Quote Originally Posted by rondo View Post
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I'm also looking at jackets with mandarin collars: http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/inde...5446523c0a5f60

Can a single style of cut [IE Wallace, or Nehru] work with only a change in the fabric? Example: we know an Argyle can work for day wear all the way up to formal depending on weather it is tweed or black barethea wool. Do you think the same would hold true for a jacket with a different cut?

Taking the Nehru as an example: a casual jacket in say corduroy, more dressy in say wool tweed, dressier still in black wool, and most dressy in velvet. Would the same cut [Nehru] work for for all the levels of formality?

Opinions with explanations for your reasoning appreciated. Thanks.
I like Nehru collar jackets and the one you linked to reminds a bit of a mess jacket. It looks like it would probably work well with the kilt because of the higher waist and the way in hangs open, leaving room for a sporran.

The website says "For this jacket we use black satin trims even if the fabric selected is not black." A smooth, shiny fabric on the trim says to me this is intended as a slightly higher formality jacket. If the main fabric was fine, black wool it would be very formal because it would look like an alternative tuxedo jacket.

I have seen some tweed and also dark blue wool jackets at H&M recently that had black trim. They didn't quite look formal, so the added decoration just took them up a notch of spiffiness. I think the juxtaposition of a tweed Nehru with satin trim might be a bit too jarring because of the exaggerated contrast of texture and finish.

So to answer your question, yes I think a Nehru collar jacket could work at different levels of formality according the fabric it was made out of. Having satin trim, however, keys it towards the higher end of the formality scale and might preclude the use of very casual fabrics like tweed or corduroy, unless they were rather fine themselves.