Is this a good choice for a first blazer or should I go for something more structured/traditional?
Rails
DWIGHT BLAZER - NAVY
DETAILS | Comfortable and casual, but elevated enough to take you from the office to a dinner date. Made from a luxe wool blend, this unconstructed blazer features patch pockets, 3 button-down front, and a raw-finished hem. Features dual face fabric with contrast interior. 78% Polyester | 20% Wool | 2% Other. Imported
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Also is it just me or is it too short?
I would consider that more of a cardigan than a blazer
What is the occasion? Also might be short, but the model might not be your exact height.
78% poly 
I like jackets/cardigans like this but I wouldn’t view it as a blazer, and no it’s a bit too heavy polyester for me
Also nothing wrong with polyester
Rails clothes are definitely designed for shorter guys. As someone who's 6'3" their stuff is unwearable. That model is 6'2" and it does not flatter him at all
I'm short, 5'7" and love the one shirt I own from them
Good catch, that's why it looks so short
Less than formal, more than casual events. Kids recitals, church service, community orchestra etc
Any recs for something that isn't too stiff but reads a little more classic blazer? < $300 would be nice but I could splurge a little for the right one, I want it to last
What location are you in?
The South. Hot and dry
I can't speak personally of the quality but Spier & Mackey often get's recommended
Not a blazer
Plenty wrong with polyester if you want a blazer. Drape, breathability, long term quality are all poor.
A trad blazer sure but this is a cardigan lol
Second-hand, or new spier & mackay, within that budget, to get something pretty good.
Yeah, but OP is surely wanting a blazer. :P
To avoid it being "too stiff" I would suggest two things: material and structuring. Rather than heavy wool, I'd suggest open-weave / high twist / tropical wool, wool-silk-linen blends, or actually just linen. And possibly unlined / mostly unlined. I might also suggest an unstructured jacket instead of structured.
An unstructured linen navy blazer rides that line between formal and not. At a hundred feet it reads formal enough, but up close it's obviously a de-formalized garment. Throw on some patch pockets if you like, casualize it more.
But of course, there's a million options using the above formula that are not navy.
Sand, stone, tan, olive, rust, ochre, brown, those are all options for solid-color plain-weave jackets. Of course there are almost infinite non-solid-color jackets
Other options can include seersucker, which is classic for the south. You could do classic white-blue seersucker, but there are other options, including even blue-blue (ie, looks like a navy blazer until up close).
Another option, more suited for the cooler months, is corduroy. Tends to be a bit warm in the summer. But it's fairly casual as far as a sport coat goes.
Plus before we talked about overshirts, field jackets, chore coats, etc.
Thanks! This is super helpful
Ok I’m back - how is this one? https://www.rhone.com/products/bond-knit-blazer/
Men's Workout Clothes, Fitness Apparel & Premium Activewear
Bond Knit Blazer | Rhone Apparel
The Bond Knit Blazer features a jacquard knit fabric with built in stretch. A casual silhouette and exterior patch pockets make this a versatile mid weight layering piece when you're looking to add a touch of sophistication without sacrificing comfort.
better, but tech blazers like this don't work with regular clothes. Like if you're wearing jeans and an Oxford shirt you should get a more traditional blazer
Yeah. I’m starting to think I don’t really want a blazer. Maybe I’m more of a sport coat guy
I was in j crew and tried one on and just felt douchey in it
maybe a linen bomber or blouson is more your style?
I guess there's a big open question on what you're really looking for.
What did you see in the store that you did like?
I like some of their shirts. I’m going for less country club/golf and more of a professor look if that makes sense
I have a linen wool blazer I really like!
I'd check out Yoox personally.
I'm 5'3 and I like got lucky but it can be hard to find short sizes on there.
There's lots of fun, modern, casual sport coat/blazer (I thought this term was interchangeable) options out there that don't look or feel like your dad's jackets
Spier & Mackay and SuitSupply make some. But they'd still look like a blazer, generally more structure than your OP but with silk/wool/linen type blends and fun textures like hopsack etc
Dark Grey Lazio Blazer in Silk Cashmere Linen | SUITSUPPLY US
Shop the Dark Grey Lazio Blazer in Silk Cashmere Linen at Suitsupply. Enjoy FREE delivery and returns on all orders.
