# Navy Blue Blazer vs. Navy Blue Sport Coat



## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

Gents,

Any of you wear Navy Blue Sport Coats without the brass buttons, in other words, it's not a blazer?

I hear that they are often mistaken for orphaned suit jackets.

And yes...the brass is very traditional.

I did spot a nice Navy Blue sportcoat with navy buttons, fabric is slightly textured and feels more substantial than a blazer.

Do you think, in some respects, the sport coat might be _more _verstatile than the blazer? In other words, it can dress down a bit easier (with jeans, for example).

And it's kind of nice to have something a little distinct.

Thoughts?


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## WillisGeigerFan (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm presently wearing a navy(more midnight blue) sport coat without blazer buttons made of a silk/wool blend by Brooks Bros. I think that with chinos on a lovely day, it looks understated. I also own the Brooks' 3 button sack blazer and find that it is a beauty, too. It's just nice to mix things up.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

WillisGeigerFan said:


> I'm presently wearing a navy(more midnight blue) sport coat without blazer buttons made of a silk/wool blend by Brooks Bros. I think that with chinos on a lovely day, it looks understated. I also own the Brooks' 3 button sack blazer and find that it is a beauty, too. It's just nice to mix things up.


So you would suggest it would be nice to have both...cool.

Haven't yet found a blazer that fits me well. The one that did was and Austin Reed made in USA, but the fabric was somewhat flimsy and one of the lapels was already pinching away from the shoulder.


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## WillisGeigerFan (Apr 24, 2007)

I think the key is to choose patterns and fabrics that do not scream orphaned suit jacket.


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## whistle_blower71 (May 26, 2006)

I have a nice 9oz worsted-spun cashmere sb2 navy "blazer" with grey MoP buttons and a db fresco blue "blazer" with cream MoP buttons.
They will always be blazers to me...

*W_B*


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## Country Irish (Nov 10, 2005)

Navy with ivory MOP looks a lot nicer and more distinctive than brass in my opinion. Brass may be traditional but MOP or maybe silver as an alternative is the way to go.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

I sport a navy hopsack sport coat with brown horn buttons. When I first purchased it, it had self buttons, but I switched 'em out for brown horn. Being hopsack and that it has a patch breast pocket and patch & flap waist pockets make it very obviously a sport coat.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

WillisGeigerFan said:


> I think the key is to choose patterns and fabrics that do not scream orphaned suit jacket.


Willis,

The jacket is navy blue, no pattern, but the fabric is textured, almost "nubbly" ;-) Don't know the right word for it.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

Country Irish said:


> Navy with ivory MOP looks a lot nicer and more distinctive than brass in my opinion. Brass may be traditional but MOP or maybe silver as an alternative is the way to go.


Perhaps I can have the buttons replaced......good idea. I don't think it looks like an orphaned jacket...but sometimes it's hard to tell.


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## Sator (Jan 13, 2006)

Here we go again.

The term "blazer" refers originally to a type of sports coat that was in school or club colours. Classically this involved having the coat made up in bright club colours:










Typically, the cloth had "blazing" bold striped designs - hence the term "blazer".

However, when the club or school coat consisted of a plain cloth the blazer would take a club badge or club buttons eg guilt buttons with tennis clubs on them such as these from Benson & Clegg:

The term "blazer" to denote any old sports coat is, as Boyer points out, a corruption of the original use of the term.

A coat in a plain design, without club badge or buttons is NOT a blazer.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

Sator,

Thanks for the info.

I'm aware of the difference between a blazer and sportcoat, I'm just curious about the versatility of the blue sportcoat and it's overall acceptance. Sometimes it's consfused with the orphaned suit jacket.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Theoden said:


> Gents,
> 
> Any of you wear Navy Blue Sport Coats without the brass buttons, in other words, it's not a blazer?


They're both called blazers in Europe, because the terms sport coat or sports jacket aren't used in British English.

A blazer is not defined by brass buttons.

I wear a navy blue blazer with navy blue buttons.

White/cream/MOP buttons on a navy blazer make it look like a woman's blazer IMO.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

There's no rule on this, just as there's no rule against orphaned suit coats as such. You have to ask yourself if the jacket looks good worn separately. If it does, wear it. If it does not, don't. There's no other advice to be given, really, and the question of whether it looks "orphaned" is neither here nor there.*

* I know this position is a minority position on AAAC, but I happen to be right.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

You are right if the person is good at judging whether the coat looks good or not. 

