One of the most misunderstood and misused words in the men’s wear lexicon (along with “buttondown”) is “blazer.” So, what exactly is a blazer? Is it any jacket that is worn without matching trousers, as it is often interpreted to be? No, it is not.

A “blazer” is a solid navy blue jacket with gold buttons, which is based on the British naval uniform. You could (although I don’t recommend it) replace the gold buttons with silver or mother-of-pearl, but I personally prefer the more classic gold.

The basic problem is not so much a terminological misunderstanding, but the idea, which is very common now, that men can wear what is essentially a suit jacket with jeans or other casual trousers.

If you’re going to wear a jacket without matching trousers (i.e. in an identical fabric), it must be immediately apparent that you are wearing a jacket that stands on its own, and could never be the clumsy result of trying to use a suit jacket as a separate piece(!). This concept is a corollary of one of the most important elements of men’s style that’s frequently repeated here: that the formality of different parts of one’s dress should correspond to each other. Applied here, you just can’t wear your suit jacket with any old pair of pants.

The correct word for a jacket worn without matching trousers is actually an “odd jacket.” Therefore, an odd jacket should obviously be more informal than a suit jacket. It should always be in a more rustic fabric – so instead of a suit jacket’s smooth worsted, it should be in a rougher fabric such as hopsack or linen (in the summer), or tweed or flannel (in the colder months). It should have contrasting-colored buttons (such as the blazer’s gold buttons), rather than a suit’s usual matching-colored buttons. It should, ideally, have more casual patch pockets rather than a suit’s flap pockets.

As an example, in the picture below and to the right, here I am at a summer benefit wearing a blue linen/silk blend Tom Ford micro-check double-breasted jacket with off-white mother of pearl buttons, and white jeans. The jacket was made to measure, but looks a little too tight across the chest in this picture, which I’ve since had corrected (thank you, Tom Ford tailor at 672 Madison Avenue).

Because of the odd jacket’s inherent informality, this is where color and pattern can really come into play. While it’s fine to wear patterned suits (which are more informal than their solid counterparts), you can really go wild with odd jackets if you want to.

Just remember that, as with all other matters of style, you should still endeavor to combine an odd jacket’s relative informality with the trousers and shoes you’re pairing with it. Thus a more rustic fabric such as tweed will pair best with denim, while a plush cashmere jacket with look great with wool flannel trousers. But these are just rough guidelines and at this point you are in such relatively informal territory that you should just go where the spirit guides you.

Finally, a “sports jacket” (a term you might have thought, before this article, was the same as a blazer) means an odd jacket in such a rough, informal fabric that it is intended for shooting grouse in the wilds of Scotland. This term is now obsolete, of course–at least for those of us who are not members of the English aristocracy. In 2018, a tailored jacket is either part of a suit, or otherwise an “odd jacket,” meaning not obviously part of a suit; and, as an odd jacket, it could also be a “blazer,” meaning it’s solid navy blue and has gold buttons, and otherwise it’s not a blazer.

One quick additional tip – when wearing an odd jacket, you need to make sure there is sufficient contrast between the jacket and trousers that you don’t look like you’re wearing a suit. So, for example and at the risk of stating the obvious, you shouldn’t wear a navy odd jacket with blue trousers.

Got it, gents?

Where To Get a Blazer: By Price Point

At the top of the ready-to-wear food chain would be this Tom Ford navy hopsack blazer with gold buttons and peak lapels (available online from Neiman Marcus, which will run you about $4,000 off the rack – yikes!).

Peak lapels (see my discussion of peak lapels to come) can be tricky, but I think they look great on this jacket, particularly because it’s meant for occasions that are more casual than those where you would wear a business suit. Also, the hopsack fabric is ideal for its casualness and comfort, for a blazer to be worn in the warmer months. Note how Tom nails the essential details such as the more casual patch pockets. Let’s not even get into the fact that this thing has pretty much the best construction and hand-finishing on the market. As they say, you get what you pay for.

A notch below is another of my perennial go-to’s: Polo by Ralph. Here is a doeskin blazer with notch lapels and gold buttons going for $895. Ralph’s cut is generally pretty forgiving, so you may need to get this one taken in considerably on the sides. Also, doeskin, while sufficiently rustic for a blazer, is pretty heavy and would probably feel a little too hot for the warmer months.

 

Finally, J. Crew makes a “Ludlow Legacy Blazer in American Wool” for $350 regular (though, again, you should be able to find it on sale). Its fabric is so casual that it looks almost like a sweater, and J. Crew has, as is stated on its website, “swapped the typical brass buttons for our elegant Ludlow buttons” (meaning suit buttons, a critical error); on the other hand, the construction exceeds the price, the fit will be surprisingly clean, and buttons can, as always, be replaced at a minimal cost.

Just remember, no matter how much you pay for a tailored jacket, you must bring it to a decent alterations tailor outside the point of sale to make sure it ends up fitting well.

Submit a comment, or message me on Instagram @charliesrulesofstyle, if you have a question about this, or any other, of my posts. (Never trust a salesperson for the answer!)

 

 

 

 

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