On the lighter side

[MNlad]

Occasionally, just occasionally, Lady Luck smiles your way. Cruising a local thrift store a couple years ago, I happened across this light hopsack wool sport coat from the late '60s or early '70s. I had been looking for a light summer jacket for informal kilted events and this had nearly everything I had been looking for—light weight wool, half lining, double vents, slant pockets, ticket pocket, size 40, and even real leather buttons. The only things that would have made it perfect would have been three buttons and one size larger (a size 40 was a lot tighter then than it is today), but I rarely button up a sport coat anyway.

After sitting in my closet for two years, I finally got around to lopping off the bottom five inches, and this is the result.

I usually go in for more serious modifications like epaulettes, pocket flap movement, button replacements, etc., but this jacket seems fine to me with the minimalist treatment. I'm pretty pleased with the $7 investment.