Can You Wear a Suit Jacket as a Blazer
More often than ever, we come across men who simply don't understand the subtle differences between a blazer, a sport coat, or even a suit jacket. As much of a pet peeve, it may be for others, it's quite embarrassing for the person himself.
Hence, with due respect, we're here to save the day, or at least we hope to!
With men's fashion constantly changing in more subtle and detail-oriented ways as opposed to women, it's necessary to understand the ifs and buts of dress and fabric to avoid the wrong pairing of suits.
So, let's get into the greater depths of learning the profound comparisons between wearing a blazer and a suit jacket before we get into our answers.
Blazer vs. Suit Jacket
In a nuanced sense, the traditional blazer simply falls under the more “casual” way of wearing a jacket, while suit jackets are the typical formal jackets paired with matching trousers.
Having said so, suit jackets and matching pants are well suited to formal occasions and such to bring out the classic polished look in men's style. This obvious choice of clothing for formal situations is thus tailored with the same fabric, color, and weight.
According to the general rule of casual functions, merely replacing a blazer with a suit jacket can turn into your worst nightmare. To save you from trouble, we have decided to guide you through maintaining the dress code in the right way.
Can You Wear a Suit Jacket as a Blazer
To be frank, nothing beats a man looking dreamy in a full suit during formal functions.
However, oftentimes the situation arises that your closet is devoid of the perfect blazer for an informal event, and you need to dress down with a suit jacket separately.
No pun intended, but before you casually pick any suit jacket as a blazer or sport coat in such situations, know what to avoid, so women don't end up doing the same to you-
Lapels
Peak lapels, when compared to notch lapels, inherently give off a fancier formal dress aura due to their width.
Hence, when it comes to choosing a suit jacket as a blazer, make sure to leave out the peak lapel and opt for a notch lapel instead.
Fabric
In contrast to blazers, suit jackets are tailor-made from a finer and lighter fabric, such as worsted wool. Thus, most of these tend to look a little off to the eyes when worn separately with casual pants such as chinos or jeans.
The solution to this is quite simple-the more rugged the fabric, the better it is to pull off.
A suit jacket will usually be made from a lighter, finer fabric than a blazer or sports jacket. Think cashmere or silk over flannel or tweed. The more rugged the fabric with more texture, the easier it will be to pull it off with chinos or jeans.
Pattern
Bluntly speaking, this part can get quite tricky at times. From common sense, patterned tops or jackets are the best way to flaunt off your sense of style when paired up with solid-colored pants.
However, the big catch is to avoid a pinstripe suit jacket as a separate blazer to throw away the typical businessmen/banker vibes.
Plaids, on the other hand, can be an obvious choice to style off as a blazer and give off a naturally casual look.
Structure and Buttons
The key to acing in this sector is to go for unlined jackets with contrasting buttons, simply how a blazer or sport coat is made-to-order.
By this, we mean, avoiding wearing any structured suit jacket for the purpose, like one with shoulder pads and blend-in buttons. This will simply allow you to play off a casual look without much effort, just as you would with a classic navy blazer with gold buttons.
Contrarily, a light-colored suit jacket, such as a light blue blazer, with dark buttons would have the same effect of bringing in a homely informal look with basic T-shirts and a good pair of sneakers.
Pockets
One thing we cannot emphasize enough is please don't wear a suit separate from its matching pair and try to slide it off as a blazer if it consists of pockets.
In simpler terms, any suit with patch pockets, flap pockets, or ticket pockets will always scream out the formal side in you. Therefore, to steer clear of awkward situations, be sure to follow this golden rule- “Not every suit jacket can be worn as a blazer”.
When Not to Wear a Suit Jacket as a Blazer
More often than ever, we come across men who simply don't understand a dress code and wear just a suit jacket to a formal event with no repercussions in mind whatsoever. But we'll be honest here, it's one of the biggest turn-offs known to mankind.
So, given that the event in question requests even the slightest bit of formals, keep the blazer out of your list for your own good. Especially when it comes to a black tie, white tie, or even a business meeting with your clients, stick to your full suit, and you'll thank us later!
All in all, don't forget to do a bit of research on the current trends of blazers and suit jackets to pick the right kind before you hop into the decision of wearing a suit jacket separately.
Lastly, we hope you find the perfect choice to wear and slay the day!
