WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUIT JACKET, SPORT COAT, AND BLAZER?
A friend of mine recently emailed me to ask whether he accidentally bought a suit jacket by mistake, when he wanted a sport coat. I see this sort of thing happen often, so let's break down the differences 🧵
First, understand that a suit is just a garment where the jacket and pants have been cut from the same cloth. This distinguishes it from the frock coat, which is what "proper" gentlemen wore before suits became popular.
By the early 20th-cent, the frock coat fell out of favor and was replaced by suits and sport coats.
See how the suit on the left is made to be worn with matching pants. The sport coat on the right is made to be worn with pants cut from a different cloth.
A suit can be made from almost anything: cotton, linen, seersucker, thornproof tweed, cavalry twill, etc.
It can also come in any color, although it's most traditionally made in sedate colors, such as various shades and hues of blue, grey, brown, and green.
When you go into a store, however, you will mostly see suits like these. These are made from worsted wool, which is a smooth, often slightly silky, sometimes slightly shiny fabric (fabric nerds please don't "actually" me about worsted—I have character limits).
The reason why you want to know the difference between a suit jacket and sport coat is bc you never want to dress like Gaetz below. You don't want to look like you accidentally spilled something on your suit pants and changed out of them. The jacket here is too formal for pants.
But remember, some suits can be broken into separates! Corduroy is a perfect example. If you have a corduroy suit, you can easily wear the jacket with matching corduroy pants or pants cut from a diff fabric. Corduroy works a suit or sport coat.
So, how do you know when you can wear a suit jacket on its own?
Clothing is a social language, so much of this is about training your eye for what looks right, just as you would train your ear to know what sounds right. However, I can give you some guidelines:
Generally speaking, the rougher, fluffier, and more visible the weave, the more likely you’re looking at a sport coat. Conversely, the finer and flatter the weave, the more likely you’re looking at a suit jacket.
Silky worsted wool? Suit
Tweed? Sport coat.
Certain patterns can also be clues. Pinstripes and chalkstripes always indicate something was meant to be worn as a suit. Fine patterns or weaves, such as birdseye, nailhead, and small-scale herringbones, also tend to be reserved for suits.
Scale of pattern also matters. Although suits can come in big, bold patterns, and sport coats in quiet and subtle ones, the more successful sport coats tend to have larger scale designs. It’s a way of saying, "this isn’t something to be worn to a business meeting."
Look at these two coats. They are both made with the same pattern: a glen check. They even have similar colors. But the sport coat has a much larger scale pattern, which distinguishes it as more casual than the suit jacket (which should only be worn with matching pants)
Some other details can be a giveaway. Patch pockets, leather-wrapped buttons, and fewer than four buttons at the sleeve are all casualizing details. Jetted pockets, on the other hand, are typically reserved for suits (although not always)
This can all sound overwhelming at first. But you can avoid the worst by sticking to a simple rule:
Don't wear navy, grey, or black jackets made from silky, smooth wools on their own. Esp if they have flapped or jetted pockets. These are suit jackets and need matching suit pants
Ok, now, what's a blazer? I've seen lots of people here mistake suit jackets and sport coats as blazers.
Here is the long history of blazers encapsulated in a neat little chart:
One definition comes from the history of club blazers, where people wore unusually striped or trimmed jackets to distinguish themselves as members of a rowing, boating, or yachting club. Jack Carlson's book Rowing Blazers is dedicated to this subject. The style is VERY preppy
The other definition comes from the history of schoolboy blazers, which were also sometimes a distinguishing feature of club blazers. These are essentially navy sport coats with metal buttons (silver or gold in color). The buttons sometimes have emblems of the organization.
It's very rare to see boating blazers nowadays out in the wild. When people (correctly) use the term blazer nowadays, they mean a navy sport coat made with buttons that look like this:
If you like tailored clothing, a navy sport coat is the most useful garment you can own. Start with that in a slightly textured material to distinguish it from navy suit jackets. Hopsack, serge, and Mock Leno all work.
You can have a tailor swap out the buttons to play with different looks: matte brown horn for year-round wear, mother of pearl for summer (only for summer materials like Mock Leno), or brass buttons for something slightly preppy.
Sales associates at good stores should be able to guide you on what's what. If you are shopping vintage, beware of things called "orphaned suit jackets." These are suit jackets sold without matching pants (usually bc the pants wore out at the seat). Avoid these purchases.
One more thing: if you're on TikTok, you've prob seen this clip of Harvey claiming you can turn 5 suits into 75 different outfits. Lots of men remix this audio with a video showing them doing this. I don't want to put anyone on blast by posting their vid. But you can look them up
The reason why you can't do this is bc not all suit jackets can be worn on their own (see Gaetz and Santos above). Your ability to wear a suit jacket on its own depends on whether it can *convincingly* pass as a sport coat.
