Diary of The Housewife in Pearls...: Meet my New Boyfriend...

Boyfriend Blazers!

Not just for the office anymore, the boyfriend blazer has brought the blazer front and center this season and is a much more sophisticated homage to your man’s closet.

We started styling cocktail dresses and skinny jeans with boyfriend blazers a few seasons ago. Then this year the runways were laden with different versions of the blazer. It’s not surprising that pretty much every store, from discount to designer, has at least a few options to choose from. Of course, you can also visit your favorite guy’s closet...just make sure to put it back where you found it.

Boyfriend blazers are super versatile. You can wear them with almost anything. And, they fit many different types of styles; feminine or edgy, a boyfriend blazer will most likely work with your outfit. Boyfriend blazers are also not age-specific. The same blazer can look quite trendy on a 16 year old or exceptionally classy on a woman in her 70's.

How To Wear a Boyfriend Blazer

Boyfriend blazers are essentially fool proof to style. Here a few key pointers to remember…

Go One Size Up

A boyfriend blazer is meant to look like it really is your boyfriend’s blazer. Thus, it should be slightly larger than a tailored blazer that you might wear with a business suit. Most boyfriend blazers are made to fit this way, but keep that in mind when you’re shopping for one. It should be fairly loose through the middle so that when buttoned, you would be able to fit your arm between the blazer and your body. It should also be a little big on your shoulders. Instead of looking to make sure the seam is at the end of your shoulder, find a blazer where the seam is a half inch to an inch beyond the end of your shoulder. Don’t go TOO big, though! You don’t want to look swallowed by your blazer.

Roll Up The Sleeves

One of the characteristics of the boyfriend blazer is rolled up sleeves. If you’ve tried on one of your favorite guy’s blazers and it didn’t look quite right to you, it might have been because this piece was missing. Rolling up the sleeves adds your own little touch. It’s like you ransacked your man’s closet and styled it up a bit to suit you.

Avoid Shoulder Pads

If you want to make an old blazer work as a boyfriend blazer, lose the shoulder pads. This is also important to remember when shopping for boyfriend blazers in your Grandmothers closet.

Style Boyfriend Blazers With…

Boyfriend blazers can be worn with pretty much anything. Any cut of jean, dresses of any length, skirts, shorts, you name it…

However, there are a few ways to wear boyfriend blazers that will set you apart from the crowd. In a good way. Here are the most stylish ways to wear boyfriend blazers.

With a dress or skirt that is just a couple of inches longer than the blazer.
To make your blazer look like it was styled intentionally for your outfit, wear a dress or skirt that is just slightly longer than your blazer. One to two inches is a safe bet.
With skinny jeans and tall boots.

A boyfriend blazer layered over a fitted shirt, skinny jeans and tall boots is a very classy, sophisticated look that women of any age can wear.