The casual blazer is a real savior for men. It never fails to rescue them when they want to attend an important event with a casual theme and are lost for outfit ideas.
But as with pretty much every outfit, you do need to put some thought and effort into choosing the right blazer for casual events.
We will help you with the hard part by discussing the major factors and the fashion technicalities. You do the easy part by using that information and finding a blazer that works for your personality.
The Basics
With any outfit, whether formal or casual, you will need to consider the basics. The fabric, the color, the combinations, fit, and the type of occasions you will wear it to.
Fabric
Any lightweight fabric is good to go. However, a little bit of shine along with it would be even better.
While some men prefer cotton for its comfort and breathability, it can lose its shine rather sooner than you would expect. Unless you’re looking for a blazer to wear specifically during the summer, we feel linen and polyester would turn out to be better choices.
A touch of wool on them would make them even better. The blend fabric would boast great versatility while not compromising on the breathability.
Colors
If you’re after something that could work for both casual and semi-formal events or weddings, then gray and navy blue would be great choices. If you want to go exclusively casual, however, then you can explore other shades of blue, or choose from any of the non-standard colors like red, olive green, burgundy, and light blue.
Similarly, if you’re feeling courageous, maybe you can consider a sports coat too. If you don’t know how the two are different, refer to our detailed post on the differences between a blazer and a sports coat.
Combinations
Combinations for a blazer are easy. For the more formal heavy events, go with a shirt. Your blazer will need to be pattern-less here though, and feature only a single color.
Now, we wouldn’t recommend dress pants even for business casual wear. They would make your overall attire a bit too formal, especially when being paired with a casual blazer.
Go for chinos instead. If you make the right choice, you don’t dilute your casual look but also don’t come off as unreasonable for a slightly professional setting.
For casual, pair your blazer with jeans and a t-shirt. No overthinking is needed there.
Pockets!
You might not have expected to see this as a factor, but that’s only because you probably don’t know how important it is. If you want to carry a casual look, you will not really be doing yourself a favor if you go for a blazer with no pockets. They often look more like a suit jacket.
Again, to understand the differences between all these different outfits we discussed here, you can check out our post on sport coat vs blazer vs suit jacket.
A blazer with no pockets naturally gets a more formal look, and it’s always difficult to dress it down. In other words, if you want to look at your casual best, then pockets will be your friend!
Three pockets are totally fine, but some casual lightweight blazers come with two pockets. But as long as they have all the casual hints, they are good to go.
Casual and Ultra Casual
All casual blazers are not made equal. While some are moderately casual and fit for events with a lighthearted theme, there are some that cross some lines and get you into another zone of stylish casual.
As a rule of thumb, any casual blazer that comes plainly in a single color is a standard casual blazer. However, if you go for a blazer with multiple colors or patterns featuring checks, then it becomes extra casual.
That kind of a casual blazer would be a good fit for casual events where you can wear anything and everything. Moreover, these kinds of blazers would allow you the opportunity to accessorize the way you want to. They are the fashion equivalent of no holds barred!
The “Unbutton” Test
We believe a good way to find out whether a particular blazer is good for a casual look is to put it through the “unbutton” test. The unbutton test is whether the blazer is fit to be worn unbuttoned.
But it’s even better if it gives you a more spiced-up look when you do so. This not only validates the blazer’s casual look factor, but also gives you the ability to take your style up a notch if the event allows or demands.
The blazers that might seem casual but do not really excite at a casual event will most certainly fail this test. But remember you do need to pair it up with a shirt or a t-shirt that has a contrasting color.
Wait, What About the Prices?
Casual blazers are a great outfit for men. Given you choose the right one, it can be impressively versatile while allowing you to be your “fashion” self.
But they don’t really come cheap, especially if you’re shopping quality. Shopping at a retail store would almost always mean having to hurt your pockets.
However, you can find some really cool casual blazers coming in different colors, fabrics, and patterns at Flex Suits at prices you would find hard to believe.
No compromises on the quality though. We have built processes that allow us to offer the best in terms of style and quality while still keeping our overhead costs under control to a great extent.
So don’t miss checking out our collection of casual blazers here!
