Difference between blazer and sport coat/suit

Today I bought a 2 button tailor jacket from Express. I asked the salesperson if it was more like a blazer or suit. It is a black sportcoat.The salesperson told me it is more like a suit than a blazer. I dont want to go out at night and people think I am wearing a suit instead of a blazer.

This is the one i bought but i got it from the store today

http://www.expressfashion.com/styles/mens.jsp?groupId=16

The 2nd page, the 2nd jacket of the 3.

Is there a difference between a suit and blazer? Is a blazer just the top part where you cannot buy matching pants whereas a suit is where you can buy both? Would it look bad if i buy the wool pants that match my 2 button tailor jacket from Xxpress and wear both in an accounting interview I have coming up or should I just buy a whole new suit from Macys and only wear this jacket for going out?

youre title is wrong.

should be
"Difference between 'blazer'/'sport coat' and 'suit'"

a suit is, obviously, more formal... that goes with formal pants most likely of the same material.

a sport coat is a dressy blazer (different colored buttons than the cloth, etc)

a blazer is more of a solid color (buttons, cloth, etc)

the cuts between the blazer/sportcoat and suit are different

what you bought is a suit jacket.

hope that helps.

don't wear suit jackets with jeans... tacky for people who can tell the difference.

Suit jackets shouldn't be worn as odd jackets unless they're shorter than average and/or patterned, IMO. A blazer is a specific type of odd jacket - in America, it is always in navy blue and always with brass buttons - usually worn in a Trad environment (i.e. chinos or madras pants, boat shoes or loafers, to a country club brunch or yacht party). A sport coat is an odd jacket that isn't a blazer. Odd jackets are usually shorter than suit jackets, maybe cut slimmer (but not necessarily - sack jackets are common odd jackets) and more likely to have notch rather than peak lapels.

You bought a suit jacket. To get any use out of it, I would buy the matching pants and wear it when you're going somewhere smart at night, because you NEVER EVER WEAR A BLACK SUIT TO AN INTERVIEW UNLESS YOU ARE APPLYING TO A FUNERAL HOME OR INTERVIEWING FOR LEAD GUITAR IN A MOD REVIVAL BAND, OR UNLESS IT IS NIGHT. IT LOOKS BAD.

I would buy a charcoal suit from Macys for your interview... well, I wouldn't buy it at Macy's, but if that's your only option, go for it.

EDIT: Actually, for ~$500 you can get a slim fully canvassed MTM suit with working cuff buttons (not that you need them) from www.thickasthievesla.com. Dude who owns it is cool as fvck too. Probably not interview appropriate, but I thought I'd plug them anyway.

so basically what is really the point of a suit jacket? Going out at night with the pants along with it is fine but I cannot wear it while just going to my classes and on the train if it's on a regular day?

You wear a suit anytime the situation requires something more than just a jacket and tie, but doesn't require black tie or morning dress. Pretty broad range of situations in that spectrum: meetings, travel, a lot of events, work (if you are so inclined), a nice club, etc. For any of these, a non-black suit jacket is appropriate - the key being that a suit jacket is only appropriate when a complete suit is. A black suit is only appropriate for evening events or funeral work, or lead guitarist in a Mod Revival band.

The suit jacket you bought just won't work with jeans. Not enough waist suppression, too long, lapels too big, BLACK, just not interesting enough to pull off. But it looks nice enough so I recommend you buy the pants and wear it whenever you'd need to wear a suit in the evening.

For the record, there's nothing wrong with wearing suits out to nicer clubs and lounges. If you want a jacket to wear with jeans, I'd go back to Express (or BR or wherever you want... Target actually has some good stuff too) and talk to the best dressed man there. Tell him you specifically want a jacket to wear with jeans. If he tries to move a black suit jacket on you, you leave and try somewhere else.

Thx Sean. I just want to get out some more questions because I am still a bit confused.

I get a suit obviously for an interview with an accounting firm and I definitely will
not wear that suit on any other occasion except for an interview and the job if they hire me.

I can wear a blazer with any sorts of pants I want when going out at night and casual during the day.

