There are fewer and fewer times when you need to wear a suit. We can see that men’s clothes have changed a lot because of sportswear, or at least the move towards dressing more efficiently. This is why tailoring is being rethought in a big way.
One good thing that came from this change is already here and has been for a while: the men’s jacket without a collar. The tailoring process makes clothes stiff and stuffy, but the unstructured blazer takes that and makes a new type of clothing. It’s like how you can wear trainers and shoes together.
An unstructured blazer is a more casual way to dress formally than a suit jacket. It still looks formal, but it can also feel casual based on what it’s worn with. It looks so much more current now that it has it.
In short, the unstructured blazer is one of the most essential pieces of clothing you can wear in the 21st century. You should get one if you don’t already have one.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A BLAZER TO BE UNSTRUCTURED?
It sounds like a bad thing when you first hear the words “unstructured suit” or “unstructured jacket.” The structure is what you want in tailoring, right? An old-school tailor on Savile Row might say that a jacket needs to be able to keep its shape and have the right style.
But now that clothes are more manageable and softer to wear, it’s still appropriate to look professional without being too tight. This is why the unstructured blazer, which doesn’t have any padding on the shoulders or canvassing on the chest, is used. It could have no lining at all or only a half-lining so that there is room for a few places inside.
A blazer without any form is often a lot like a medium- to heavyweight shirt. Like a jacket, it has lapels, vents, and pockets. Or maybe a cardigan. That’s why this kind of jacket is sometimes called a “cardigan” jacket.
The jacket has to be well-cut, though, because a lot of the things that keep it in shape are taken away. Finishing should not be skimped on, either, even if the jacket is not lined at all. For instance, all of the inner seams should be properly taped. This hides the stitching and keeps water from getting through the seams.
Because there aren’t many layers of cloth, it’s lighter than most suit jackets and lets more air flow through. This makes it a great summer jacket.
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The unconstructed blazer also folds up pretty quickly, which makes it more comfortable and easy to carry around. If you wear one made of wool, the natural stretch will make the wrinkles disappear.
But the best thing about it is that its soft look can be used with a lot of different styles. A good pair of pants is like a well-fitted jacket: the unstructured blazer. It is still dressy enough that you can wear it with a shirt and tie, but it’s also casual enough that you can wear it with pants and a T-shirt.
The best brands for blazers that aren’t structured.
RUBINACCI
Gennaro Rubinacci started the family business in 1932. His grandson Luca now runs it. Rubinacci’s style is very dapper in Naples. Think ribbed cashmere sweaters and skinny trousers with pleats that close with buckles.
It’s also one of the few places you could find a double-breasted jacket that doesn’t have straight lines.
ARKET
You can make Arket by putting together a group of outside fashion designers, buyers, pattern makers, and other people who work in the field to share their ideas for specific clothes. It is the newest name from the vast H&M group, and its goal is to make quality more accessible to everyone. Check out its wool jackets with two buttons.
BEAMS PLUS
Beams Plus is the most expensive name in the Japanese Beams family, which was founded in 1976. Its style is influenced by Americana, especially sports and casualwear from the 1950s. Because it loves all things preppy, it sells the wool flannel unstructured blazer, which is excellent for high winter.
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
Any Zegna clothing is likely to become a closet favorite, but it won’t be the cheapest. For many years, it has been making suits in Italy—it made the first ready-to-wear suit in the country. This season, it’s going towards softer, less structured styles, which is a sign of the times.
SUNSPEL
Sunspel is an excellent company that makes light jackets. The company was formed in the 1850s, but since the 1950s, it has specialized in making soft, breathable fabrics. Most of these fabrics have been used to make knickers, T-shirts, and polo shirts, which are worn next to the skin. The Merino wool jacket is great for any time of the year.
UNIQLO
In the West, Uniqlo may look like a new store on the high street, but the company was founded in 1949 in Yamaguchi, Japan. The company focuses on simple, practical design. The name of its stretchy, clean, and quick-drying jacket, “comfort blazer,” says it all.
ENGINEERED GARMENTS
Engineered Garments is a Japanese brand with stores in New York and Tokyo that makes modern clothes based on workwear. But just because they’re functional doesn’t mean you should look like you’re ready for battle. Soft and stylish, Daiko Suzuki’s Bedford jacket with a peak lapel is a classic piece.
UNIVERSAL WORKS
Universal Works is a company based in Nottingham that makes simple, modern clothes in the style of Folk or Albam. David Keyte helped to start the company and created clothes for it. They make a lot of their clothes in the UK. Clothes that aren’t very well made come in a lot of different patterns and twills.
J.CREW
Sure enough, it sounds very American: The early 1980s saw the start of J Crew, which aimed to follow Ralph Lauren’s New England style at a more affordable price. Wear trousers, button-down shirts, and loose-fitting suits. Their unstructured blazer is made of a cotton-linen blend that lets air flow but is still strong enough to wear all year.
OLIVER SPENCER
Spencer learned about fashion on Portobello Market before starting the formalwear brand Favourbrook. Because he can bring old clothes up to date, he is quickly becoming the new Paul Smith of British fashion. You can look forward to a smart-casual style with lots of rich fabrics and bright colors.
THREE WAYS TO WEAR AN UNSTRUCTURED BLAZER:
CASUAL
Most of the time, you wouldn’t wear a standard tailored jacket to a Sunday pint unless you were coming back from church. But this is when the unstructured blazer shines because it’s just the right amount of loose.
If the blazer has a unique colour, design, or texture, wear it with a basic white sneaker, dark jeans or trousers, and a crew-neck T-shirt. In the cooler months, wear it over a T-shirt and a fitted Merino wool cardigan.
If it’s simple, try wearing it over a light sweater or a T-shirt with Breton stripes. This is what the Pitti peacocks call “sprezzatura,” so don’t fret if your jacket is rolled up a bit.
SMART-CASUAL
An open-front jacket is excellent for when you’re not sure how dressy or casual you should be.
If that doesn’t make you look like a fashion outcast, wear yours with tailored trousers, a button-down shirt or a crisp polo shirt, and shoes or high-end trainers for a middle-ground look. This will help you get through most things, from weddings to talks.
Extra tip: Don’t wear a tie with an unstructured blazer; it looks too casual to need one.
BE SMART
The fact that it can be dressed up enough to look brilliant shows how helpful the unstructured blazer is.
Wear it with separates, like tailored trousers with a flat front in a color that stands out from the jacket. It doesn’t have to look like a suit. For dressy events, wool or a wool-mix blend is best because it flows better.
You could say that an “unstructured” jacket still calls for an “unstructured” shirt, so wear an Oxford shirt with a soft knit tie instead of a dress shirt. To make it look even more classy, wear a pair of Oxford or Derby shoes and put a tie clip or silk square in the breast pocket.
