Q. Is there an appropriate way to wear a blazer under a winter jacket? My work is pretty laid-back, but I still like to wear a blazer or sports coat to work most days, and yet I don't have, or like, long coats. I usually kind of roll up the bottom/tails of my blazers inside my jacket, but there must be a better way. Do you have any suggestions, or rules?
A. On the one hand, I am glad to hear that you do roll your blazer up when you put on a short outer jacket, not because that is a great idea, but because it shows you realize a blazer that sticks out below a winter jacket is not a flattering look. Just as it is not appropriate for a man who dresses traditionally to have the tails out, this is not the way to look neat. You are making your life more difficult by trying to combine two styles that don't really work well together.
Yes, there is a better way. Your plan should be to find a jacket that fits over the length of any blazer or sports jacket you are wearing. And this doesn't need to be a long winter coat.
On the other hand, if you are a younger trendy guy, and if you are looking for a more contemporary look, I am sorry to say that the shirt-hanging-out-below-the-jacket look is a current fashion-forward fad. I say "fad" because I can't believe it will last for very long.
Depending upon how cold the weather is where you live, you have several options; they include a car coat, a pea jacket, a parka, or one of the new down-filled puffers. The puffer seems best for you, and since we are approaching spring, if you can find a store that still has any left, they are likely "on sale," marked down for winter clearance.
"On sale" matters because there's a lot of technology involved in the puffers, making some of them very expensive. This is especially true for those that are the lightest weight. Part of what you are paying for is the cost of the materials; part is the quality of the pure eider down, the high level construction, and the zippers. And the truth is that often part of what you are paying for is the name.
Perhaps the most expensive is Moncler, with that little logo prominently placed on the upper sleeve. Their upscale jackets can range from $600 for the sleeveless vests to more than $2,000 for the fur-collared jackets. For those who can afford them, they seem to be worth the expense because they are extremely warm and super light (perhaps only an ounce and a half or 2 ounces in weight). There is also the recognized prestige of the logo. Another company that makes the warmest of these styles, though not as lightweight or quite as high quality, is Canada Goose. About half the price of Moncler, their logo, too, has a high prestige factor. Since they were originally designed for arctic exploration, you know they are warm.
Still, if you spend a lot of time on and off the train or in and out of the car and don't need so much warmth -- or prestige -- you can pretty much re-create "the look" by buying a nonluxury jacket, say, from North Face for less than $200 and others for even less from Eddie Bauer and Tommy Hilfiger.
I would like to add that no matter how much you spend, a few rules apply. Make sure the jacket is long enough to cover your blazer; a jacket without a hood is a more sophisticated look that is more appropriate for business; dark colors are more grown-up looking than bright ones. If you insist on wearing a bomber-length jacket, consider carrying your blazer in a bag, on your arm, or keeping it in the office closet ... where it will reserve a spot for your jacket.
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High Profile on 03/12/2017