1.The suit jacket I bought is plain black no pinstripes and if i buy the pants that comes with it, can you name some specific evening occasions that I would actually wear it?

2. Also, in your last post in your 1st paragraph, when you refer to suit, do you mean suit or suit jacket? I am not sure if those things you were saying... travel, work, nice club refered to a suit or suit jacket?

3. Someone in another forum said I could just buy the matching pants and wear it as a suit but wouldn't that be inappropriate since going to an interview with an Express suit jacket on or is that poster confused with suit and suit jacket?

4. So basically if i go out clubbing, would you say it looks better wearing a blazer with jeans or a suit jacket with the matching pants?

5. Wouldn't a blazer serve 2 purposes, hence blazer as blazer for normal day wear/casual wear AND for evening purposes and I wouldn't need a suit jacket at all?

Srry for writring too much but this whole thing on suits, suit jackets and blazers really got me confused.

I like helping with clothing advice here... it's pretty much the only advice I ever offer anymore.

1. I'm not sure what your social life is like, but in the past three months I've worn my slim black suit to a sorority formal and a university dinner. You would probably wear it to a club, a ****tail party, an evening event at your new job... if it's after 6 and the invitation doesn't say "black tie", go for it.

2. Because suit and suit jacket are essentially the same thing (i.e. you won't wear the suit jacket without the matching trousers per my instructions :nono: ) I mean suit.

3. Same thing. Buy the pants so you have a way to wear the jacket.

4. That really depends on where you go. The places I frequent you'd look out of place in a suit, but I go to cheap college bars. I've been to lounges where you'd look very appropriate in a black suit, so save it for those. I'd get an odd jacket too because it sounds like you'll get a lot more use out of it.

5. If you don't ever intend to wear the suit, take the jacket back. However, if you need a suit, a plain odd jacket won't do the job. Again: you WON'T wear the suit jacket without the trousers or you WILL look strange. The odd jacket will cover the roles you want it to otherwise. It's good to have a black suit for the types of events I listed so I would keep it and buy the pants.

One more time: suit jacket goes with suit pants and nothing else! Odd jackets for everything else!

Good luck.

I forgot to add but everyone says NEVER wear black to an interview or for working b/c it looks severe. The link that I have on the picture, it has a fake person with the suit jacket and a tie which looks businesslike but it's black however.

This means I can never wear this suit jacket to an interview right since it is black although suit jacket/suit is same thing? Are my eyes blind b/c most men who I see on the train are wearing black suits with ties and trousers or are they grey but I am not looking hard enough?

So basically if I wear this suit jacket, i have to wear it like after 6pm when going out? Would it look bad if I wore it in the train since I have to travel from my home to go downtown? I live in NYC so you probably get the idea of how social life is and how I don't want to look bad by wearing the wrong stuff.

It's not hard and fast on what time you can wear black at night... for instance, if you have a dinner to go to at 4 PM that will end at 10, you're fine.

Lots of men wear black suits to their jobs. Some men bring flowers to their blind dates. Some men have combovers. You can look like "some men" or you can look like a well-dressed man, cognizant of his surroundings and aware of himself, by not wearing black suits during the day.

Black suits are functional, of course... if it's the only one you have you can wear it to an interview. You were asking whether you should do so, however, and I say emphatically no. If you have the means, buy another one.

You will look good at night in that suit in an NYC club I think. Take it to a tailor to make sure everything fits well.

Would this be a bad idea because I don't want to spend more money.

1. Return the suit jacket to express and just go a place like the Men's Warehouse and get a suit that is not black for an accounting interview?

AND THEN

2. Go to Macy's and get a blazer that is NOT a suit jacket and just wear the blazer and jeans when i go out?

I couldnt return the BR tailored blazer since i ripped off the tags and just gave it to someone I know so I am down 325 dollars already but it was to a family member so I am fine with it.

