How are Blazers, Sport Coats, and Suit Jackets Different?

Published: August 12, 2014 Last Updated 7 months ago by FPN SEO

The best-dressed men are confident because they know their outfits works together. Blazers, sport coats, and suit jackets might look interchangeable, but they’re not. Wearing a formal suit jacket with a pair of jeans is a gaffe your buddies might not call you out on, but your boss will know the difference. Like everything in men’s fashion, the smallest accents set the everyday joe apart from the seasoned style pro.

Although blazers, coats, and jackets are constructed the same way—sometimes even cut from the same material—the obvious difference is the buttons. Blazers have durable brass buttons because they’re historically associated with nautical sports like rowing and sailing. You’ll almost always see them in a solid color. Sport coats look just like blazers, but have plastic or leather buttons. They often come in patterns and are best paired with dress pants or jeans.

Suit jackets also have buttons, but they obviously come with a matching set of pants. This is where it’s easy to get confused. Can you wear the jacket with other pants or jeans? A rule to dress by: If you can buy them separately, they can be worn separately. However, finer-gauge suit fabrics are more formal and appropriate for a dress pants, as compared to chunkier fabrics like tweed and thick wools, which you’ll often find in blazers and look great with denim.

Courtesy: Men’s Health