- I'm Brian Sacawa, you're watching He Spoke Style and today
I'm showing you how to wear a blazer with jeans.
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This video is sponsored by Blinkist.
We'll hear more about that later on but first,
I think it would be helpful to start with a definition
and that is, what is the difference between a suit jacket,
a blazer and a sport coat?
Now I'm gonna do a deeper dive into those differences
in a separate video very soon but for now, let's just go
over some super basic definitions.
A suit jacket is a jacket that has pants in the same fabric
as the jacket, a matching jacket and a pants makes a suit,
that's why it's called a suit jacket.
Typically, we're talking in very broad generalities here,
a suit jacket is classified as the most formal.
Next, we have a blazer.
A blazer is often seen as a bit less formal
than a suit jacket, primarily because it might be
in a more versatile fabric like a flannel for example
or that it's in a solid color or has some sort of
more muted pattern.
Now can you have pants that match a blazer?
Yes you can so a blazer can be a suit jacket as well.
Finally, we have the sport coat or sports jacket.
This is typically the most casual of the three
both in pattern and construction.
You're generally not going to have a matching pair of pants
with a sport coat.
So there are a few rules I think that are important
to follow when you are wearing a blazer with jeans.
Number one is the fabric because of the qualities of denim
including the weight, the bit of texture that it can have
and the casualness of it, it's important that the fabric
of your blazer complements that.
You wanna choose fabrics that are hardy like flannel
or tweed that have a texture to them like a linen
or a hopsack.
Basically, you want it to look like the jacket
goes with the jeans, simple as that, that's why fabrics
that have a bit of sheen to them like a quote unquote
standard suit jacket will not look good
when paired with denim.
Second, do not wear a tie when you are wearing
a blazer with jeans.
I've tried this in the past and I've tried to justify it
in the past but it just doesn't look good.
Pairing a blazer with jeans is an interesting sort of mashup
between something more dressy and something more casual
and beyond a button up shirt, I really think that's where
the juxtaposition between dressy and casual needs to stop.
When you add the tie in, you're bringing in
another dressy element and that to my eye
really throws off the balance.
Up top, you've got one thing but then
it just doesn't make sense
when you throw in the denim jeans.
If you're gonna wear a tie, a regular pair of dress pants
will look better 100% of the time, in my opinion.
Third, I'm gonna throw this out there,
I think if you're wearing a blazer with jeans
that you should forego the pocket square as well.
Like a tie, I think a pocket square has the effect
of kind of dressing up the outfit, not to the level of a tie
but still kinda gives it a little more dressier feel
more so however, visually, it's distracting to me.
I tried it with a few of the looks that you'll see shortly
but it really just kind of focused my attention
in the wrong place.
With a blazer and jeans look, it needs to be simple,
your eye should focus towards the center and ultimately
up to framing your face.
A pocket square draws your attention off center,
which is why I'm saying to leave it out of the equation.
Before we get into the outfits, I do want to tell you
about our sponsor for this video, Blinkist.
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Now, let's check out five ways to wear a blazer with jeans.
As I mentioned in the beginning of the video,
a blazer with jeans look needs to be simple
and that is exactly what we're doing here.
By definition, the jacket I'm wearing is a blazer,
it's from the HSS Michael Andrews Collection.
It does have matching trousers so it is part of a suit
but there are certain details that make it work with them.
First, the fabric, it's a flannel from Scabal.
Second, the styling, it's got patch pockets which gives it
a more casual feel.
Now, I wanna highlight the shirt that I'm wearing.
It's just a plain white button up
from the HSS Michael Andrews Collection but it's the fabric
that I wanna point out.
It's in a poplin fabric which has a much dressier feel
as opposed to say an Oxford cloth for example.
I chose it very intentionally, I think it helps bridge
that gap between the dressy element, the blazer
and the more casual element of the jeans
which are by Double RL.
A couple more details to point out here, first, my watch,
this is the Cartier Tank Americaine which I think
is the perfect choice for this outfit and then anchoring
the whole look with these lace up leather dress boots
by Scarosso.
We're getting close to spring now so I thought
I'd throw in something for spring, similar to the last look
and that it's quite simple but different in other ways.
First, we're gonna talk about the blazer
which is from the HSS Michael Andrews Collection.
