Casual jacket, technical fabric. Alternatives to the Levis Commuter?

[hmai18]

So I've been on the hunt for something like this for a while. I've got a bunch of Arc'teryx technical jackets for when the weather is downright nasty or if I'm doing something that comes close to being athletic, but I'm at a loss for what to wear when just noodling around town. Living in the PNW means variable weather, all year around.

My #1 pick has been the Levis Commuter jacket, but the cut seems kind of off. Torso on a small jacket seems to fit slim enough to not look like a box on my 34" chest, but the arms are HUGE. I suppose I could take it to a tailor and have them taken in to a smaller diameter, but I don't know whether the effort/cost would be worth it. I'm also not a huge fan of this year's colours: I have too many dark denim jeans and am not sure how to pull off the denim on denim look, and the khaki one is too light in colour for what I'm after.

Does anybody know of any alternatives? I'm open to suggestions, though I've mainly been looking at trucker jackets and to a lesser extent, short trench coats. Would prefer to keep things under $150.

[robin3mj]

Nau stuff will blow your budget but it's pretty damn great.
I have a couple blazers and a down jacket, but they do make what you're after too.
Their "riding" jacket is a synthetic blazer that can be stuffed into the tiniest corner of your bag and still come out looking smart casual. I keep one hanging on my office door with a spare tie for unexpected meetings.

[dutchess]

Use spray on or wash in waterproofer on something that fits your style needs?

[christian]

If you could find a slim fit G9 or G4, that'd be ideal, but even a regular G9 sounds like it would be good for this usage envelope. If you want to go a little more adventurous, a J Keydge slack jacket in linen or wool would also be good. I have one in linen and one in tweed and I find I wear them very often.

[chasea]

Rapha City Rain Jacket, Hooded Wind Jacket.

[hmai18]

Great suggestions so far, thanks all.

The Nau Rift is almost bang on what I want, and to a lesser extent, the Vice is also an option.
Not looking for the blazer look, so the slack is out.
I've considered the Rapha stuff, but it's still too technical/sporty for what I'm after.

[Toddykins]

These also fall into the budget breaking category but look east: nanamica, north face purple label or pedaled.

[RichTheRoadie]

Anything here fit the bill?: Vulpine

[Brandon White]

This smashes your budget to pieces. Good thing it you can't actually buy it because they only have an XL left and I doubt they'll do another run. But this item seems to be what you are looking for and would probably be one of the nicest things you own.

OUTLIER Shank Jacket

Outside of that - I'd just bite the bullet and buy something from the Rapha city collection.

[christian]

Ok I know what you're after now. And since everyone is blowing your budget, I will to. You want a Howies Ventile Harrington.

Or a Hilltrek Ventile version of the classic cycle touring jacket:
Cycling-jacket_b.jpg

[Jeremy S]

Non-technical answer: the Supply jacket from Rogue Territory in canvas:
Rogue Territory Canvas Supply Jacket in Camel

That canvas is just the right weight for cruising to work in the 50s/low 60s.

The thing about the levi's jacket, at least while I had one before giving it away: All the fancy shit didn't do anything to make better for riding in. It was clammy, fit weird, and didn't really act like it was at all technical despite the wash-in Schoeller treatment.

Otherwise, I'd be looking at Ventile / Ventile-like jackets.

Sadly, you're not going to find anything good in your price range new.

[Jayme]

Got myself one of these for half price earlier this year.

Aether

[hmai18]

Thanks for the continued suggestions. I should probably have stated this at the outset: this jacket isn't meant for riding, so it doesn't have to come from a company that makes cycling clothing, nor am I looking for cycling-specific or inspired design/tech. I only suggested the Commuter because I like the styling of the trucker jacket and I have another jacket with the Nanosphere technology and love it.

The Shank would have been perfect, but alas. The Rogue Supply actually looks pretty good, though I wish the camel was a bit darker. It's probably the lead contender now, though I do worry about the 19" flat chest measurement for a small...

[christian]

Engineered Garments Bedford.