# Orvis vs. Southwick Tweed Sportcoat



## Larsd4 (Oct 14, 2005)

I'm trying to decide on a tweed sack sportcoat. I can get a Southwick at O'Connell's for $595 or an Orvis for $398. Is the $200 Southwick premium worth it, even if it means a six month delay on a pair of shell cordo's (running a tight clothing budget these days)? This will likely be my only significant clothing purchase this fall as my trad wardrobe earns it's keep. If so, what makes it so much better?


----------



## CO123 (Aug 1, 2005)

I would opt for Southwick as it is a much better make than Orvis (Lanier?)


----------



## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

Same mfg, Orvis made by Southwick. Cut like a Press.


----------



## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

Larsd4 said:


> I'm trying to decide on a tweed sack sportcoat. I can get a Southwick at O'Connell's for $595 or an Orvis for $398. Is the $200 Southwick premium worth it, even if it means a six month delay on a pair of shell cordo's (running a tight clothing budget these days)? This will likely be my only significant clothing purchase this fall as my trad wardrobe earns it's keep. If so, what makes it so much better?


I say wait for the J. Press fall sale and get one then. That is what I did last year and got a super brown tweed hbt.


----------



## Harris (Jan 30, 2006)

Ben Silver offers some really great looking Harris Tweeds for $545. Available in a patch w/ patch-and-flap sack.


----------



## knickerbacker (Jun 27, 2005)

Foghorn said:


> Same mfg, Orvis made by Southwick. Cut like a Press.


I've passed on the orvis' tweeds for a few years now, often at very low sale prices- I'd wait out the press sale as well. My Press tweed feels, without being imposing, as if it could prevent gunshot wounds from stray ordinance. And seems far sportier than the Orvis. In fact, I'm very surprised to hear that the orvis tweeds are Southwick: are you sure about this Foghorn?


----------



## Markus (Sep 14, 2004)

*Orvis*

Up until recently there was an Orvis store here in St. Louis. This allowed me to try things on and, based on that, I'll share a couple of comments.

1. I've read here that the Orvis coats are made by Southwick. I remain unconvinced--or perhaps it is more accurate to say that, given the cut of the jackets I tried on, I wouldn't care who they were made by. Southwick might have sewn the jackets but whoever it was that designed the pattern/cut did an odd-ball job of it and I'd expect the fit of a Southwick-labelled garment to be vastly superior to an Orvis-labelled garment. I haven't run across a Southwick sack but the Southwick two-button jackets I've tried on fit very well.

2. The cut on the tweeds I tried was odd. I typically wear a 44R and I just couldn't seem to be satisfied with the Orvis shape. In particular it seems that there was something weird about the arm-scye--the jacket's kind of fit, but they were weird. I guess I'd describe them as a sort of an A shape. Maybe someone else can share their experiences with the fit. If someone has bought one of their jackets and likes the way it fits, I'd really like to read about that here. Maybe if you lived with one for a while you could get used to it and the cut might make more sense.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that my experience of trying on an Orvis jacket always made me think "what is wrong with this", whereas trying on a comparably sized jacket from someone like Brooks rather prompted me to think, "how can I afford this". A correctly fitting jacket should feel superb from the moment it hits the shoulders. The Orvis jackets never did this.

Markus


----------



## nation (Jul 30, 2005)

I have three Orvis tweed jackets. Two from about three 3 -4 years ago that I love. One from last year that doesn't impress me. I'm not sure what happened. Anyway, there are other souces that you might try. Ben Silver jackets are very nice and they have some on the outlet for $395 (a big selection if you happen to be 40R--but some other sizes as well.) You might also consider Murphy of Ireland. These are Donegal Tweed, but the Herringbones look much like Harris, are about the same weight, but are "softer". I have been very pleased with them. They make some of the J Press jackets, but are less expensive, and they are very friendly and helpful (not sure if they still email Ballybofey weather reports). J Banks has some tweeds but I wouldn't purchase them unless I saw them in person (I did, and they are very light--not what you might anticipate). Joe Hemranjani at mytailor.com has some beautiful English Tweeds that he will MTM a jacket for you--very nice. Not sure of the prices for just a jacket, and the fabric is not on the web site. He made me a tweed suit that is beautiful. I think I also saw some tweeds at STP recently, but they either did not have my size, or had fabric that I already had, so I didn't look too closely. I am not sure if Andover's sale is still on, but you might check their web site, and then give them a call. Their sale prices are not on the web site, so you have to call. Finally, Cable Car Clothiers has some tweeds, but I think they are trying to make themselves profitable by having astronomical markups (Bad idea on the internet!). Thats my tweed update for today!


----------



## Harris (Jan 30, 2006)

I like this tan-cream Harris Tweed (O'Connell's):
https://www.oconnellsclothing.com/ftp_only/Cx/2006c/harris_tweed_42_reg_4.jpg


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I've worn several jackets from Orvis and generally have been satisfied. They seem to have been well made and have not presented many of the "fit" problems described by other posters on this thread. The fit of Orvis coats can run a bit large and if not addressed they will present a bit of a "tent" appearance. Therefore, I have had to have mine altered a bit at the waist to present a proper appearance. I did buy one of their unstructured canvas sportcoats that, frankly, looked quite awful...it was returned and my account was promptly credited for the appropriate amount. My favorite has been their tweed shooting coat. However, it too had to be altered for a proper fit in the waist.


----------



## MichaelB (Dec 17, 2004)

I have four Harris tweed jackets: two from J Press, one Southwick, and one from Orvis. All four fit me fine (40R) right off the rack with no alteration. Heavyweight Harris tweed can be stiff and therefore not drape the way other fabrics do, but that's also why they seem to last forever. I've worn the J Press jackets week in and week out except during summer for--I'm shocked as I tally this up--seventeen years. They're bulletproof. The Southwick shows scarcely any wear, either, though I bought it when I was an undergraduate (I turned 48 last week)! The Orvis is much newer, but seems just as durable. It is one of their "Signature" line jackets, and has lots of nice details like working cuff buttons and various convenient inner pockets. I'd buy any of the jackets again without hesitation.


----------



## knickerbacker (Jun 27, 2005)

Gentlemen,
Based on all the replies to this thread, I'm going to guess the following:

1) there may be more than one supplier to Orvis of tweed coats: there seem always to be some on sale for just under $200.00, either on STP or at Orvis . Perhaps these are not southwick and are a bit lacking as they seem like tripe in the flesh. In retrospect, I seem to remember seeing a couple of nice tweeds at orvis in the last year which were a bit nicer (but never on the sale rack) I didn't like the fit on the nicer ones either: more like a bag than a sack suit. Perhaps those are Southwick, but I personally doubt it. In fact, I'm not even sure that the Press Tweed sportcoats are Southwick (though certainly Southwick does supply many items to Press under Press' name and designs).

2) In this modern world of ours, tweed is increasingly not a fabric from the Hebrides, or Aran, Gallaway, anywhere in Scotland or the fine counties of Ireland at all. It is increasingly a fabric made in Malaysia, China and the Philippines and imported in either bulk fabric or finished garment form to our shores. Without getting into the pros and cons of various free trade practices in respect to location of manufacturing I would suppose that the type of tweeds likely to pass muster on this forum will be made of medium weight or better tweed from Scotland or Ireland and manufactured in either those two countries or in North America of said fabric.

I still like the Press ones most.


----------