I know this is out of your price range but to give an idea of what I'm talking abou. Spier often has jackets like this in the 300 range
Stuff like this
That denim blazer is fun! Idk how versatile but I do like it
I found this from them that I’m liking too. Everyone says you need a navy blazer so I was just looking at them. But I’m digging the brown https://www.spierandmackay.com/product/dark-brown---neo-cut-26g99-1127-nesc-01-ss23
I bought a navy blazer because everyone says to get that first. It's sat in my closet for 3 years, I still haven't worn it once
Nobody really needs a navy blazer tbh, if you're into trad/prep/ivy stuff it's a staple and it's versatile but my personal choice would be a brown or gray tweed as a first
when I pulled it out of the closet the other day I noticed there's a hole in it on the sleeve. Probably from a bug or something. IT basically spoiled before I could wear it lol
personally I'll only wear a blazer/sport coat if its with a fun texture/pattern, to me it feels modern and exciting to wear and I always get compliments
There’s a whole Reddit solely dedicated to the navy blazer. But yeah they all look like very ivy. I want to look put together but I don’t think that’s my style
I like this look a lot
Something you need to figure out is what styles you like, what you want to wear, how often you want to wear tailored jackets, etc
I’m mostly a dark wash jeans and solid Henley wearing guy
I own 1 suit in gray and I wear it maybe 3 times a year
I like light weight cotton button downs like rails sells
I intend for this to be one and only blazer for years which is why I’m thinking about it so much. Need to fill the space between casual and full suit
Brown sport coat with a button down and jeans is a great approach to dressed up casual
Could it go with dark khaki chinos as well?
As long as there's still some contrast
Don't wear that blazer with pants the same color
Yeah it really depends on the shades of the blazer and chinos
https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1141939718842503219 more brown sport coat and jeans (Jordans and tie not required)
Nice
Ok I’m sold on the brown
Something about it looks way less uptight than the navy blue and metal buttons
it has a kind of hopsacky texture to it, that might be what you like about it. If you look for hopsack sport coats you'll see more of what I'm talking about
I love hopsack, I think most of my jackets and suits have that texture lol
So the one you linked @GSH looks like it has a gentle curve at the bottom like an Oxford shirt. The ones from spier and mackay all have these double tails at the bottom - what’s the point there?
Are you talking about the jacket vents?
Image: Suit Jacket Basics: Vents – Indochino Blog
Found on Google from blog.indochino.com
No, in the front not the back
Can you post a pic of what you're referring to
This part
Sorry im probably bad at wording things
Oh are you talking about the patch pockets?
Or the shape of the jacket front quarters?
Front quarters, that’s probably the term
It bows out instead of straight like a shirt
I would say charcoal is the best choice
Also to me personally the navy Blazer can seem a bit "freshmen rushing for frat" lol
Yeah that's just the design of the jacket, kind of a preference thing, IMO open quarters look good in a casual sport coat
Full canvas and wool? Wouldn't wear it in the summer
You probably want half canvas at most
Yeah ok. I like the look but not practical
Butterfly lining should help but yeah probably too warm for hot weather wear
There's a really dope Tobacco twill suit Spier has right now if you like that color
Full canvas does not have to be heavy or hot.
And fusing can be hotter than canvas.
It does seem likely, yes.
The brown / tweed style is solid but tweed is usually quite warm. You can do a lot with brown that isn't tweed.
If I were to recommend some stuff, it would be:
1. Material. Linen, or wool silk linen blends. Lightweight not heavy irish linen.
2. Lining: consider butterfly lined.
3. Consider unstructured for the lighter, more casual look.
4. Consider whether you want more italian, more british, etc. For example. Spier will get you a spalla camica shoulder and larger, moderately curved notch lapels, italian style. British style would be a natural or roped shoulder with more shoulder structure, and usually straight lapels, likely thinner than spier's wider cuts.
4. Color/pattern: plain weave is okay. But consider something slubby for visual texture. Consider herringbones, though they tend to be more tightly woven and breathe worse. Definitely consider hopsack and similar weaves. Consider glen plaids and windowpanes and those houndstooth+windowpane combos.
Corduroy is another classic choice but linen will wear cooler than cotton.
Thanks, this list is very helpful. I’m finding lots of unstructured linen wool blends with butterfly liner. They all seem to be solid but I like the patterns
Thanks for the correction 🙏
Yep. Canvassing can be thicker or thinner, it can have different compositions or even an entirely different base material, it can be stiffer or softer. "Heavily structured" usually refers to shoulders but can refer to the entire jacket. My full canvas lightweight stuff is all soft and breathable.