A suit coat, blazer, and sport coat (or sports jacket) vary more than you may have realized. It’s important that you understand the differences to help you dress appropriately for various occasions.
Suit coats are the most formal as they are jackets worn only with pants made of the same cloth.
Blazers are slightly less formal and are characterized by solid-colored suiting fabrics with metal or mother-of-pearl buttons.
Sport coats are intended for sporting events such as hunting or horseback riding. They are made with various materials for different seasons and are the most casual of the three jackets.
Suit coats, blazers, and sport coats are classic menswear pieces that every man should consider owning.
But what’s the difference? Are they interchangeable?
For me as a menswear consultant and clothier, it’s vital to know the differences in various types of garments to enable me to guide clients in the right direction.
I believe it’s also extremely important for you as you pursue your style journey.
Traditional rules of appropriate attire for varying occasions have weakened. Overall, we are much more casual now than we were in the past.
But let’s not allow that notion to keep us from understanding what garments are best suited for different settings.
Knowledge is power. Find out everything you need to know about these three types of jackets in the following guide.
The Suit Coat
A suit coat is the most formal of the three jackets. It is only worn with trousers cut from the same cloth. A suit is, by definition, a jacket and trousers of the same exact material worn together.
Fabric
Suits can be made from almost any type of fabric. Worsted wool, flannel wool, and linen are popular, traditional choices.
While patterned fabrics are definitely acceptable for use in a suit, they are not as formal as dark, solid-colored fabrics.
I’d recommend sticking to navy, midnight blue, charcoal, or black for the most formal events that don’t quite require a full black-tie dress code.
Cut and Style
Suits offer a myriad of options when it comes to jacket style. For example, you could have a single-breasted, two-button jacket with flap pockets and a notch lapel.
Or, you could have a double-breasted, six-button jacket with besom pockets and a peak lapel–just to name a couple.
A quality suit coat will typically be made of either half-canvas or full-canvas construction. The canvas, made from materials such as horse or goat hair, is used within the front panels of the suit coat to provide structure.
The neat, almost stiff appearance of a suit coat is achieved through the use of canvassing. This is ideal for the coat as it is the most formal and elegant option of the three jackets discussed in this article.
While the most noticeable advantage of canvassing is its structure, it also serves other functions, such as adding breathability to a coat’s fabric and improving the overall longevity.
A suit coat will typically have plastic buttons. On higher-end suits or suits that are custom-made, it’s common to find horn, bone, mother-of-pearl, or even wood buttons.
The Blazer
A blazer is slightly less formal than a suit coat. The word or term “blazer” originated with club jackets worn by members of The Lady Margaret Boat Club in the early 19th century.
Their particular club jackets were made from a bright “blazing” red fabric from which they got their name. The name stuck and still applies to the modern iteration with which we are familiar.
Blazers are sold on their own, meaning you won’t have matching trousers to accompany them. They are to be worn with separate pants in a coordinating color. Mixing different pant materials with your blazer is acceptable and even encouraged.
Fabric
Blazers today are almost exclusively made from solid-colored fabric, with navy blue and black being the most common color options due to their formality.
The fabrics used are durable as the blazer is typically worn outdoors. Common fabrics used for blazers include hopsack, worsted wool, and linen, amongst others.
Regatta stripes are occasionally used in blazer fabrics as well, though they’ve been phased out since the British Royal Navy adopted the Blazer as part of their uniform later in the 19th century. Specifically, a double-breasted, navy-colored jacket with brass buttons.
Striped blazers peaked in popularity in Britain in the 1960s and 70s, commonly worn by Mod icons of that era. If you see one today, it is likely vintage or custom-made for someone intrigued by the blazer’s history.
Cut and Style
Blazers can be single or double-breasted with notch or peak lapels. They are typically cut looser than a suit coat and have less structure in areas like the shoulder. Overall, a more casual cut than a suit coat.
Patch pockets are a common feature on Blazers, rather than the typical flap or besom pockets found on suit coats.
Blazers are also characterized by their metal buttons. Brass, gold, or silver buttons are most commonly used, though mother-of-pearl buttons are also seen.
The metal buttons are often decorated with nautical designs, referencing the blazer’s history with boating clubs as well as the Royal Navy.
If you need to dress up, but a suit is too formal, consider a blazer. It’s typically the most appropriate option for those settings.