To the experienced AAAC poster, this may be good advice.

For the "average guy" who is just looking to see if something is okay, we could be leading that person into a situation where he wears something that does not look good.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

Sator said:


> Here we go again.
> 
> The term "blazer" refers originally to a type of sports coat that was in school or club colours. Classically this involved having the coat made up in bright club colours:
> 
> ...


I second Sator's objection to calling any old sports coat a blazer. But I do think that a jacket with ornamental badges or buttons that *resemble* those of a club affiliation should be understood to satisfy the definition. In other words a navy jacket with gold buttons qualifies even if the buttons do not actually signal a true affiliation. Accordingly, I do not think that Brooks Brothers is wrong to denote their solid navy jackets with gold buttons as blazers. While I bristle a bit at the idea of calling a solid navy jacket without a badge or ornamental buttons a blazer, I do not view the idea as absurd or beyond the bounds of reason. But that is as far as I'd be willing to take the definition. About a year ago I offered the following definition, which I still think does a good job:

"Blazer: A sport coat, especially but not necessarily double-breasted, that (i) displays through choice of colors, breast patches, patterns, buttons, or any combination of such indicia an institutional or organizational affiliation or (ii) displays any combination of such indicia in a manner that resembles or is similar to that which traditionally denotes an institutional or organizational affiliation, including a coat that is solid in color, especially navy, particularly if it has metallic, enamel or other ornamental buttons."

In summary, absent some type of indicia of institutional or organizational affiliation a pinstripe jacket cannot fairly be called a blazer. Even a solid navy jacket absent some type of ornamental badge or buttons is a stretch to call a blazer, but may charitably fit within an expansive definition. But the all too common use of the term "blazer" as a synonym for any odd sport coat/jacket is indefensible in my view.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> For the "average guy" who is just looking to see if something is okay, we could be leading that person into a situation where he wears something that does not look good.


One could follow every rule ever espoused on AAAC and still look like death warmed over in a harvest gold microwave. Prevention of all mishaps by pronouncing and promulgating various prophylactic "rules" cannot be our purpose nor our method. Just give the OP the information, and offer such cautionary information as may be needed.


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## S. Kelly (Jan 19, 2008)

Theoden, I saw a textured sportcoat like the one you describe by Lauren. It was very nice, had blue buttons, but wore side vents which killed the deal for me. If it was center vent, I'd have bought it and replaced the buttons with horn.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

S. Kelly,

I prefer center vent, but this one is Joseph Abboud with side vents, very textured and substantial, may even be overly warm. Its just looks and feels "solid".

CuffDaddy,

Thanks for the insight. I like the tradition of the brass buttons, and will get a blazer at some point, but somehow, I think navy blue buttons (more sport-coat-ish) are more versatile and would look a bit more understated.


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## Theoden (Dec 16, 2009)

Earl,

Thanks for your perspective.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Theoden said:


> Thanks for the insight. I like the tradition of the brass buttons, and will get a blazer at some point, but somehow, I think navy blue buttons (more sport-coat-ish) are more versatile and would look a bit more understated.


Consider brown horn buttons. They are understated, but still distinctive.


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

I have a dark blue RL blue label jacket made of a linen/silk blend (I think) and the cut is just too sporty to be an orphan.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Mike Petrik said:


> I second Sator's objection to calling any old sports coat a blazer. But I do think that a jacket with ornamental badges or buttons that *resemble* those of a club affiliation should be understood to satisfy the definition. In other words a navy jacket with gold buttons qualifies even if the buttons do not actually signal a true affiliation. Accordingly, I do not think that Brooks Brothers is wrong to denote their solid navy jackets with gold buttons as blazers. While I bristle a bit at the idea of calling a solid navy jacket without a badge or ornamental buttons a blazer, I do not view the idea as absurd or beyond the bounds of reason. But that is as far as I'd be willing to take the definition. About a year ago I offered the following definition, which I still think does a good job:
> 
> "Blazer: A sport coat, especially but not necessarily double-breasted, that (i) displays through choice of colors, breast patches, patterns, buttons, or any combination of such indicia an institutional or organizational affiliation or (ii) displays any combination of such indicia in a manner that resembles or is similar to that which traditionally denotes an institutional or organizational affiliation, including a coat that is solid in color, especially navy, particularly if it has metallic, enamel or other ornamental buttons."
> 
> In summary, absent some type of indicia of institutional or organizational affiliation a pinstripe jacket cannot fairly be called a blazer. Even a solid navy jacket absent some type of ornamental badge or buttons is a stretch to call a blazer, but may charitably fit within an expansive definition. But the all too common use of the term "blazer" as a synonym for any odd sport coat/jacket is indefensible in my view.


