Comme des Garçons Homme Wool Jacket

Read the specification of this jacket and nothing about it announces itself. Two-button front, patch pockets, classic lapels, one hundred percent wool, black. That description would cover a great many jackets, and what separates this one is the part that is written on the inside. The body is lined in one hundred percent cotton and the sleeves are lined in one hundred percent cupra, and a maker only does that on purpose. Cotton in the body breathes and grips, so the jacket sits where you put it and does not slide around over a shirt. Cupro in the sleeve does the opposite job: it is a regenerated cellulosic with a very smooth, cool surface, and it is used in sleeves because a sleeve has to release an arm instantly, which is the difference between shrugging a jacket on and fighting it on. Using two different linings in one garment costs more to cut, more to sew, and is invisible to everybody who is not wearing it. Patch pockets, meanwhile, are the informal choice: no flap, no welt, applied to the outside. So the jacket is formally built and informally finished, which is a genuinely useful thing for a black wool jacket to be. Made in Japan.

Why we selected it

The details that cost money are the ones nobody sees on a hanger, and a two-lining construction is the clearest example of that we can point to. We also wanted one black wool jacket in the store that a person could wear without it reading as a suit missing its trousers, and the patch pockets are what do that.

Comme des Garçons Homme has always made tailoring alongside the work the house is better known for, and this is that side of the line without any commentary attached.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent wool. Lining: one hundred percent cotton. Arms: one hundred percent cupra. Two-button front, patch pockets, classic lapels. Made in Japan. Color: Black.

Fit notes

A patch pocket sits on the surface and adds a little visible width at the hip, which flatters a straight cut and fights a suppressed one. The cotton body lining grips a shirt rather than sliding over it, so the jacket stays put and feels slightly closer than a viscose-lined jacket of the same measurements. The cupro sleeves mean it goes on and comes off cleanly over a knit.

Styling

Over the Homme LS Button-Up or the Homme Gingham Shirt. With the Homme Elastic Waist Black Trouser for the version that keeps the informality, or with the Homme Fatigue Trousers for the version that leans on it.

Care

Wool governs, so brush it after wearing, rest it a day between wearings, and have it cleaned rather than washed. Cupro is a regenerated cellulosic and it is at its weakest wet, so a sleeve lining like this is the part of the jacket a domestic wash would destroy first. Our care guidance covers the rest, including the lining question.

Related pieces

The Homme Black Snap Button Blazer is a single-breasted jacket in polyester, and the Homme Plus Wool Trousers are wool cut close and low. Everything we carry from Comme des Garçons is listed together.