In this article, I invite you to participate in a little game that will allow you to determine the level of formality (or casualness) of your blazer .
We will review each component of the jacket, and assign points to them. Is the shoulder very structured? 5 points. On the contrary, is it completely flexible? 0 points.
If the result is high, your blazer is rather formal.
For example, look at Alex Ramius' Instagram account to see some great looks in this style.
On the contrary, the lower the result, the more easily your blazer will go with very casual clothing : t-shirts, uncreased chinos or sneakers.
The maximum score is 20 points. The minimum score is 0 points.
Grab your favorite blazer and let yourself be guided.
The test
Shoulder padding and rigidity
The more structured a jacket is at the top
On the contrary, a softer shoulder gives a more drooping, relaxed fit.
Concretely, take the shoulder of your jacket in your hand: what do you feel?
So, if the shoulder is:
- Very rigid, giving the jacket a "square" appearance = 4 points
- Rather rigid but not completely hard = 3 points
- Rather soft but you feel that there is a little padding still = 1 point
- If the shoulder contains no padding and is completely unstructured = 0 points
Length
The longer your jacket, the more formal it gives it a formal look . The shorter it is, the more it adapts to casual wear. If it arrives:
- Lower buttocks = 2 points
- Around mid-buttocks = 1 point
- higher = 0 points
Front pockets
There are two types of pockets on the front of a jacket:
- If the front pockets are called "piped" flap pockets
= 2 points. - If the pockets are patched
= 0 points.
Matter
The nature of the material of your jacket can have an impact on its level of formality:
- 100% wool
= 2 points - Blend with wool and natural materials
= 1 point - Natural material without wool, only cotton, silk, linen, alpaca, cashmere, etc.
= 0 points
Color
The darker the jacket, the more sober it is
If the color is:
- Very dark, almost black
= 4 points - Rather dark = 2 points
- In an intermediate tone = 1 point
- Clear or a very original color (burgundy, yellow, white, etc.) = 0 points
The pattern, the texture
The more united and uniform a material, the more serious it has. The more textured, creative, with a marked and visible pattern, the more casual the jacket becomes. So, the patterns or texture are:
- Plain with completely smooth material = 4 points
- Fade, almost invisible = 2 points
- Slightly visible = 1 point
- Very visible, strong = 0 points
Straight or double-breasted jacket?
- If your blazer is double-breasted, it's +2 points. A double-breasted jacket is always more formal than its equivalent, but straight.
- If your jacket is straight, it's 0 points.
The exceptions
For example, the so-called “chalk” stripe on a suit is not very casual.
On the contrary, it recalls something of the work costume of a banker or financier. Watch for example The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio:
Another example would be the Balenciaga blazers which are very square at the shoulders but which are obviously not formal blazers:
So, how much is your blazer out of 20? :)
Hey, we also make blazers!