These have extreme stretch, don't wrinkle, NEVER need dry cleaning (just throw them in the wash as if it's a tee), and are so versatile that you can wear them with your favorite pair of jeans. Take your look to the next level and pair the Blazer with matching
The Sport Coat
The most casual of the three jackets, the sport coat finds its roots in 19th-century Britain. Men needed a less-formal coat suited for outdoor sports such as shooting, hunting, and horse-back riding.
Sport coats are also sold on their own and should be worn with coordinating pants in a different color. Charcoal, brown, and other earth tones are common colors used in both sport coats and the pants with which you can pair them.
Fabric
You’ll find the largest selection of fabrics available for sport coat configuration. As an example, denim would not be an acceptable material for a suit but can be used for certain types of sport coats.
Tweed, corduroy, leather, and suede are common materials used in sport coats. These thicker, sturdier fabrics help ensure durability throughout long-term use in rugged environments.
During warmer seasons, lighter-weighted materials such as worsted wool, seersucker, and even linen can also be used. I love the following example of a seersucker sport coat.
A sport coat features bold patterns and textures. Examples of textured weaves include houndstooth and herringbone.
Bold patterns such as a window-pane or glen plaid (Prince of Wales check) are often used in sport coats, simply adding to their more casual nature.
Tweed fabrics can be found woven in traditional Scottish Plaid (Tartan), characterized by vibrant colors in specific arrangements, intended to identify particular communities throughout Scotland.
Cut and Style
Sport coats can be cut with various single or double-breasted options. However, sport coats typically feature unstructured “natural” shoulders and are often unstructured throughout the jacket as well.
This means that no canvassing or padding is used, giving the jacket a much softer, more casual drape.
A sport coat should be cut looser than a suit coat to allow for layering beneath. The wearer should always have the option of being able to fit a sweater or heavy scarf under the jacket during bleak and inhospitable weather.
Patch pockets are common on sport coats, even on the breast, where you won’t find them on suit coats or blazers. The patch pockets on a sport coat will often be covered with flaps as they are used to carry miscellaneous objects during sporting events.
Also common on sport coats are leather shoulder pads and elbow patches. These provide even more durability in areas of the jacket that receive the most wear. A leather shoulder pad, for example, would be used in hunting or shooting to protect the fabric from wear when using a rifle.
Another common feature of a sport coat is a sport lapel. With a sport lapel, the collar and lapel can be turned out and fastened to provide full coverage across the front of the jacket.
The fastening is achieved by a button and buttonhole or loop usually found stitched on the underside of the lapels.
Pleats can also be found on many sport coats, especially across the back, enabling extra movement for the wearer during more physical activities.
These days, plastic and other synthetic buttons are the most common option for sport coats as they are impervious to damage from rain and other harsh weather conditions.
A sport coat is a great option for professional, business casual settings.
Are These Jackets Interchangeable?
You may be wondering if a suit coat can be worn as either a blazer or sport coat. The answer is, “it depends.”
If you happen to have a full suit in a dark, solid color with metal buttons, the jacket might work on its own as a blazer. Though this combination is unusual.
Bold patterns are more common in modern-day suits. Because of this, a patterned suit coat could be worn with a different pair of pants to function as a sport coat.
However, overall I wouldn’t recommend wearing a suit coat as a blazer or a sport coat. Even if their materials, color, or pattern make them appropriate for use as one of the other styles of jacket, wearing them separately from their matching trousers means they will require more frequent cleaning.
Suit fabrics will fade over time as they are cleaned, even if only slightly. Because of this, more frequent cleanings of a jacket can result in slight color variation between itself and its matching trousers.
If it’s rare that you find occasion to wear a sport coat or blazer, and your suit coat would work as an appropriate replacement, then go for it. Just consider investing in an individual blazer and sport coat if the occasion requires them more often.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve discussed the differences between these three types of jackets, you’ll understand why owning one of each might be something to strongly consider.
Each jacket has a unique history as well as personality that I really love. And for me, owning one of each is important. For you, one of each may not be necessary. But consider their uses and be sure you know how to wear them appropriately.
Style is individual and you might have a different idea of how to wear these jackets. That’s fine! I just believe it’s important to understand the “rules” before you might decide to break them.
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