Gray Blazer Suggestions

[afman916]

Hi guys,

First post, been updating my wardrobe for about the past year now and have the majority of the essentials down so now I'm moving on to some second-tier items.

Over the past year, I've come to love blazers. I work in a business casual environment (read: I'm one of the only ones with any real style unfortunately) so I've made it a point to try and purchase blazers that can pull double (triple?) duty with jeans/khakis/dress pants. So far I have a Ludlow navy wool blazer, a Ludlow blue herringbone linen blazer, and a JCF Thompson tan/brown herringbone blazer.

For Christmas I'm asking my fiance for a gray blazer from J. Crew. The Ludlow line fits me very well and I know J. Crew items, while not the be-all-end-all by any means, will be serviceable for the next 5-7 years until I can afford something more luxurious.

So my question is, out of the J. Crew blazers I have linked, what would you guys recommend for a versatile gray blazer I could wear with jeans while strolling downtown but subsequently dress up for Monday at the office?

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/sportcoatsandvests/Ludlowsportcoats/PRDOVR~03791/03791.jsp

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/sportcoatsandvests/Ludlowsportcoats/PRDOVR~17972/17972.jsp

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/sportcoatsandvests/Ludlowsportcoats/PRDOVR~03734/03734.jsp

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/...DOVR~03737/03737.jsp?color_name=hthr-charcoal

At this point I've identified pros and cons for each one...I like the herringbone one, but feel as though that jacket would skew my collection too far towards the herringbone pattern (3 out of 4 blazers). I like the tweed one, but feel the texture and elbow patches may hinder it's workplace versatility. I like the light gray wool flannel one, but am worried it may look too much like an orphaned suit jacket. I like the charcoal one, but worry it may be too dark and hard to match with the rest of my wardrobe. And so on haha....


Thoughts/recommendations? Thanks guys!

 

[YRR92]

The charcoal one is tasteless. Metal buttons are great on navy, bad on other colors. Anyway, a plain gray jacket is too boring. Same goes for the flannel.

Either of the first two would be okay. It wouldn't skew your wardrobe towards herringbone too much to get that one, because it's a winter jacket, and the linen one is a summer jacket. You won't wear them concurrently. The other tweed is a little less interesting, in terms of texture. I'd lean towards the gray herringbone.

You can't dress it up that much. If you get the right pair of gray flannels, those will work fine. It may work with navy chinos or cords, and definitely will work with tan chinos or cords. Stick to blue oxford shirts (the same thing you should wear it with when in jeans) and knit, repp, madder, or wool ties, plus brown shoes.