Sports coat, blazer, suit?
November 14, 2019 12:27 PM Subscribe
My (male, american) work outfit is what I think is called business casual--dress shoes, slacks/khakis, and a collared shirt. A few times a month, I need to be wearing a suit and tie for an hour or two. What kind of sports coat should I buy to make me look decent but not be a hassle?
Right now I just wear this one really cheap sports jacket that was part of a suit set (jacket plus slacks) that doesn't fit very well and I think maybe looks funny when I wear it with non-matching pants. Since I basically never have to wear a suit for more than a few hours a month but don't get any advanced notice when that will be, I want to be able to just wear my normal business casual stuff and throw on a coat and tie. I think a blazer is what I want? I'm not really clear on all these terms for what seem like the same article of clothing.
Right now I just wear this one really cheap sports jacket that was part of a suit set (jacket plus slacks) that doesn't fit very well and I think maybe looks funny when I wear it with non-matching pants. Since I basically never have to wear a suit for more than a few hours a month but don't get any advanced notice when that will be, I want to be able to just wear my normal business casual stuff and throw on a coat and tie. I think a blazer is what I want? I'm not really clear on all these terms for what seem like the same article of clothing.
A blazer is a blue jacket usually with brass buttons, and is usually dark blue. A sportcoat is a just a jacket that's not part of a suit. Blazers are a subcategory of sportcoats.
The most basic answer is a blue blazer: it looks good with nearly everything and nearly everyone sells one. Personally, I have a green corduroy jacket I like, and depending on climate tweed is a good choice. Ultimately, unless there's a dress code, it's really just personal preference. Find something that you like the fit and look of.
I will say that, if you're supposed to be wearing a suit, wearing a sportcoat will not suffice. Sportcoats are casual attire, meant to be worn as you describe: over a collared shirt and khakis. Suits are more formal, and if it's someone who cares enough to specify a suit in the dress code, they'll notice that you're not wearing one. Don't attempt to wear similarly-colored pants as a way to "dress up" your casual sportcoat; it looks horrible.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:36 PM on November 14, 2019 [11 favorites]
The most basic answer is a blue blazer: it looks good with nearly everything and nearly everyone sells one. Personally, I have a green corduroy jacket I like, and depending on climate tweed is a good choice. Ultimately, unless there's a dress code, it's really just personal preference. Find something that you like the fit and look of.
I will say that, if you're supposed to be wearing a suit, wearing a sportcoat will not suffice. Sportcoats are casual attire, meant to be worn as you describe: over a collared shirt and khakis. Suits are more formal, and if it's someone who cares enough to specify a suit in the dress code, they'll notice that you're not wearing one. Don't attempt to wear similarly-colored pants as a way to "dress up" your casual sportcoat; it looks horrible.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:36 PM on November 14, 2019 [11 favorites]
A suit is specifically a matching pants and jacket set (plus maybe a matching vest). A sport coat is a non-matching jacket, sometimes in a tweed or less formal fabric. A blazer is the typical style of jacket you see in men's business wear.
A suit is a step up in formality over slacks and an odd jacket (the general term for a not-suit jacket). Are the other folks in your meeting wearing suits or odd jackets?
My rec would be to go to a good men's suiting store (Nordstrom's would be good) and describe your situation, you'll pay more but you're paying for not having to figure out the nuances of dress codes.
posted by momus_window at 12:37 PM on November 14, 2019 [5 favorites]
A suit is a step up in formality over slacks and an odd jacket (the general term for a not-suit jacket). Are the other folks in your meeting wearing suits or odd jackets?
My rec would be to go to a good men's suiting store (Nordstrom's would be good) and describe your situation, you'll pay more but you're paying for not having to figure out the nuances of dress codes.
posted by momus_window at 12:37 PM on November 14, 2019 [5 favorites]
A men's suit is specifically a matching set of jacket and pants. It is generally considered a step above a sports jacket and pants. If you are expected to wear a suit, you will have to get a suit. If you just need to wear a jacket, a blazer is a very good choice.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:38 PM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 12:38 PM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yeah, is a suit specifically called for (say, is this law or banking dress code rules) or did you say "suit" when you meant just "coat and tie?" I'm guessing with the infrequent need you probably just mean coat and tie, and yeah, a sport coat (and probably a blazer at that) will be just what you need. If you just want to look like a dot com guy, but a little more put together, then you can get away with an unlined jacket.
posted by fedward at 12:47 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by fedward at 12:47 PM on November 14, 2019
Response by poster: It looks like what I meant to say was "coat and tie". I definitely don't need a suit as in a matching jacket and slacks. I thought the answer was probably a blazer, but as is evident here, I was not sure I understood the vocabulary. Thanks everyone!
posted by skewed at 12:52 PM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by skewed at 12:52 PM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
What are other men wearing in these interactions? You may not be noticing finer details, but what colors are they wearing? Are they wearing full suits? Would you say that their coats or suits look heavy-weight or lightweight? Do you notice anything about their ties like color or pattern?
For that matter, what kind of pants and shirt are you typically wearing? Are you wearing a button-down collar? Would you say that your pants and shirt are not really fitted and they're just something you throw on and don't think much about? What colors do you tend to wear?
It's possible if you're wearing bagged out chinos and random button-downs from 1994 that you would need to improve all your clothes slightly to really have things work with a sport coat, and certainly if you're wearing very casual chinos and a very casual shirt you'll want a very casual sport coat like a corduroy jacket or a nubby weave wool, something that feels one step up from a sweater and has a very casual fit. But in that case, your ties should also be casual - knit ties, for instance.