Sator/Mike P: excellent post and commentary. Love the word "indicia." Who are you quoting? However, word meanings evolve!


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

The Rambler said:


> Sator/Mike P: excellent post and commentary. Love the word "indicia." Who are you quoting? However, word meanings evolve!


Rambler:

The quoted definition is my own. I tried to pay respect to current usage while still paying appropriate homage to the traditional usage explained by Sator. While Sator rightly reminds us that blazers historically were associated with both stripes and affiliations, I think limiting the definition to such jackets would do unjustified violence to current descriptive usage which certainly would include a navy jacket with metallic buttons.

Presumably as fancy club jackets gradually gave way in favor of solid-colored club jackets, the notion of "blazer" expanded to include these type club jackets as well, and then as makers such as Brooks Brothers offered solid sport coats with ornamental buttons or badges inspired by club jackets the definition expanded organically to also include such coats. Indeed, today non-affiliated solid jackets with badges or ornamental buttons are probably the most commonly understood type of blazer notwithstanding the origin of the term. It seems to me that a proper definition should accomodate both common modern usage as well as original usage. That said, I join Sator in objecting to the expansion of the definition to include any odd jacket, on utilitarian grounds. Given both their history and popularity it is useful to assign the term "blazer" to jackets described or inspired by the original definition. We already can easily refer to other odd jackets just as such or as sport coats. An unnecessarily expansive definition would introduce a redundancy at the expense of losing a term with useful specificity. Just my opinion, of course.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Oh, I quite agree, though my wonderful tailor could never be brought to call a tweed sportcoat anything but a blazer.:icon_smile:


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> Consider brown horn buttons. They are understated, but still distinctive.


I agree. Brown horn buttons are great, and they add a certain richness to the look.


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## Sator (Jan 13, 2006)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> They're both called blazers in Europe, because the terms sport coat or sports jacket aren't used in British English.


I have innumerable British texts that refer to "sports coats" and "sports jackets". Numerous British posters on this forum over the years have also used these expression. A Google search for the term "sports jacket" of UK sites yielded multiple hits. You can also find an entry in the Shorter Oxford Dictionary 6th Edition that goes "sports coat, sports jacket: a man's jacket for informal wear".

The original use of the term "blazer" is found most often in British English when applied to school uniform blazers, making it all the more desirable not to have people call your sports coat a school uniform:

There is also the issue of the difference between an odd jacket a sports jacket. Originally, the term sports jacket meant things like a Norfolk jacket, or a hacking jacket ie it had genuine sporting features. These days the term has become corrupted again to mean any odd jacket.

As for navy blue sports coats, they are fine as long as the cut and style are sufficiently sporty. The question becomes what is enough to make it "sufficiently sporty". For some this means features as simple as patch pockets, hacking pockets, or ticket pockets. Others may prefer the choice of a sports cloth eg tweed, or a gun club check over a plain navy worsted. There are no rigid Eternal Rules here.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Speaking of which --

I bought a blue Canali jacket with a subtle windowpane pattern on ebay. I really like it as it fits great and is lightweight. As I've mentioned before, I like how the Canali s are made, the shoulders have some structure but not a lot of padding. I'm thinking maybe they use something a little bit stiff up there.

OK here's the thing, after a few weeks I just had the idea, is this actually an orphaned suit jacket that I've been so pleased to wear? ? ? 

The fabric isn't very texturey, and it doesn't have patch pockets.

OK here it is, what do you think?










In any case, I like it, so sue me, lol! ! !

:icon_viking:

PS No fusing!


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## Virginia-Style (Oct 21, 2010)

looks like it passes as a sport coat to me. the pattern stands out well enough... I would enjoy wearing it! if it's a 42 long and you get too concerned about it's heritage - let me know:smile:


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for the endorsement! (It happens to be a 48.)

But btw Canali cuts them pretty trim. I have another 48 from them that even when let out a bit has still been a bit tight on me.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

That one can go either way. It could possibly be from a suit but it's perfectly fine to wear on it's own. Canali's cuts vary. Most of my jackets are 39 or 40, but I have Canali in 38 that fits me.


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