Do you wear a blazer?

[Duveen]

Doc,

That was truly poetic. I am waiting to find that perfect blazer. Until then, I will content myself with two nice navy sportcoats....

 

[LabelKing]

The nice thing about blazers is that a pocket watch can be worn.

 

[Mr.Perdition]

Thank you, Manton. I appreciate the the time you took to explain this. My only confusion is that if a sports jacket is fine to wear and it is really just an odd jacket, then why the negativity I see in some threads of using an odd jacket as a sports jacket? It seems like a case of a=b but b does not equal a.

Can any of you in the forum look at a person and tell if they are simply using an odd jacket as a sports coat besides looking at the buttons? When you do see that what do you think of the person wearing it? I ask because I've just taken a much higher position at my office and I will be situations where I'll need to look good but not necessarily in a suit. I just don't want to look like I have no idea what I'm doing (i.e. a jackass).

 

[j]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perdition

Thank you, Manton. I appreciate the the time you took to explain this. My only confusion is that if a sports jacket is fine to wear and it is really just an odd jacket, then why the negativity I see in some threads of using an odd jacket as a sports jacket? It seems like a case of a=b but b does not equal a.

Can any of you in the forum look at a person and tell if they are simply using an odd jacket as a sports coat besides looking at the buttons? When you do see that what do you think of the person wearing it? I ask because I've just taken a much higher position at my office and I will be situations where I'll need to look good but not necessarily in a suit. I just don't want to look like I have no idea what I'm doing (i.e. a jackass).
Do you mean wearing a suit jacket as a sport coat? "Odd jacket" and "sport coat" are pretty much interchangeable terms, at least for the non-stickler.

 

[SGladwell]

I own two, though neither is 100% traditional. Both are single-breasted with side-vents. One of them (by a German designer whose name escapes me right now, in cashmere hopsack) is a 3-roll-2 with a ticket pocket and dull silver buttons. The other (an Oxxford MTM in their "Imperial Cashmere" originally bought at Bergdorf's that I found in a thrift store) is but for the missing ticket pocket similar in configuration and is a size too small in everything but the sleeves - which I guess makes it trendy today. Its fabric has a slight herringbone, and Oxxford's ridged dull copper butons.

I almost never wear the former one because despite the softness of the Loro Piana cashmere that forms its outer shell it drapes like a fused-front jacket, which it is. (I bought it before my father taught me the difference between good jackets and the designer dross - besides the blazer, mostly Armani Collezioni and Zegna Soft - I had up to then been buying for tailored clothes.) When I do wear the Oxxford one, it's usually jeans and sneakers and during the day.

I've found that for me, the "traditional" functions of a blazer - i.e. to be dressed up without trying too hard - are better served with a well-tailored black sportcoat. I'd feel altogether too precious in a blazer worn conventionally, though I never "had" to wear one and to my recollection never even owned one until I was 20 or 21. Age does likely play a role, though. I can't imagine anyone over 50 in a black Jil Sander/Helmut Lang/Costume National sportcoat, nor can I imagine many under 40 who aren't old-line Southerners or New Englanders in a full nautical blazer.

 

[Mr.Perdition]

Hi j, thanks for catching that--I did mean suit jacket. Perhaps I used the term "odd jacket" incorrectly: isn't a suit jacket without a matching pair of slacks an "odd jacket" or is it just my odd misinterpretation?

If I'm mistaken then I do mean using a suit jacket as a sports jacket (and all other questions reapply from my original post about cut, etc. if a "suit jacket" can be used as a sport jacket--which may need a different explanation from Manton).

Thanks again!

 

[Jovan]

Would I be correct to say that tweed is the traditional sportcoat fabric/pattern/colour/whatever?

 

[SGladwell]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perdition

If I'm mistaken then I do mean using a suit jacket as a sports jacket (and all other questions reapply from my original post about cut, etc. if a "suit jacket" can be used as a sport jacket--which may need a different explanation from Manton).

Sure it can, though I think it depends more on the fabric than the cut. I'm personally loathe to use anything with vertical stripes as a standalone jacket, though lots of people do it and in the last several seasons lots of retailers have sold pinstriped or chalkstriped jackets as sportcoats. Also, I don't personally like to use worsted-wool jackets as sportcoats unless they're black, though flannels and the like are fine.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by SGladwell

Sure it can, though I think it depends more on the fabric than the cut. I'm personally loathe to use anything with vertical stripes as a standalone jacket, though lots of people do it and in the last several seasons lots of retailers have sold pinstriped or chalkstriped jackets as sportcoats. Also, I don't personally like to use worsted-wool jackets as sportcoats unless they're black, though flannels and the like are fine.
There are a couple of long discussions on this, though a search may be difficult. An odd jacket is one that is made (or at least purchased) with no matching pants. Usually, an odd jacket has buttons of a different color than the fabric, while a suit jacket typically has buttons of the same color. This is often the only noticeable differentiator between the two.

 

[Manton]

The things that make an odd jacket different from a suit jacket:

1) Cloth; which we may separate into

1a) Fiber
1b) Weave​

2) Pattern

3) Color

4) Detailing

There are no hard and fast criteria for any of this. There are certain "know them when you see them" giveaways. Smooth 10 oz clear cut worsted is a suiting, no matter the pattern. Maybe certain shades of blue would be fine for a blazer (though not my first choice), but that's about it. Stripes are traditionally a suiting pattern. Gray -- especially solid gray -- is not seen much for odd jackets. J is right about the button color. Also, I mentioned before that certain pocket and vent configurations were more traditional for odd jackets and considered out of place on suits.

As a general matter, the nubbier, coarser or more wrinkly the cloth, the more suitable it is for an odd jacket. Also, the weave will be more "substantial" and/or have more surface interest. Also, colors can be brighter and more numerous. Certain colors that traditional usage would say are out of bounds for suitings are fine for odd jackets. Patterns can be bolder as well.

Again, there is nothing hard and fast about any of this. Where the lines are, and what crosses them and what does not, are nebulous matters. If you ever have a chance to look through some swatch books, compare the books marked "jacketings" with those denoted as "suitings." The differences should become clear.

 

[Dmntd]

When considering pants for wear with a dark burgundy blazer, are there colors which would not look right?

Dmntd

 

[chorse123]

I think you may want to stay away from brown.

 

[Dmntd]

The buttons arrived today, I desided on 2B SB - with 3B working cuffs. As soon as the velvet gets here I'll take to the tailor and get it started.

Dmntd

 

[grimslade]

I keep a 3-button SB black silk sports coat (purchased from STP) in my office as an "emergency jacket" when I need one and have not worn a suit to the office. I find it works pretty well with a range of pant combinations, although I have a running debate with an office mate over how dark a pair of grey slacks is acceptable in combination with the jacket. I do not wear it with black pants.

The coat has a variable-width black-on-black herringbone pattern to it. The silk sets it apart a bit and for me, it serves as a nice alternative to a blazer.

 

[chorse123]

Is silk an inappropriate material for a blazer?