SB or DB Blazer

What you always wanted to know about Elegance, but were afraid to ask!
aston
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Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:23 pm

Lovely look, but to me that is not a blazer, it is a suit jacket with different trousers.

As a coat, it needs to stand out, with a slightly more vibrant colour, even if it is in the spectrum "navy", good contrast in the buttons (off white mother of pearl?) and a slightly less structured fit.

Otherwise it risks being a suit jacket without its trousers.
Screaminmarlon
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Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:38 pm

Fair enough: I'm guilty of ordinary buttons and I even forgot to have my trousers made :D
Last edited by Screaminmarlon on Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
hectorm
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Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:42 pm

aston wrote:Lovely look, but to me that is not a blazer, it is a suit jacket with different trousers.
Thank you, Aston. I think it´s always a good start (and of obvious importance) to use the right terms for the right garments.
Whatever the color, a blazer is not a sports coat, nor a striped boating jacket or a piped school uniform top, and of course, it´s not a suit jacket worn by itself.
A true blazer, at least, must show some kind of naval inspiration (maybe the metal buttons, maybe a reefer cut, etc.) resulting in sharper lines and more formality than a sports coat. And since it´s primarily for wearing outdoors, hence the use of hopsack or some other durable material.
A blue linen unstructured blazer....oops :oops: .....jacket, would not pass the test. :)
aston
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Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:06 pm

But I think a well made blazer is just the most versatile coat in the repertoire.

My favourite is a Harrison Frontier SB, a brightish French blue, plain flat gilt buttons, which looks at home with flannels in a more formal setting or, as I sometimes end up with, teamed with a pair of 501's, tobacco suede loafers and a white oxford button down.

And I'm old enough to qualify for a bus pass............
hectorm
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Fri Jan 29, 2016 9:47 pm

aston wrote:But I think a well made blazer is just the most versatile coat in the repertoire.
I stopped looking for versatility in my clothes a long while ago (well, when I travel I do just a little bit). It was a great relief. But I agree with you that a well made blazer goes a longer way than any other jacket.
Maybe because I´m not wise enough to qualify for the bus pass just yet, I don´t wear blazers with jeans as a regular option. :)
Concordia
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Fri Jan 29, 2016 10:19 pm

aston wrote:
My favourite is a Harrison Frontier SB, a brightish French blue...
Interesting-- most Frontiers are plains or end-on-ends. Is there a more obviously "jacket"-y weave I'm missing? (Not that plains can't get by in a pinch, especially when travelling.)
uppercase
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Sat Jan 30, 2016 1:39 am

How old do you have to be for a bus pass?

Is it similar to getting senior discounts at the noon movies?
hectorm
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Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:19 pm

Concordia wrote:-- most Frontiers are plains or end-on-ends. Is there a more obviously "jacket"-y weave I'm missing?
Concordia has a point here. Although 95% of the RTW blazers that you see out there maybe made up in very flat and lightweight materials, once you decide to take the big step and go bespoke, I believe a more substantive cloth is called for.
aston
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Sun Jan 31, 2016 7:55 am

Fully agree Hectorm but the Frontier was really all about the colour. Mainstays are a 4 ply Finmeresco for summer and a Dugdale barathea for winter.
uppercase
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Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:28 am

Many times, you just want to fit in and not stand out.

In that regard, a DB is a non-starter. I love them…but.…

Today, in this small town, I saw a fellow, perhaps coming from church , in a SB navy blue blazer, gold buttons, khaki pants, baseball hat.

Hard to know what to think.

Kudos for wearing a jacket. Yet…as Alden admonished , not worn with much panache.

The reefer cut …? Do square, sharp, elegant lines work today?
Isn't the modest, self-effacing rounder cut more suitable to the times?


Still… dreaming of a SB, royal blue , heavy woven flannel blazer with brown horn button sounds a nice 2016 prospect.

Endless possibilities for this workhorse.
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