Jacket vs Blazer; What's the Difference?
An oft-asked question. But what really is the difference between a Blazer and a Jacket? If you had asked that in the early 1900s, there would have been a clear cut answer for you. As it stands, the answer to that question is now a bit more grey. One broad answer is that a blazer is designed to be worn on its own whereas a jacket is designed to be part of a suit. Although this is largely true, modern menswear seems to have almost as many exceptions to the rule as it has jackets that follow it!
Menswear is (and always has been) incredibly detail oriented, as there is a narrower variety of garments that are commonly available to men. Because of this, some of the differences for our answer lie within the details of both jackets. Blazers are generally more relaxed, with less internal structure while jackets are more formal and have layers upon layers of internal structuring. Blazers have one sort of sleeve, and jackets another and so the list could go on.
Pretty safe to say is that these days there is not really a clear cut answer. Here at Threadpepper, we stock ‘jackets’ that don’t belong to a suit, and ‘blazers’ that do - and almost all of them bear hallmark details from both styles! So instead, we’ve put together some of our favourites below to showcase some of the similarities and differences:
A Tweed Blazer:
A beautiful sage-green blazer with a subtle check, this blazer is most often worn with a 'separates' look as the mellow tones compliment a wide range of clothing. With some internal structuring it does break some of the traditions of the blazer, and there is a matching waistcoat and trouser that it could be worn with if you wanted.
A Puppy-Tooth Jacket:
With a stunning subtle dog-tooth check in a sumptuous tan and blue makes a dogstooth suit one of most popular. A perfect example of a jacket designed to be worn with it's full suit, this really shines when several pieces are worn to show off the gorgeous design of the fabric.
A Velvet Blazer:
The Velvet Blazer is perfectly suited to any dinner event you might be attending this year. With complementary satin lapels and smooth velvet finish, this blazer (true to it's name) was never designed to be worn as a full suit. It looks stunning when paired with a little bit of flair like with this Waistcoat and Trouser.
A Checked Jacket:
A great jacket to wear with the full suit, this suit boasts a beautiful checked design that reaches a full impact of the navy fabric when seen with all three pieces. The neutral base of the suit allows for some brighter and bolder accessories to spice up the outfit and bring the stunning jacket to life.
A Herringbone Jacket:
A firm exception to our rule, this jacket comes alongside a matching set of grey herringbone tweed waistcoat and trousers that you could add in if you like a more matching outfit. However this jacket is most often sold separately (as a traditional blazer) and it is easy to see why! An injection of the herringbone tweed into an outfit is a surefire way to elevate it!
A Stand-out Blazer:
Although a checked blazer would look wonderful if paired with a casual pair of jeans and a warm jumper, when put together with the full suit this characteristic double check pattern comes into it's full strength. With such a strong design, few extra elements are needed to make this suit pop.
So when looking for your next blazer or a jacket you can decide what fits the bill. Whether you want to wear it as a blazer on it’s own, or as a jacket with matching suit there will be one out there for you. Need some inspiration? Why not have a look at our full collection here>
Shop our popular mens Cavani blazers and jackets >
