Modern · From the Tryoom app
The Case for the Navy Blazer
If you can only own one jacket, make it a navy single-breasted blazer. It does more work than any other piece in menswear.
The Case for the Navy Blazer
If you can only own one jacket, make it a navy single-breasted blazer. It does more work than any other piece in menswear.
Why navy specifically
- Goes with everything: grey trousers, charcoal trousers, beige chinos, dark jeans, cream linen. The only thing it struggles with is a navy bottom.
- Reads dressy or casual: with a tie and grey trousers, it's smart casual. Over a tee with jeans, it's relaxed weekend wear.
- Photographs well: navy holds detail in photographs in ways black absorbs and grey washes out.
- Hides wear: small wrinkles, light dust, ink smudges show less on navy than on black.
What to look for
- Wool or wool blend. Pure wool drapes best. Cotton blazers are summer-only.
- Half-canvas construction minimum. Fully fused jackets bubble after a year.
- Notch lapel for versatility. Peak lapels read more formal; shawl lapels are tuxedo-only.
- Two-button single-breasted. Three-button is older; double-breasted is more formal.
- Side vents (not centre vent). Modern, more flattering when seated.
Buttons
- Horn or mother-of-pearl: the classic, dressy choice.
- Brass / gold-tone: reads as "blazer" in the historical sense (closer to a navy club blazer). Slightly more casual when paired with chinos.
- Black plastic: the cheap-jacket signal. Avoid.
The four ways to wear it
- With grey wool trousers + white shirt + tie: business casual, near-formal.
- With charcoal trousers + knit polo (no tie): creative business casual.
- With beige chinos + light blue oxford: classic American sport-coat look.
- With dark jeans + plain white tee: smart-casual evening.
Care
- Dry clean only when actually dirty. Twice a year max. Over-cleaning kills wool.
- Brush after wearing with a clothes brush. It removes lint and lifts the nap.
- Hang on a wide wooden hanger. Wire hangers warp the shoulder.