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What’s The difference between a Suit jacket and a Blazer?
Classic jackets, sport coats, blazers, and suit jackets are all options. Men’s jackets have various names, but the distinctions between them aren’t always evident. Many of our clients confuse suit jackets with blazers, except that “suit jacket” refers to the one worn with a suit and “blazer” refers to the jacket worn with mismatched pants. Is that correct?
Modern tailoring is multifaceted, and menswear is becoming increasingly ambiguous. However, these two must-have outfits are not interchangeable.
The style and level of formality are defined by each sartorial feature, such as the shoulders or the inside finish of the jacket. That is why, in order to constantly choose the appropriate style for each event, knowing the difference between a suit jacket and a blazer is essential. So, if you have any doubts, trust Teeanime!
Etymology and origin
The origin of the jacket
Over the years, men’s outerwear has changed. The word “jaquette” wasn’t used for the first time until the end of the 14th century. A jaquette was longer than a jacket. It could reach down to the knees and was embroidered, padded, and lined with fur.
The Sakko, or sports coat, was likely the first thing that looked like a modern jacket. Sports coats were common in England in the 1800s. They were straight, had wide shoulders, and were long enough to reach the hips. They were sewn together on the sides, had one set of buttons, and two cut-out pockets. They were made of squared or striped fabric and were worn with matching pants.
The origin of the blazer
It’s hard to say when the man’s blazer first came into existence. Around 1825, the term was first used to describe the red blazers that members of the Lady Margaret Boat Club wore. The Lady Margaret Boat Club is a rowing club at St. John’s College in Cambridge. Their bright red jackets got the name “blazer” from the word “blaze,” but after that, the word “blazer” was used for jackets of any color.
The main differences
Before you can figure out the differences between a suit jacket and a blazer, you need to know how they are made. We’ve made a short list of the general features of these two coats and the main differences between them.
What is a jacket?
A man’s suit jacket is an outerwear piece that is part of a complete appearance that includes a jacket, pants, and sometimes a vest (see our guide to the men’s vest here). Although it has recently become fashionable to wear it with something different, such as jeans, chinos, or fine trousers in a different color, the suit jacket is traditionally worn with matching trousers to maintain a formal appearance.
What is a blazer?
A blazer, unlike a jacket, has its own identity: it was designed to be worn with mismatched pants. There are various types of blazers, but the most well-known is the Navy Blazer, which is a double-breasted, blue blazer with six golden buttons and flap pockets. The club blazer is a single-breasted blazer. It’s normally blue with patch pockets. Fashion has altered the character of this item, and blazers can now be found in a variety of styles and colors.
The models
There are various styles of suit jackets and blazers. Suit jackets, on the other hand, serve a more formal role, whilst blazers are more relaxed.
Suit jacket
Suit jackets are often single-breasted (two or three buttons) or double-breasted (six or four buttons). Less formal jackets have flap pockets, and more formal styles have welt pockets.
On lanieri.com, you may personalize your tailor-made suit jacket by selecting one of six models: single-breasted with two buttons; single-breasted with two buttons and broad lapels; single-breasted with two buttons and peak lapels; single-breasted with three buttons; double-breasted with wide lapels.
Blazer
Blazers are available in two styles: single-breasted with two buttons and double-breasted with six buttons. Of course, there are patch pockets.
Lanieri blazers can be personalized. You can select one of three models based on the style of the pockets, button stance, and lapels: double-breasted with peak lapels and patch pockets; single-breasted with patch pockets; and single-breasted with flap pockets.
The shoulders
“A rollino,” “a camicia,” “Neapolitan,” “Italian,” “English,” etc. There are numerous strategies for tailoring jacket shoulders, and they change depending on brand, nation, and tailor. Because jackets and blazers frequently have the same construction, it is difficult to get universal agreement on the many procedures utilized.
