Top Mistakes to Avoid with Blazers: Shopping and Styling Guide

Top Mistakes to Avoid with Blazers: Shopping and Styling Guide
How many mistakes can you spot?

Whether you're in the market for a new blazer or making the most of your current collection, avoiding common pitfalls can elevate your style. Let's dive into the top mistakes to watch out for when it comes to blazers, or watch the reel here.

1. Confusing Suit Jackets with Blazers

A classic error is styling a suit jacket with jeans. I’ve done it! The word “blazer” is used to denote any sort of blazer, sports coat, or suit jacket in womenswear. Menswear traditions more clearly delineate the differences: blazers and sports coats are the least formal and tend to be made of coarser fabrics, so they work well with denim.

Suit jackets are a different story. Suit jackets are typically made of fluid or lustrous materials and are designed to be worn with matching bottoms or lighter fabrics like silk satin skirts.

2. Overlooking Proper Fit

What does bad fit look like? 

Succession’s brilliant costume designer Michelle Matland intentionally chose ill-fitting blazers for character development; the clothes show the contrast between Shiv’s posture of seeming in control while her life is actually falling apart, plus clothes are just not a priority for her, notable since the character has ample budget to hire a stylist, let alone shop at Bergdorf’s.

Instead:

  • Ensure the shoulders align with your natural shoulder line for a traditional fit
  • Sleeves should hit at the wrist bone, even for oversized styles
  • Give your arms enough room to move comfortably; a high armhole facilitates greater mobility

3. Collar Gap

The collar should cradle the neck smoothly, not jut away from it. It should follow the contours without gaps or buckling. If you have a blazer in your wardrobe and notice the collar standing away from your neck, try wearing it with a shirt that has a voluminous collar to fill in the gap.

Collar gap circled at right

4. Visible Seam Allowance

Great blazers are tailored to look effortless. You don’t see the shoulder pads, and you don’t see the seam allowances (the extra fabric that’s folded in when pieces of material are stitched together). Once your eye catches these visible seam allowances, they look look glaringly messy.

The blazer at the right has visible seam allowances, especially where marked by a triangle

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