Balloon

「 Ring Jacket pt. 2 」

Continuing my series on Ring Jacket it seems only fitting to introduce the quintessential Ring Jacket item; their Balloon Jacket. As the world has only recently opened their eyes to what the brand has to offer, even fever know about the wonderful cloth that is Balloon.

Although “Balloon jacket” is a somewhat misleading term, seeing as Balloon is the name of the cloth, which also is made in a few different variations, and they make both jackets and suits from it, the “Balloon jacket” has become something of a staple in the summer wardrobe of any tailored menswear enthusiast.

Just to give an idea of how vague referring to a “Balloon jacket” can be, there are suits and jackets from 10-month Balloon, Seersucker Balloon and Balloon Fresco in addition to the textured wool cloth most people would associate with the name.

Not to mention the variety of colours and patterns the cloth is offered in. 

In any case, to simplify things a little, if anything for my own sake, the most commonly known Balloon Jacket is essentially made from a textured, 100% high-twist wool cloth. 

This fabric offers and array of well-received qualities, being an open weave which is incredibly breathable and light weight. Woven with a natural stretch yet incredibly enough being wrinkle resistant. 

In my case I was immediately sold when first being made aware that there was a Fresco version and as such, the jacket I eventually ended up buying was a navy Balloon Fresco jacket.

Ring Jacket releasing a new Balloon jacket every spring is as reliable as the sakura blooming, not to mention both these seasonal traits being exciting and beautiful additions to life. 

So as luck would have it, I found their previous models were also available to a certain extent, and this is were I struck gold. 

Seeing as there is some variety every season even of the same model (could easily make another cherry blossom analogy here), slight changes might make certain seasons’ models more inline with your preferences and for someone as picky as me, that’s exactly what I found to be true. 

After some searching I found the perfect Balloon Fresco jacket for me to be the one released in 2020. 

The two aspects that set this jacket a part was that the original Balloon label was still there, which seemingly has been changed to a Ring Jacket label on this years models (?). 

The second being that lapels are just slightly wider on the jacket I bought, if only just by some milimeters.

This might seem like minuscule details, and I am definitely not saying that this years models are anything but extremely good choices. In fact this seasons jackets are a lot more refined. 

But to me, that original label was pivotal for my first Balloon jacket seeing as it was the symbol that always epitomised Balloon for me.

The Balloon Fresco is as the name suggests Ring Jackets take on the well known high-twists from the likes of Huddersfield and Holland & Sherry. Given that the Balloon cloth is already an incredibly breathable fabric, the Balloon Fresco would obviously not take anything away from that in terms of being the perfect summer fabric. 

What I really like about this jacket, or rather the fabric, is that it looks solid and as such quite elegant and formal, but at same time, if held up towards the light, it’s like looking through a window.

In addition, when taking a closer look you can see the colour is not just a solid navy but has some lighter shades within the weave. 

The model No-269, which I mention in my previous article about Ring Jacket, has 3-roll-2 buttoning with a somewhat higher button stance than some of the other models. 

The lapels are fairly wide at 9,5 centimeters and are elegantly finished off with double stitching which continues down along the skirt. 

The same stitch detail is picked up along the patch pockets, and there is also pick stitching along the front darts and the cuff part of the sleeves, all in all giving the jacket a harmonious feel.

If you’re looking for the perfect jacket for the summer I would definitely recommend considering any of the Balloon jackets Ring Jacket has to offer. 

I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures so you’ll have a better idea of how it looks when worn.

For more pictures, have a look in the gallery.