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A Great Black Blazer Is An Investment You'll Never Regret
When you’re shopping for wardrobe classics, you want to get it right. Here, I whittle down the winners on the shelves right now.
Our wardrobes are shrinking, and it’s hardly surprising. In the midst of economic uncertainty, fashion always returns to the classics: if not on the runways, then certainly in our realities. We’re re-wearing party dresses, reviving past-season favourites, and jumping off the high street's hamster wheel of newness in favour of vintage treasures.
So, if you are going to spend this season, start with the classics: those wear-forever things you’ll actually call on day in, day out, no matter what the trend cycle is currently dictating. One wardrobe mainstay that has proven immune to irrelevance is the classic black blazer. Bar perhaps a great camel coat, nothing is a smarter investment.
The appeal here lies in the instant upgrade a blazer brings to any outfit. A good one will pull you together on tee-and-jeans days (almost every member of team ELLE UK keeps an emergency blazer on hand for last-minute meetings) and miraculously make a uniform of basics feel smarter and sharper.
Really, there are few sartorial shortcomings that a blazer cannot remedy. Hair won’t behave? Stick a blazer on, and that bird’s nest becomes deliberate, even chic: you’re not a frazzled English woman, but a Parisian model-off-duty. Emotionally attached to your wide-leg jeans? A blazer works there too – even with scuffed trainers and a baseball cap. And of course, a classic black jacket is the perfect day-into-night event ally, ideal for slinging over a wedding-guest dress as the temperatures dip.
'The black blazer is a wardrobe staple, now more than ever,' confirms Liane Wiggins, head of womenswear at Matches. Her top recommendation is the Blazé Milano Resolute style, 'for a really classic, beautifully cut silhouette which will work hard for seasons to come.' For a cool, fashion take, she points to Wardrobe NYC, Toteme and Raey, while the most major investments should be made at The Row or Jil Sander.
But whatever your budget, any purchase in this category should come with as much consideration as your favourite jeans: you want the fit, fabric and finesse to be just right.
First, the fabric: whether a warm wool or textured linen, you want your jacket to feel substantial and hang properly, rather than flapping in the breeze or creasing as soon as you sit down. Leaving things unlined is a high-street cost-cutting trick which, when it comes to jackets, often results in a disappointing weight. (If you are going for something unlined, check the hems have been neatly binded, rather than being left raw-edged.)
Next, the fit. 'Find the silhouette and style that will be the most flattering for your body shape,' advises Wiggins. 'Think about the sleeve length, and the proportion across the shoulders. When you have a really perfect classic style you can then invest in a more fashion version.'
Indeed, those Insta-friendly finger-skimming sleeves might tick the trend box right now, but will you still want to look like you’re growing into a hand-me-down in a year’s time? My advice: make sure the cuffs hit at the wrist (or have them tailored to do so). The same goes for shoulders: an extended slouch is cool (in fact, a snug shoulder seam tends to read too corporate) but if the seam is slipping half-way down your arm, you’ve entered David Byrne territory.
Really, the only thing you don’t need to get obsessive over is how you style yours. Invest in the right blazer, and it’ll look great over anything and everything.
The Black Blazers To Invest In Now And Wear Forever
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