A blazer is the fastest way to look deliberate. It is also the piece most likely to wear you instead of the other way round, usually because the proportions are off by an inch or two in places nobody thinks to check.
Where it should end
A good blazer ends where your hip bone does. Anything longer starts to cut your leg line in half, which is why we cut ours shorter in the body. Hold your hand flat at your hip and look in the mirror. If the hem sits below your fingers, the jacket is doing you no favours.
A good blazer ends where your hip bone does.
The shoulder decides everything
The shoulder seam should sit on your shoulder bone, not past it. Sleeves and hems are cheap to alter, shoulders are not, so this is the one measurement worth being strict about. A higher armhole also lets you move your arms without the whole jacket lifting.
One button, at the waist
A single button placed at your natural waist gives you a shape without a belt. Double breasted works too, as long as the buttons sit close together and high, otherwise the front reads as a wall of fabric.
What to wear it with
Pair with a cropped knit and a high waisted trouser so the line runs long from shoulder to shoe. Add a flat or a low heel. If you want the sharpest version of this, keep everything in one colour family and let the cut do the talking.
Seven worth owning
Black tailored, cream tailored, a soft shoulder in wool, a cropped boxy one, a double breasted in camel, an oversized one for jeans, and a linen blend for summer. Start with the first two, they cover almost everything.
