Sport coats · Est. 1972
The softshoulder
The difference between a jacket you wear and a jacket that wears you. Most men own the wrong one for this climate.
A soft shoulder means no padding and a natural line, so the jacket follows your shoulder rather than imposing one. Combined with unlined or half-canvas construction it is markedly cooler and more comfortable than a structured jacket, which matters for most of a Texas year. Made to measure at The Man’s Shop in Arlington, four to six weeks.
Structured or soft
Two different garments
A structured jacket has padding at the shoulder, stiff interlining, and a defined chest. It creates a shape and holds it. In a boardroom in a cold climate that is exactly right.
A soft-shouldered jacket does the opposite. No padding, minimal interlining, and a shoulder line that follows yours. It reads as relaxed rather than imposing, and in a hundred degrees it is the difference between wearing a jacket and enduring one.
The trade is honest: a soft shoulder will not disguise a sloping or uneven shoulder the way padding can. For most men that matters far less than the comfort, but it is worth knowing before choosing.
Construction
What is inside the jacket
- Fully canvassed
- A floating canvas through the chest that molds to you over time. The best construction and the most expensive.
- Half-canvas
- Canvas through the chest and lapel, fused below. The sensible middle and what most of our sport coats use.
- Unlined or quarter-lined
- The coolest option. Removing the lining takes real heat out of a jacket and shows off the internal finishing, which is why it only works on a well-made one.
- Fused
- Glued interlining. Cheaper, stiffer, and it can bubble after cleaning. Avoid if the jacket is meant to last.
- Patch pockets
- A small detail that reads casual and lightens the whole jacket visually. Standard on the soft-shouldered coats we fit.
Cloth by season
One jacket cannot do all twelve months here
- Tropical wool
- Around 7.5 ounces, open weave. The closest thing to a year-round cloth in this climate, and comfortable indoors in winter.
- Hopsack
- A loose basket weave that moves air and resists wrinkles. Excellent in navy as a first sport coat.
- Linen and linen blends
- May through September. Wrinkles, breathes, and looks better slightly rumpled than pressed flat.
- Cotton
- Spring and fall. Softer than wool and more casual, particularly in stone or olive.
- Flannel and tweed
- Genuinely useful for perhaps six weeks a year here. Buy them last, if at all.
Common questions
Sport coats, answered
What is a soft-shoulder sport coat?
A jacket built without shoulder padding, so the shoulder line follows your own rather than creating a constructed shape. Usually paired with half-canvas or unlined construction, which makes it lighter and considerably cooler than a structured jacket.
Is a soft shoulder more comfortable in heat?
Noticeably. Removing the padding and lining takes weight and insulation out of exactly the places that trap heat. In a Texas summer the difference between a structured jacket and an unlined soft-shouldered one is the difference between wearing it and carrying it.
Does a soft shoulder suit every build?
Most, though not all. Padding can disguise a sloping or uneven shoulder, and a soft shoulder will not. For men with very sloped shoulders a lightly structured version is often the better compromise, which is something we can assess in a fitting.
How can I tell if a jacket is well made?
Pinch the lapel between two fingers — if you can feel a separate layer floating between the cloth and the lining, there is canvas in it. If it feels like a single glued sheet, it is fused. That one test tells you more than any label.
Can one sport coat work year-round in DFW?
A tropical wool or hopsack in navy comes closest. It is comfortable outdoors for most of the year and indoors in winter, when air conditioning makes the season largely irrelevant anyway. Linen and flannel are the seasonal additions on either side.
How long does a made-to-measure sport coat take?
Four to six weeks from the appointment. One visit to order and measure, then a second to collect. Alterations are handled in-house.
Four to six weeks
Book with Patrick or Austin
Try a structured and a soft-shouldered jacket together. The difference is immediate.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116