Ben Nevis jackets

[The Good]

http://www.bennevisclothing.com/Harrington-Jacket-Classic-Cotton-Harrington-Jacket


Does anybody have experience with this company? I might be looking for a relatively low cost Harrington jacket soon (probably navy), and I wouldn't want to pay top dollar for a Baracuta version.

If anyone has a jacket (especially size medium), how does it fit? Are their jackets loose or close fitting?

 

[Seb Lucas]

I've seen them. Small sizing and mall-quality workmanship. But that was 2-3 years back. See if they can post you pit to pit, back and arm length before you buy.

 

[The Good]

So, if I would order a medium, it would basically be a slim medium? That is in fact preferable to an overly loose jacket. I've got enough of that right now. Thanks.

 

[Edward]

No experience of that particular jacket. You are right to dig around and find out information about sizing however, as this varies enormously. I too am not prepared to shell out for a Baracuta G9. Overpriced for what they are, IMO - YMMV, of course. I've not got any experience with that particular maker, but I have done a lot of shopping around, and I have found the following... Firstly, you do want to be sure of how the fit is - some modern manufacture jackets are incredibly baggy and look immediately "wrong" to my eye. Ben Sherman are a particular offender in this camp - I sold one from them for this reason. There are plenty of options for Harrington on eBay for as little as GBP20.00. Again these can be hit and miss, though I did find a couple of pretty good ones (from Germany, if memory suggests.... King something??) in this price band, which is great if you want one in a colour you know you won't wear very often, like my bright red one. Good way of experimenting with a colour you're not sure about - I have found I liked sky blue so much that eventually I will replace the one I have with a more expensive jacket. By trial and error, the best jacket I have found in this style, taking price into the mix, is that produced by Merc of London:

http://www.merc.com/collection/men/Jackets-Coats/product/Harrington-Jacket

Merc's option is a nice fit, trim without being too tight - think a good, war era A2 fit. They have one inside pocket of a decent size (cheaper jackets are hit and miss on this, for obvious reasons). Not raglan sleeves as per the original Baracuta design, though very few of the cheaper, non-Baracuta options are. This doesn't bother me at all, though I know some folks really want that detail. Eventually I will likely replace all my cheaper jackets with Mercs. Colour-wise, I would suggest the best options are: navy blue, sky blue, black, and tan, with navy blue probably being the most flexible option if you can have just one.

You'll also find a lot of variation in the weight of these jackets - the warmest one I have is probably my cheap sky blue jacket, which has the sleeves lined in the same brushed cotton Royal Stewart tartan as the body, rather than the more common nylon.

Pricewise, Mercs look quite a way up from the one you are looking at if you look at the link above, however mine have all been sourced new and tagged on eBay for about GBP55.00. Twice the price of my cheapest jackets, but well worth the mark-up if you are going to be able to wear it for a few years. I do have one Merc in a Prince of Wales type pattern, black and white (overall grey effect) with very subtle mid blue and red detail which I found new and tagged on eBay for about sixteen pounds. I can only assume the big Harrington fans were put off by the fact it has a variation of the regular collar - non-buttoned, pointed shirt-style collar. I love it - probably my favourite of these jackets, actually.

I love this style of jacket. Very flexible for many different looks - Baracuta, of course, introduced the G9 in 1937, and they have been popular in every decade since. Great for a vintage look of almost any sort (tough amusingly enough, I was for the first time recently taken for being a skinhead in one of mine, by an actual old school skinhead - I was dressed very rockabilly, but with the shaved head...). I find them ideal for overcast days or cooler evenings in May through to September when a jacket is desirable but it is still too warm for leather.

 

[Edward]

Oh..... also..... if you only require a small size, it can be worth keeping an eye on Baracutas on eBay. I've seen some of them sell new on there for the price of a Merc or a bit less - only small sizes, though.

 

[The Good]

Thanks for the information, Edward. I'm not sure about the Mercs, but yes, the red ones in that style are cool in a James Dean sort of way (even though he didn't wear a Harrington in his most famous movie. It was a McGregor Anti-Freeze, I own a brown one, but it's stained and the front where you zip it up is tearing apart, it's got a decent historic value at least), but since I'm intending to wear a pale grey fedora with a jacket on occasion, I'd best not get the red one. I think navy would be natural for it. I'm going to be ordering a small one, most likely. Since the cut is supposed to be generous, I think that'll offer the more trim fit I'm going for without being constricting.