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It was a notably chilly Saturday in New York City when I walked into The Real Real’s SoHo boutique and fell hopelessly in love with a black collarless Bottega Veneta blazer. It was crafted out of a heavyweight wool-crepe with a trio of buttons running down the front of bodice. It had sharp shoulders, a low scoop-neck, and a torso that tapered into an hourglass shape with a slight peplum in the back. The jacket was in immaculate condition and even had all its original tags. The Italian size 38 fit me like a glove, with a little breathing room to spare. I simply had to have it.
Not one to give into the whim of an impulse buy—especially not for a blazer, which is far from my fashion kryptonite—I sensed the first ripple of an impending style shift. On my way home, I wondered, why, and why now?
As a garment of utility, but also emotion, the blazer offers a sense of maturity and polish that isn’t always as strongly conveyed with a simple T-shirt or knit—a look that’s become my default. (If you see me in the office these days, chances are I’m wearing a light grey Casasola crewneck with a little white T-shirt underneath.) I never want to feel like I’m trying too hard, and the sweater-and-tee combo brings that easy polish and ‘undoneness’ that I’m always striving for when getting dressed. But relying too much on a formula can take the joy out of getting dressed, and sometimes you need a jolt to keep things exciting—which is how I’ve been feeling lately. I still stand behind the power of uniform dressing, but it’s also nice to embrace something new-ish from time to time.
I emphasize the -ish part because throughout my teenage years, blazers were my default. In college, I was deep in an Isabel Marant phase, obsessed with how the label s blazers looked with miniskirts and dresses (as they were styles for the runway). For years, I wore a black Sandro blazer with snow-leopard lining any chance I could. My favorite way to style it was with a mini skirt, a slubby linen tee, and short suede cowboy boots. I grew out of my blazers literally and figuratively after graduate school—too put-together, too try hard—and now own just one By Malene Birger relaxed stye (a Matches purchase from last fall, RIP). I like it enough, but it doesn’t give me that me twinkle-in-the-eye confidence as it once did.
Inspired by how my stylish colleagues sport their own tailoring in the office—of them, Vogue’s Lisa Aiken and Libby Page—the styles I’m drawn to now look nothing like the ones previously in my closet. I’ve been loving the contemporary collarless and scoop-neck takes—the tweed Liberowe below is a perfect example—but I love the shrunken ones, too, like Attersee’s or La Collection’s reversed design. More feminine than boxy, they all possess a sense of soft power, and a day-to-night sensibility that I find missing in my own knit-dominant wardrobe.
To maintain the a sense of ease that makes me feel like best version of myself, I’ll be styling these blazers for work in the new year with jeans and trousers, white T-shirts and slim-fit turtlenecks. I want them to create shape and definition, but not be nipped too tightly in the waist. That said, I won’t be going oversized; as someone who is petite, any shoulder pad or drop that extends beyond a few inches looks comical on me. I don t plan on packing up my knits anytime soon—it’s still winter in New York, and I am emotionally attached to my sweaters—but wearing more blazers feels like a realistic feat. Dare I say the only challenge remaining is ensuring these fit under my coats?