Also part of a suit but we've got the hopsack fabric
which has some texture to it as well as being a great choice
for the spring and summer and patch pockets
which makes it more casual and perfect
for pairing with jeans.
Let's talk about the jeans actually,
they're white from J.Crew, 484 fit.
White denim is incredibly easy to style with the blazer,
white denim is more sporty to begin with
which makes it a really great option for jeans
to pair with the blazer.
Simple shirt here, it's an ice blue Oxford cloth shirt
from HSS Michael Andrews Collection,
unbuttoning one extra button for a more casual feel.
On my wrist is the IWC Ingenieur and finishing off the look
with these horsebit loafers by Allen Edmonds.
With this look here, I'm treating the blazer more as a piece
of outerwear than a blazer per se.
I think this is something you can do,
especially when you're dealing with fabrics like flannel
and tweed, they're hardier, they're warmer
and for those reasons, I think it's just really easy
to throw a blazer on for an outfit like this.
When I'm wearing a blazer in this way,
I do like to pop the collar.
Practically, keeps your neck a little warmer
and aesthetically, I think it helps distinguish
that you're wearing it as a piece of outerwear
rather than styling it as a standard blazer.
Underneath, I just have some simple layering going on,
the brown gingham shirt from HSS Michael Andrews Collection
and the cashmere long sleeve Polo is by Luca Faloni.
Jeans here, dark denim bespoke from Michael Andrews Bespoke.
On my wrist is the A. Lange & Sohne Datograph
and then finishing the look off
with some brown suede cap toes by Tod's.
So I guess technically, if we're going by the definitions
I gave at the beginning of the video,
this look shouldn't be here because this is a sport coat,
not actually a blazer.
I'm not gonna get into semantics here because
this is a jacket that looks really good paired with denim,
it's from the HSS Michael Andrews Collection
and it fits the bill for being paired with denim
in so many ways.
The fabric, it's a beautiful flannel fabric by Fox Flannel.
It's got patch pockets for a more casual feel
and the color along with the Glen plaid pattern,
really just works so perfectly with the dark denim.
The denim here is the same pair from the last look,
they're bespoke from Michael Andrews, gave them a little bit
of a roll here for a different vibe.
Turtleneck is by Ted Baker.
Dark brown color really pulls everything together.
Up top, we have a felt fedora by Stoffa.
It's actually a crushable hat, very easy to travel with.
On my wrist again, I have the A. Lange & Sohne Datograph.
And then anchoring this leg with a great pair
of leather Chelsea boots from Scarosso.
I'd say the last four looks were more sort of like
daytime looks so here I'm throwing in one
that I would consider to be more of an evening look.
I think it's one that you're either going to love or hate
and that's because of the double breasted jacket being worn
not only with jeans and without a tie but also unbuttoned.
It's a look that I like to do from time to time,
I realize it's not for everyone.
Very same principle here as the first look though
we're keeping everything simple.
White poplin shirt again
from the HSS Michael Andrews Collection,
jeans are Levi's 511s.
I think the black denim pairs really well
with the charcoal gray of the jacket.
On my wrist, we have the IWC Ingenieur and then finished off
with some white leather sneakers by Koio.
You know when you look at this look as a whole,
I think it's really balanced.
The sneakers and the shirt complement each other
and the blazer gives the denim a vibe,
that sort of sartorial rockstar chic.
So five different ways to wear a blazer with jeans.
Remember that there are some rules that you need to follow
to pull this look off correctly.
Number one, use a blazer and a fabric that will pair well
with and compliment your denim, something hardier,
something with a bit of texture, something with a pattern,
no fabrics with any kind of sheen to them.
Number two, do not wear a tie and number three,
do not wear a pocket square.
A blazer with jeans outfit really threads the needle
in terms of balancing dressy and casual.
If you add a tie or pocket square, I think it pushes it
too far in a different direction,
it makes it a little confusing and in my opinion,
it just doesn't work.
Big thanks once again to our sponsor
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Be sure to leave a comment, let me know which outfit
you liked best and what your thoughts are
about pairing a blazer with jeans.
Complete outfit details down below
in the description as well.
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Till next time everyone, thanks for watching
and stay tailored.
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