This depends on a host of variables: fabric's sheen, texture, and weave; pattern type and scale; jacket details such as pocket style, etc. The details matter greatly, so don't mix and match willy-nilly as Harvey recommends.
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Trump released a $250 fragrance (one for women, one for men).
Sometimes a fragrance can be expensive because it contains certain ingredients or involve artisanal, small-batch production. But with no note breakdown or even a description of the scent, what justifies this price?
I'm reminded of this 2016 blog post by Luca Turin, one of the best writers on fragrances. Even for niche perfumery he warns: "Niche perfumery stands a good chance of disappearing up its own rear end if it merely becomes yet another golden opportunity to rip off the customer."
If you're into fragrances, as I am, I encourage you to not support celebrity bullshit like this. Go to real perfumers. Some of my favorites include:
— AbdesSalaam Attar: He's a self-taught Sicilian Sufi perfumer who only uses natural ingredients. Many of his perfumes feel like you're walking through a Middle Eastern bazaar or spice market. Milano Caffe, Cuoio dei Dolci, and Tabac are worth a sniff. He can also do bespoke perfumes using your favorite notes.
— DS & Durga: David Moltz describes himself as doing "scent travel." He has an uncanny ability to transport you to far off places. I like Cowboy Grass, Debaser, Amber Kiso, and Burning Barbershop. If you can get a sample of his Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake Sample (made part of his Hylands collection), it's really good with tailored tweeds.
— Anything by Jean Claude Ellena: One of the most famous perfumers in the world. His scents have been likened to watercolor paintings and chamber music because they're light, airy, and have a transparent quality. This makes them particularly good for spring/ summer. Check his scents from Hermes, such as Terre d'Hermes and Un Jardin sur le Nil, which are easy to find on discount. L'Eau d'Hiver for Frederic Malle is also great, but a bit more expensive.
— Tauer Perfumes: Andy Tauer is a chemist and self-taught perfumer who specializes in dry, spicy, woody scents. L'Air du Desert Marocain makes you feel like you're in the middle of the desert at night. Lonestar Memories is like being next to a crackling campfire while picking up on the scent of tobacco and leather. IMO, a must try if you're exploring niche perfumery.
Always try to get samples before buying a bottle. Check shops such as Luckyscent, Surrender to Chance, and The Perfumed Court. Also pick up a copy of Perfumes by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez.
People think I'm biased against Jeff Bezos, but here's F. Caraceni Sartoria, widely considered one of the best bespoke tailoring houses in the world, commenting on Bezos's wedding suit.
"The most terrible, frightening, horrible tuxedo ever seen in my life. I'm really suffering"
Nothing to do with politics, only quality tailoring. F. Caraceni made suits for Silvio Berlusconi, who was hardly beloved by progressives. Many people don't know much about tailoring, which is fine, but this doesn't mean that rich or expensive = good.
Caraceni's work:
Here is a dinner suit F. Caraceni made for Yves Saint Laurent.
Let me make the case for why the NHL should abolish its dress code, which currently requires players to wear a suit and tie while heading to and from games. 🧵
The arguments I've seen for the dress code fall into one of two categories: players look better in a coat-and-tie (some use descriptions such as "classy"). Others say that requiring players to dress in this way shows respect for the game. I will address each argument in turn.
It's true that tailoring once played a larger role in sports. Basketball coaches, for instance, used to wear tailored jackets pretty regularly, even at games. Some even looked quite good in these outfits.
It's true that progressives valorize "ugliness." But I think this person doesn't interrogate this position enough and thus lands at the wrong conclusion.
Let me give you a new perspective on ugliness. 🧵
In popular discourse, the world was once good, people were virtuous, and all things were beautiful. Then modernity came along and destroyed everything. In this view, beauty is an objective standard that has been corrupted by liberalism.
I contend that beauty in personal appearance is subjective, not objective. In fact, its standards rest on the shifting tectonic plates of politics, economics, and technology. Let me give you examples.
Today, we think of these photos as the standard for male beauty and dress:
Earlier this week, I asked which tie knot you think looks better. Of course, you can wear whichever you like. But here's the social history behind both knots and why some people consider one better than the other. 🧵
In the mid-19th century, as ready-to-wear tailoring started to take form, people got around in horse-drawn carriages. After all, the car had not yet been invented. During this time, some formed driving clubs, where they rode drags.
Check out the text in this lithograph:
The term "drag" refers to the carriage you see above, which was a sporting vehicle that was lighter than the more robust stagecoach. Men in driving clubs raced drags. Hence the term "drag race" first appearing in an 1863 issue of Racing Times.