CLOTHING
The Difference Between Blazers And Sport Coats
Blazers and sport coats (or sports jackets) are very much alike, however, one is slightly more casual than the other. Can you guess which one of them?
This article will be enlightening you on the difference between these two super stylish menswear jackets.
PS. For a detailed comparison between the 3 major menswear jackets, check it out here.
Before we kick off, it’s important to note that these two jackets are very similar in many ways. First, both jacket types can either be worn as business casual or smart casual outfits, with jeans, chinos, casual pants, and all forms of dress shoes and casual footwear types including sneakers.
What then are the distinguishing detail between the two?
- Sport Jackets are more casual than blazers. They generally have the most casual features when compared to suit jackets and blazers. They should never be paired with matching pant, and you should never wear a sports jacket to a formal event.
- Blazers on the other hand are dressier than sports jackets but not as formal as suit jackets. You could say that blazers are ‘casual’ suit jackets.
So ranking the jackets in formality scale from most formal to less formal, it would be – suit jackets, blazers, and then sports coats.
Having stated the above, let us narrow it down further by listing some key points that will provide a clearer distinction between the two menswear jacket types.
The Difference Between Blazers And Sport Coats
THE BLAZER
- A blazer is tailored from bold and solid color fabrics.
- A blazer shoulder padding comes in two forms: structured padding – which gives a more outlined and stronger shoulder line; and unstructured padding – which gives out a more casual look and wears more like a jacket or cardigan.
- Blazers are usually tailored with notch lapels. For easy understanding, the jacket lapel is that flap of fabric that connects the front of the jacket to the collar of the jacket, which folds down to the chest area.
- They are often made up of heavier fabrics like worsted wool or flannel
- Blazers usually have more than one but less than three buttons
- Blazers also have three pockets in general, one on each side, and then a square pocket, usually on the left breast
- Blazer jacket buttons are majorly decorative in appearance – often metal buttons.
- The sleeve buttons on a blazer are usually two-three and are just there for fancy. The sleeve with three buttons certainly has a more sporty and light cut; and if they are kissing buttons, it’s usually indicative of a bespoke blazer.
THE SPORTS COAT (OR SPORTS JACKET)
- A sports coat is a patterned jacket that coordinates with trousers that are not made of the same fabric or have the same pattern. Basically, they are designed to be worn with non-matching trousers.
- They are more casual than blazers and can be paired with any stylish fitting trousers of your choice
- Sport coats are more durable than blazers, due to their fabric types.
- The fabric should not look like a suit jacket fabric. For this reason, materials such as wool, tweed, corduroy, cotton, linen, silk and blended combinations are often used for sport coats (or sports jackets).
- Unlike blazers, sports jackets usually have soft shoulders without any structuring or padding.
- This jacket is cut to sit at the base of the hips, thereby giving off a super stylish look
- Unlike blazers, sports jackets are usually loose enough to allow for layering underneath
- A quarter zip sweater is a great base for layering your sports jackets for country style
- The lapel of the sports jacket is notch lapel, but usually sporty (e.g. wider notch lapel).
FINAL NOTE
For those who have been confused as to the difference between these outfits, I hope this article has broken it down in essence for you
Always remember to invest in sports jackets and blazers after you must have had your first suit. Thank you so much for stopping by and for reading till the end. Until next time, continue to do well, live well, and dress really well. Stay Classy, always!
Looking For Style Advice?
If you are in the process of revamping your wardrobe or adding selected classy pieces to your existing wardrobe but have no idea what you want or what would better fit your look and lifestyle, book an appointment with Kobi Koachman Fashion to see all of the options available to you and to put together a wardrobe and a look that you’ll love!
Lastly, if you have any style questions don’t forget to ASK MRKOACHMAN!
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