You sound like this is not your biggest, most consuming interest, so I second the recommendation to go to Nordstrom, wearing typical business clothes and prepared to explain what colors you usually wear. You'll want the personal shopper to see what the sport coat should work with. If Nordstrom is more than you want to spend, it's okay to go to Men's Wearhouse. If you cared about suits, this would not be my first suggestion, but you sound like you're mostly looking for something to wear when you have to rather than looking to do a deep dive into fit and material.
posted by Frowner at 12:53 PM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
For that matter, what kind of pants and shirt are you typically wearing? Are you wearing a button-down collar? Would you say that your pants and shirt are not really fitted and they're just something you throw on and don't think much about? What colors do you tend to wear?
It's possible if you're wearing bagged out chinos and random button-downs from 1994 that you would need to improve all your clothes slightly to really have things work with a sport coat, and certainly if you're wearing very casual chinos and a very casual shirt you'll want a very casual sport coat like a corduroy jacket or a nubby weave wool, something that feels one step up from a sweater and has a very casual fit. But in that case, your ties should also be casual - knit ties, for instance.
You sound like this is not your biggest, most consuming interest, so I second the recommendation to go to Nordstrom, wearing typical business clothes and prepared to explain what colors you usually wear. You'll want the personal shopper to see what the sport coat should work with. If Nordstrom is more than you want to spend, it's okay to go to Men's Wearhouse. If you cared about suits, this would not be my first suggestion, but you sound like you're mostly looking for something to wear when you have to rather than looking to do a deep dive into fit and material.
posted by Frowner at 12:53 PM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
As a shabby male academic who occasionally has to interact with fancy people, the magic of wearing a nice sport coat has been been a fantastic discovery. It always lands nicely between too casual and too formal, at least in every professional interaction I wind up in. I keep a few in the office just in case. My experience actually talking to people in department stores is that they're absolutely out of touch with the world I live in and offer advice that only made sense to bankers in the 1950s.
My advice is to get a couple coats that fit well, are made of 100% wool, and coordinate with but don't match your pants. The last thing you want is do is to look like you're trying and failing to make a suit. (Assuming you're as ignorant of fashion as me, which may be unfair and insulting - one significantly stripy, textured, or patterned thing is good. More than one is hard to do well.) Dull and wooly is a lot more versatile than shiny, but whatever finish matches your pants in a different color and or texture is good.
Make sure the shoulder width and the body length fit really well off the rack. If they don't, forget about it, no matter how much you like the coat. Plan to spend $40 and a week on tailoring to get the sleeves and possibly the waist right. If you only wear it a few hours a month, a decent coat will look fine for months (or, probably, years) between cleanings. Get a steamer if you really want to look crisp.
Around here, Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, and occasionally Burlington have pretty good deals on nice coats, along with a lot of ugly garbage. The difference between a $50 coat and a $200 coat is significant. The difference between a $200 coat and a $1000 coat is invisible, at least to me.
posted by eotvos at 2:01 PM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
My advice is to get a couple coats that fit well, are made of 100% wool, and coordinate with but don't match your pants. The last thing you want is do is to look like you're trying and failing to make a suit. (Assuming you're as ignorant of fashion as me, which may be unfair and insulting - one significantly stripy, textured, or patterned thing is good. More than one is hard to do well.) Dull and wooly is a lot more versatile than shiny, but whatever finish matches your pants in a different color and or texture is good.
Make sure the shoulder width and the body length fit really well off the rack. If they don't, forget about it, no matter how much you like the coat. Plan to spend $40 and a week on tailoring to get the sleeves and possibly the waist right. If you only wear it a few hours a month, a decent coat will look fine for months (or, probably, years) between cleanings. Get a steamer if you really want to look crisp.
Around here, Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, and occasionally Burlington have pretty good deals on nice coats, along with a lot of ugly garbage. The difference between a $50 coat and a $200 coat is significant. The difference between a $200 coat and a $1000 coat is invisible, at least to me.
posted by eotvos at 2:01 PM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
Shop wherever you normally shop for clothes. If you normally wear cheap Target khakis, a Ralph Lauren blazer from Nordstrom is going to look out of place.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:25 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by kevinbelt at 4:25 PM on November 14, 2019
Blue blazer, white shirt, striped “rep” tie and grey slacks or khakis with oxfords is the trad banker look and is safe. But may be too stodgy these days. Take a look at J. Crew’s seasonal offerings, they try to be stylish but still understated.
The safest move is to emulate a superior or senior colleague.
Nattier styles (tweeds, cords) may or may not work depending on your trade and region, etc.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:23 PM on November 15, 2019
The safest move is to emulate a superior or senior colleague.
Nattier styles (tweeds, cords) may or may not work depending on your trade and region, etc.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:23 PM on November 15, 2019
Also, it can be acceptable (and sometimes intended by the designer) for suit coats sold as separates from the trousers to be worn as sport coats, as vs the forbidden pseudo suit thing.
But only for certain cuts, and it’s fine to ask. Walk away from any sales person who doesn’t listen or makes you feel silly about what you don’t know. This should be fun or at least not miserable.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:33 PM on November 15, 2019
But only for certain cuts, and it’s fine to ask. Walk away from any sales person who doesn’t listen or makes you feel silly about what you don’t know. This should be fun or at least not miserable.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:33 PM on November 15, 2019
« Older Intermittently loud furnace: call the landlord? | ISO Robin McKinley Essay/Commentary Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bfranklin at 12:36 PM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]