it. The pockets are way overly pronounced and try to be sporty but are mostly just loud. The fit of course looks very off-the-shelf, but the way it lays on your body isn't as natural as wool or even a blend.

I'm not a huge fan.

[bb93fo57]

Hmmm, I dunno. I've seen it in person and it does not look like you're wearing a "real" blazer. It looks ... goofy. It's hard to describe why. The fabric has sort of a strange sheen to it. The pockets are way overly pronounced and try to be sporty but are mostly just loud. The fit of course looks very off-the-shelf, but the way it lays on your body isn't as natural as wool or even a blend.

I'm not a huge fan.

@bouncing: Appreciate your take on the travel blazer.

While I was at one time tempted to try it, I have been disappointed by how quickly Bluffworks pants show signs of wear (shininess and fraying over the zippers), so I held off on the blazer.

Bluffs was early to the technical travelwear market, but there are so many similar options now, across a wide price spectrum.

Given that the features that used to set Bluffs apart are commonplace now, $100-145 for a pair of pants is a tougher sell. I guess Bluffs’ shift from trumpeting “designed and made in New York” to quietly “offshoring production to maximize profit” was probably inevitable, but at some level it does impact my feelings about the brand.

Interesting fact: the $295 travel blazer is cited in that podcast above as the only item in Bluffworks’ lineup whose mark-up is significant enough that the company can continue to make it in the U.S.

“Our company’s best margin product” costs $77 to produce, says Bluffworks' founder at about the 9-minute mark. (If they decide to offshore it, too, the blazer's manufacturing cost would drop to somewhere in the $60s.)

Your assessment that it looks "goofy" in real life has cured me of any lingering curiosity I felt about the travel blazer... so, thanks.

[bb93fo57]

Welllll, I picked up a Bluffworks Gramercy travel blazer, after all.

It is fantastic.

While I have been a little down on Bluffs lately for some longevity issues I've experience with its Original and Chino pants, the blazer more than lives up to its many positive reviews.

Its cut is modern, trim and flattering. (The first time I wore it, it garnered three compliments, from folks who could not tell it was machine-washable techwear).

Not sure how the Gramercy fabric would be for pants, since I don't have the full suit, but it works great for the blazer: soft, comfortable and natural-looking.

The Gramercy blazer is good enough that it inspired some spring cleaning: just donated four old wool blazers that didn't look as good as the Gramercy to Goodwill. Don't think I will I miss them (or having to dryclean them).

Nice job, Bluffworks!

[BWeaves]

My husband has the Gramercy pants, but not the jacket. He wore them all over Europe for a month, along with the Bluffworks shirts, and he always looked sharp and put together. He never looked rumpled. He never looked like he was living out of a suitcase. He also has the Bluffworks chinos, but he wears the Gramercy pants more often.

What he really loved was the hidden zippered pockets in what looked like dress pants. He doesn't wear hiking or cargo pants.

[Plip]

For me, Bluffworks is to clothes what Tom Bihn is to bags. They are the only companies that I really get excited about, the only companies that I actually recommend enthusiastically to others.

I bought my first pair of Bluffworks pants (the originals) about a year and a half ago. I bought them for travel, but they looked so good and were so comfortable that I decided to wear them regularly. That first pair gets worn on average once a week (so 60 to 70 times so far, I suppose) and shows no signs of wear. I've since bought two more pair and also two pair of the chinos. The chinos aren't quite as comfortable as the originals (although that's more a statement of how comfortable the originals are than any knock against the chinos), but the chino are a little more stylish, and I wear them often in more casual settings. I haven't had the chinos long enough (maybe a couple of months) to comment on the long-term durability, although so far they're holding up.

I also love their Meridian dress shirts. I've had them since they were introduced a little over a year ago, and they're the most comfortable dress shirts I own. They only have three colors -- all patterns, which look great. If they came out with solids (or other patterns, for that matter), I'd buy them immediately. You wouldn't know by look or feel that they're technical wear at all. Other than needing (or wanting) a solid shirt in certain situations or more variety in patterns, I can't imagine buying anything else.

I don't have their Gramercy blazer yet, although I've been tempted. I just don't wear a blazer enough (maybe half a dozen times a year), and the one I have serves its purpose fine. Still, I may ask my wife to get it for me for Christmas. It tempts me, in the same way Tom Bihn does, to invent a reason to buy something that I really don't have a pressing need for.

[bb93fo57]

Ordered a pair of matching Gramercy pants to make it a full suit.

The pants are more comfortable and natural feeling than any of Bluffworks' other offerings, IMHO... and pair perfectly with the blazer.

To anyone considering them, be sure to consuly the Fit Guide. I nearly pulled the trigger on the Regular Fit, until I looked closely at the chart: Regular for the Gramercy is even more relaxed than the Relaxed Fit of the Originals. (The Gramercy's "Tailored Fit" option is nowhere near as aggressive as it is on the Chinos: it is actually comparable to the Regular Fit of the Originals.)

Anyway, great pants, too! Highly recommended.

[ceb]

Now that I'm traveling more to Europe, I really need pants with at least one secure pocket on the right side. I'm currently wearing VERTX Core pants that work fine as day to day pants (and work with a blazer mostly) but aren't really "dress pants".

Where are the hidden pockets on the Gramercy and the Originals? Larhe enough for an Allett wallet? Any other suggestions?

[Plip]

Now that I'm traveling more to Europe, I really need pants with at least one secure pocket on the right side. I'm currently wearing VERTX Core pants that work fine as day to day pants (and work with a blazer mostly) but aren't really "dress pants".

Where are the hidden pockets on the Gramercy and the Originals? Larhe enough for an Allett wallet? Any other suggestions?

I don't have any Gamercy, but I have a few pair of Originals that I wear regularly (and I believe the Gamercy has the same pockets).

Just inside each of the front pockets there is a zippered security pocket. It sounds like it would be awkward, having doubled up pockets and a zipper just inside the main pocket, but it's really well designed (kind of like a Tom Bihn bag). When I'm not using the zippered pocket, I don't even realize it's there. But I find it easy to access when I have something I want to put in it (or retrieve from it). I mainly use the one on the right side, but the left has the same. It easily fits a normal size man's wallet or a large cell phone (both of which I've carried there comfortably).

There's also an extra pocket above the right back pocket (above and in addition to the pocket where most men usually carry their wallet). It's not zippered, but it's hidden (or at least discrete). The opening is right at the bottom of your belt. It's designed for a cell phone. My Pixel 2XL (a larger phone) slides into it easily, although it sticks out about an inch. The pocket would be a little small (or at least a very tight fit) for most men's wallets, although a Nik's Minimalist Wallet would easily fit. I never use that pocket. I find it hard to locate when I reach back there (although that's probably because I'm just not in the habit of using it), and the front zippered pockets cover all of my security needs.

[BWeaves]

On all the Bluffworks pants, there is a zippered pocket inside each front pocket, AND one of the back pockets also zips shut. All zips are hidden from view. There's also the weird hip cell phone pocket, but my husband hasn't used it.

I think the Gramercy pants look the most like "real" material, and have the nicest feel and a bit of stretch. The originals have no stretch and feel very nylony, while the chinos are super stretchy. Almost too stretchy.