How to Wear a Blazer
A blazer should have shoulder seams that rest on your natural shoulder; any shorter than this will appear too short and awkward on you.
A black blazer pairs perfectly with skinny jeans and a white tee. Elevate this ensemble with black combat boots and add flair with gold earrings and structured cream purse accessories.
Choose the Right Fit
Blazers can add an effortless, chic flair to any ensemble, but ensuring the correct fit is crucial. A too-baggy or too-tight blazer may appear sloppy or make you feel constrained throughout your day – in which case, use the same guidelines when fitting it as when dealing with suit jackets and sports coats.
Your blazer should fit comfortably (but not tightly), and its seams should end where your natural shoulder starts. Women have more choices when it comes to sleeves; full arm length, three-quarter length or even cuff options may be considered; whatever length they select though should extend to cover your wrist bone so that when standing erect about quarter inch to half an inch of shirt sleeve peeks out when sitting up straight.
Your blazer’s lapels should fit closely against your chest without restricting breathing or looking baggy when buttoned; when buttoned, they should allow enough room to fit a fist between you and it.
If you have a Rectangle or Triangle body shape, blazers with peaked lapels may be particularly flattering as they draw the eye upward and complement your curves. Conversely, shoulder pads should be avoided as these may add bulkiness and volume to your upper body.
Your blazer’s hem should sit just above the bottom edge of your hips (or lower, if you are taller), which ensures it doesn’t bunch up or pull in the back while walking. Blazers can also serve as an opportunity to showcase design elements such as contrast piping, unique cuffs or embossed buttons.
Measure Your Chest
Before purchasing a blazer, it’s essential that you measure both your chest and waist to ensure the perfect fit. Knowing your measurement range and understanding what sizes mean can also be very useful; typically most dress shirts and sports jackets include chest sizes listed as inches as well as numbers and letters to represent both circumference at its widest point as well as available movement space between their two labels.
For accurate chest measurements, wear a snug shirt. Check accuracy by standing before a mirror to verify measurements taken. Having someone assist is ideal as getting accurate readings alone may be challenging. While taking measurements, do not stick out your chest or exhale; simply stand up straight with arms relaxed under armpits at widest part of nipple line (widest part should rest just under armpit). Wrap tape measure around chest resting it just below armpit at widest part (widest point of nipple line (widest part). Wrap tape measure around chest just under armpits at widest point (nipple line).
Once you’ve taken your measurement, add two inches for your chest size. This will determine which dress shirt or sports jacket size would best fit you, while also helping to compare with clothing stores’ sizing charts to ensure you buy what fits well – for instance if your across-chest measurement is 42″, look for a blazer with an across-chest measurement of 44″. This will give ample room to move and guarantee comfort – then move onto finding one with perfect measurements that fits other areas of your body!
Measure Your Waist
At first glance, blazers may seem similar to sports jackets; however, these two garments come from two distinct sources. Blazers are dressier than sports jackets but not as formal as suits; making them suitable for work, casual wear, and everything in between – from work meetings and casual Friday events to pairing with jeans and a T-shirt or thin turtleneck underneath – making the blazer an essential staple in many men’s wardrobes.
There is some controversy as to when and why the blazer first made an entrance in fashion, but one thing is certain: its influence is here to stay. Some believe its invention by Cambridge rowers as glorified athletic windbreakers; others suggest its creation was intended to impress Queen Victoria. No matter its beginnings, today it serves as an intermediary between suit jackets and sports coats.
To accurately measure your waist, remove all clothing and use a fabric tape measure. Make sure the measurement is smooth and horizontal before noting its number. Alternatively, string or ribbon can also be used and marked on a long ruler as a form of measurement.
With this information in hand, it’s easy to ascertain your waist size. Next up is measuring your hips; generally they tend to be wider than waist sizes so make sure that you measure the fullest part of the hip area.
After you’ve taken your measurements, use them to identify which size blazer would best fit you. Knowing your measurements will ensure it fits perfectly; so take the time to learn how to measure waist and hip sizes properly so you can create an array of wardrobe staples that fit you just right!
Measure Your Shoulders
Finding an appropriate blazer can add confidence and elevate one’s appearance, but finding that ideal fit may prove challenging without knowing your measurements accurately. Accurate measurements include shoulder width, bust size, waist measurement and hip circumference in order to find sizes that will comfortably fit.
To take measurements of your shoulders, have someone assist in positioning an end of a standard flexible tape measure at the point where your shoulder meets armbone (boniest part). Stretch this horizontally across back from one shoulder to another until tape doesn’t slip off of shoulders. Make sure it remains at a high enough level so as not to slip off easily.
Your helper should locate the ends of your acromion bones by gently probing their points with their fingertips, typically about an inch or two apart. Once found, mark them with a pencil or piece of chalk before stretching the tape measure across them to measure each shoulder from front to back and writing down what measurement results from front shoulder to front shoulder.
For an accurate measurement, take your shoulder width measurements while wearing an item of clothing that fits well and compare it with sizing charts. However, it’s always a good idea to take these measurements with someone to ensure accuracy and then start shopping! Once you know what your measurements are you can start shopping for shirts, jackets and blazers that will fit perfectly using this information – simply compare shoulder width against each garment’s chart to determine its appropriate size!
Measure Your Arms
A blazer can add flair and sophistication to any ensemble, whether you prefer formal events such as cocktail dresses or casual attire like jeans and T-shirts. As it remains a fashion classic, its use will only get better over time. There’s a variety of colors and styles available – choose one that best reflects your personal taste while considering event and location factors when making this decision.
When shopping for a blazer, the first thing to take note of are its shoulders. If there are indentations or bumps on them, that blazer may be too large and may not fit as desired – although altering can sometimes help, choosing an accurate size right from the beginning may be wiser.
Next, take measurements of your arms. For best results when taking arm measurements, enlisting help from someone else is ideal to get an accurate reading. Measure from shoulder down your arm until thumb. Measuring arm span will enable you to find a blazer with sleeves that perfectly match up to you!
If you want your outfit to take an impressive leap forward, sequin and print options can add the perfect extra pop. Additionally, there is no shortage of vibrant reds, pastel pinks and emerald green hues; although brighter colored options may prove harder to style and less versatile down the road; black, navy blue and gray may offer better timeless style options.