Relaxed Chambray
The blazer has evolved far beyond its traditionally formal roots. The Portland jacket from Oliver Spencer embodies this movement, far better suited as casual Friday dress or weekend apparel.
The soft shoulder and unstructured silhouette, combined with a soft handle and chambray-like indigo overdye, gives the jacket a relaxed appeal. Style with lace-up boots, chinos and a granddad collar shirt.
Oliver Spencer Portland Jacket Flitwick Navy, available at Oliver Spencer, priced £329.
Dandy Delight
A navy blazer may be a fail-safe fallback for that unannounced visit from the in-laws, but to make that extra special statement when you receive a hideous dress code like ‘relaxed cocktail’ on an invite, it’s good to having something a touch flashier on hand.
The jacket in itself is statement enough so pare-down the rest of your look. A white tee, indigo slim jeans and brown Chelsea boots will suffice.
Calcium B Navy Blazer, available at Reiss, priced £350.
Technical Tailoring
In recent seasons, the worlds of suiting and sportswear have began to merge. Many designers are now turning to technical innovation to create a new take on smarter apparel.
OAMC’s lightly structured navy blazer is testament to this, crafted from tactile wool-hopsack and finished with contemporary details like zipped pockets and contrasting front panels. A rather nifty finishing touch comes in the form of a detachable internal belt to adjust the silhouette.
Forget the chinos and try with tailored jogging bottoms and a white tee.
OAMC Navy Slim-Fit Satin-Trimmed Wool-Hopsack Blazer, available at Mr Porter, priced £268.
The Japanese Do It Better
The Japanese are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with when it comes to menswear. Kolor’s designs take wardrobe classics and rethink them, adding a heavy duty fabric here or weather-battling lining there.
The result is something that will still take you anywhere an ordinary navy blazer would, but will make you the one guy in the room who catches the eye.
KOLOR panelled blazer, available at Farfetch, priced £476.36.
Neither Shaken Nor Stirred
Considering he’s the man that dressed 007, it’s safe to say that Mr Ford knows his onions when it comes to eveningwear. Everything about this jacket exudes luxury, from the designer’s signature wide peak lapels to the satin lining and silk-mix shell.
There’s only one way to wear this jacket and that’s with a white tuxedo bib shirt and black bow tie. Red carnation optional.
Tom Ford James Bond Slim-Fit Silk-Blend Tuxedo Jacket, available at Mr Porter, priced £2,530.
Minimal Masterpiece
If the white dinner jacket is Daniel Craig, then this River Island blazer is Christoph Waltz. The ribbed collar and darted body give this a blazer a sharp silhouette, with that almost futuristic aesthetic that Bond villains do so well.
Pop the collar and sport this jacket with a white tee or granddad collar shirt, black slim jeans and crisp white sneakers for minimalistic elegance.
Black Smart Inverse Collar Slim Blazer, available at River Island, priced £70.
Birdseye Blue
While nobody is questioning the merits of navy, sometimes blue should be blue. And the Hudson jacket is steel blue eye candy at it’s finest.
The textured birdseye weave is subtle enough that it can still be worn with a tie, and laid-back enough that it can just as easily be thrown on over a T-shirt.
Hudson Blue Birdseye Blazer, available at Suitsupply, priced £299.
Work, Wear
The trick to getting colour into your winter wardrobe is to switch summer’s brights for the tones prevalent when there’s frost on the ground: burnt oranges, conifer greens and earthy browns.
Burton’s oatmeal blazer will lighten up all-navy looks and provides a neutral background to let a bright pocket square pop. Because there’s no need to be as dull as the weather.
Montague Burton Oatmeal Wool Blazer, available at Burton, priced £85.