Suit jacket
Italian suit jackets’ shoulders are traditionally “a rollino”. They’re manufactured by hand, slowly and precisely. A very thin padding is initially inserted, then more padding (called “rollino”) is added where the sleeve is joined to the body of the jacket. This technique gives the shoulder its characteristic rounded shape, and the overall shape of the jacket is well-defined and structured.
Blazer
Unlike a suit jacket, a blazer is frequently made with shirt-shoulders (“a camicia”), so named because the additional fabric is tucked under the shoulder in the same way that shirts are. The garment will be softer in appearance, following the natural contour of the shoulders.
The inside
When it comes to the shoulders, it’s tough to agree on the distinctions between the insides of a suit jacket and a blazer. Having said that, there are tiny, discernible variations in current tailoring.
Suit jacket
The interfacing technique provides softness and tightness: the classic lightweight hair canvas stretches from the roll line and shoulders to the bust, allowing the jacket to maintain its smooth line. The internal lining and lapel stitching are revealing elements of a high-quality men’s coat. Furthermore, a jacket must be more snug than a blazer. After all, jackets are just worn over shirts.
Blazer
Blazers are a less formal alternative to suit jackets. A blazer must be less poised than a suit jacket, thus it is often unlined, unpadded, and the lapels are not edge-stitched. The blazer is light and easy to wear over numerous outfits.
Fabrics
Suit jacket
The fabric for a suit jacket will also be used to make the trousers. This means that it must be durable, tear-resistant, and abrasion-resistant, as trousers can tear or wear out more easily than a jacket. Aside from the practical component, there is a fashionable one to consider: a suit jacket is a formal garment, so the color, pattern, and embellishments must be appropriate for both a work atmosphere and a ceremony.
Blazer
A blazer’s fabric, on the other hand, can be chosen independently of the pants, so it might be less strong, lighter, in other patterns, and with different features.
Considerations about the style
When do you wear…
A suit jacket
The suit jacket is the most formal piece of men’s clothing. The jacket is ideal for practically all formal events due to its composed and structured silhouette. It will be worn with tone on tone pants in your everyday business meetings; nevertheless, according to recent trends, it can be worn with contrasting trousers in less formal circumstances.
A blazer
A blazer is a versatile piece that may be worn in both informal and corporate settings. Because it has a casual elegance that is improper for serious business events, it is less formal than a traditional suit jacket and the ideal companion for your weekend activities.
How to match them
As previously stated, the suit jacket is intended to be worn with a suit. So you’ll need to think about the trousers first, and then potentially the vest. Both must be made of the same material as the jacket. This is a slim fit garment, therefore you must wear a shirt underneath and nothing else. In the cold, a sweater can be worn, but it must be thin and light.
Is it okay to be creative? In general. Because this is a casual item in your collection, you can mix and match chinos in contrasting colors and wear a shirt or t-shirt depending on the occasion. For a mismatched, casual outfit, a blazer is a must-have.
What is a sport coat?
Three is a lucky number. A third type of jacket to consider is the so-called sport jacket. However, this is becoming less and less appropriate for a gentleman’s clothing.
The sport coat first appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, when a mismatched appearance on hunting expeditions was fashionable. The Norfolk jacket was constructed of tweed, had three or four buttons, a belt, and bellows pockets. The belt and folds were removed from these tweed jackets in the 1920s. Men began wearing them not only on hunting expeditions, but also in their spare time in place of a suit.
The sport coat evolved into a hybrid: part suit, half sportswear. Italian tailors produce a better and more elegant version, but English tailors produce a product that is more like to the original sport coat.
A sport coat is made of less formal fabrics, such as herringbone or pied-de-poule tweed, cheviot, covert, and Bedford Cord. Blazers and sport coats are fairly similar: a blue, single-breasted blazer with no gold buttons looks almost identical to a plain blue sports jacket.
Suit jacket, blazer or sport coat?
Although these jackets have many qualities, there are tiny distinctions that allow them to be distinguished. None of them is superior to the others: it all depends on the circumstances.
Each jacket has a distinct edge that will help you to look your best in relation to your surroundings.
