A navy blazer is one of the classics of traditional style. Yet for someone like me, who values solitude and a sense of being unbound, the uniform-like character of a blazer has never quite felt comfortable. Still, I thought that a more casual, Italian-style blazer might be something I could add to my wardrobe.
With that thought, I began to sketch out the idea.
If it were to be Italian in spirit, the jacket should have natural shoulders and a pattern with a softly rounded waist. For a blazer, a double-breasted design seemed right. And to give it an Italian touch, the pockets would be patch pockets.
Gold buttons, however, feel too much like a uniform to me. Yet if the buttons are not metal, the jacket loses its sense of being a blazer. In that case, silver buttons would be the answer. Not ones that shine brightly, but rather something subdued—like burnished silver with a muted tone.
The most difficult element turned out to be the color and texture of the fabric. With plain navy cloth, if the choice is not made carefully, the jacket can easily end up looking like a uniform or a business suit. A completely plain fabric with a matte finish would probably be best avoided.
A fabric with a gentle sheen, perhaps a shadow herringbone that appears almost plain unless viewed up close—that seemed promising. The rest could be decided at the tailor’s shop while looking through the bunch books. I was looking forward to choosing the cloth.
Having refined the idea, I went to the tailor that day fully intending to place the order. In the end, however, I decided not to proceed with the blazer.
The reason, as it turned out, was the fabric. As I looked through various options, I realized that finding a navy cloth—plain or nearly plain—that would avoid the impression of a uniform or business suit was more difficult than I had imagined.
There were fabrics that made me think, This might work, but they came at a certain price. It was not an amount I could not afford. Still, since the jacket was meant to be something I could wear casually and often, the cost began to feel somewhat out of proportion.
If I were going to spend that much, perhaps it would make more sense to abandon the idea of a blazer altogether—no metal buttons, just the usual horn buttons—and have a suit made instead. Once that thought began to take hold, I knew that this order was unlikely to happen.
After all, there are other garments that I would almost certainly wear more often. If so, should those not take priority? In the end, I ordered a pair of trousers—something I had long felt I needed two more pairs of for coordinating outfits—and then left the tailor.
As for the navy blazer, it can wait until the day I truly feel I want one. But this experience made me realize something again: given my lifestyle, a navy blazer may simply not be a garment I truly need after all.
