The black suit jacket is one of those pieces that sounds simple until you start looking and realise how badly it can go wrong. Too shiny and it reads as budget formalwear. Too fashion forward and it has a shelf life measured in months. The lapel, the button stance, the way the shoulders sit without padding doing all the visible work. These things matter and most jackets at the lower end of the market get at least one of them wrong.

What we were looking for here were jackets that feel considered rather than compromised. Pieces that work with the matching trouser for a formal occasion but can also be worn with dark trousers or well fitted jeans without looking like half a suit that got separated from its partner. Fabric quality was the first filter. Construction was the second. Price was never the point on its own. Value was. These jackets earn their place in the wardrobe at prices that do not require a long conversation with yourself first.