Opinion about this navy blazer?

I never have nylon in my blazer fabrics. Wool, Cotten, silk, cashmere, but never nylon.

10% is quite a lot of nylon. =o(

Nylon aside,
it's quite a
strange animal
that straddles
the boundary
between formal
and casual
somewhat awkwardly:
a blue blazer
with brass buttons
is the zenith of formality
in the odd jacket family;
flapped patch pockets
are more casual
and thus
in tension with the
aforementioned
formality.
Also, flannel is
unusual for a blazer,
and although
I wouldn't say
it's in bad taste
per se,
I would say
that it is discordant
with brass buttons.

 

But it's still an odd jacket. What I mean to say is that formality is so small an issue with odd jackets generally that even if you say that a navy blazer is the MOST formal of that category, having a few casual elements isn't a big deal. In fact, I'd say it even adds to the desirability in some cases. I'd never wear a navy blazer to any professional setting, so then what is it? Something I wear casually.

I would not say
that a blue blazer
with brass buttons
is a particularly
casual piece
of clothing;
it is more formal
than many a
lounge suit.
If you would like
a casual blue blazer
I would suggest
you avoid brass
buttons.

I am also looking for a smart blazer which need not be formal. Can anyone suggest a good/affordable brand? Judging by the above response, brass buttons are an absolute no.

 

That's fair enough, but I wouldn't wear one with brass buttons in anything BUT a casual setting. For instance, I can think of no navy lounge suit that would be less formal (or shall we say, less business appropriate?) than a navy blazer. Maybe this is a difference in preferences based on our countries of origin (I am originally from the U.S.). Blazers, in my mind, are for leisurely boating, drinks with friends, a casual dinner, etc. 

Dark navy serge DB blazer with brass buttons+ gray trousers is more CBD than, say, a navy linen suit IMHO. Manton would have to give the final ruling.

I would agree with you.

Flannel's great for a winter blazer, ime. This one looks good to me, with possible quibbles that the buttoning point might be a tad high and the collar points a bit blunt. Its other stylistic details are very traditional: lapped seams, hook vent, flapped patch pockets. Dopey would be proud. And that's never a bad thing.

This particular jacket, with the swelled edges and patch pockets in flannel, is more casual

If you were to replace the buttons, and remove the nylon, this would be a preppy classic, and appropriate to wear on a plethora of occasions.
Edited by Loathing - 2/25/13 at 3:06am

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about the following:

1) Flannel doesn't make it much if at all less formal. It makes it wintry.

2) Flannel plus those trad details plus brass buttons doesn't make it discordant. It's a very classic configuration, sold for decades by stores like Brooks Bros.

3) Those trad details do and do not make it informal (as far as blue blazers go). This blazer could be worn well with anything from white shirt, repp tie, and mid gray worsted wool pants to well-worn ocbd, no tie, and rumpled cotton chinos, cords or faded denim -- with or without a fine merino sweater for the formal side or a shaggy shetland for the informal. So its range reaches as high as what might be considered the most formal of blazers, but it also reaches down pretty low. A good argument for its purchase.