P.S. Would it be a bad idea to get a black blazer? I say black blazers is probably the best color that look on me but I always hear people say blazers are usually navy blue or some other color. What color suit is probably the best for an accounting interview? Would just me having a suit not suit jacket AND a blazer be enough or is having all 3 essential? Thanks for helping again Sean. I am going to go there probablly this weekend to get everything fixed.

seanchai knows his stuff. He has lots of style sense

Sean can u give me more info on my last post? I would like to know if thats my best option. Thanks.

can u give me your opionion on this? i want to do this b4 the week ends. Thx.

Luckily I have some free time as I am on the sh¡tter right now. I can't in good conscience recommend you go to Men's Wearhouse and buy a suit unless you want to look like what just came out my ass. You're better off at Macy's, but I find it hard to believe you couldn't do better for yourself buying a suit somewhere else (you live in NYC!) for the same price or cheaper.

If you don't want the Express black suit you should take it back. Only you know what your schedule will be like and maybe it's not necessarily smart right now to have a suit in your closet that you won't wear. Maybe when you start hauling in the fat accountant paychecks you can go out and get a better one somewhere else

Charcoal is a good color for a first business suit. You can wear almost any color with it, it's conservative but can be flashier depending on your accoutrement, and they are easy to find. I would recommend a slim but not tight 2 button.

A black odd jacket (not blazer - blazers are always navy - though commonly they mean the same thing) works for going out. There's nothing sartorially wrong with it but it's kind of dull. I used to wear a black dinner jacket with black jeans - good but not great. Because you wanted a jacket to wear out with jeans in the first place, I would buy an odd jacket AND the suit. They'll last you awhile.

Good luck.

Thx once again Sean. I always thought Men's Warehouse was better b/c of their slogan .You're going to like the way you look, I guarantee it" though you prove otherwise." I thought of not going to Macy's to get a suit b/c I heard department stores have suits that will wear out though you say its better. I now knkow that charcoal is the best for suit thx to you.

I just have one more question. Since you say get an odd jacket, when i go to Macys to get one, I should ask the employees there to show me a odd jacket particularly black that I can wear with jeans that doesn't have matching pants right so they wouldn't be confused with a suit jacket?

The differences are obvious between a suitcoat and a sportscoat in the material, fit and pattern. You may be able to get away with swapping them depending on fit and material. I used to do it in a pinch and realized It looked pretty bad, but it got by in a pinch. After that I got two nice sportscoats for just such occasions.

Try the suitcoat with your outfit to see what you think - it "can" work. But the sportscoat just works so much better, especially with the shirt you linked to.

Blazer and sport coat - formal dress and wear with jeans and pants. Suit- set of garments made from the same cloth. I can wear blazer and sport suit on parties and festival etc, but suit can be worn formally in interview or in the office.

The Difference is....

warrior1 said:

Today I bought a 2 button tailor jacket from Express.

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Guys, step up your suit game. Not to say that there's anything wrong with Express, I wouldn't be buying dress clothes from there. Rex would suggest either get bespoke dress clothes or made-to-measure if you can't afford bespoke.

warrior1 said:

The salesperson told me it is more like a suit than a blazer.

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Just based on that answer alone, I never by dress clothes from Express again, also (because the salesperson didn't know what the f*ck he or she talking about,) Dude should have wrote Express a letter informing them that their sales staff don't know the difference between a suit jacket and a blazer. This is rudimentary sales knowledge and is the equivalent of going to by a computer and the salesperson not knowing the difference between RAM and ROM memory.

I dont want to go out at night and people think I am wearing a suit instead of a blazer.

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:crackup: Most people wouldn't know the difference. Only those that are aware of the subtleties of men's fashion would know.

This is the one i bought but i got it from the store today

http://www.expressfashion.com/styles/mens.jsp?groupId=16

The 2nd page, the 2nd jacket of the 3.

Click to expand...

Is there a difference between a suit and blazer?

Click to expand...

MidnightCity covered it.

Is a blazer just the top part where you cannot buy matching pants whereas a suit is where you can buy both?

Click to expand...

Yes, a blazer or a sports jacket is a jacket that you would wear with odd pants, wear as a suit jacket matches the pants and is ALWAYS sold together.

Would it look bad if i buy the wool pants that match my 2 button tailor jacket from Xxpress

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You don't wear hot :moon: wool pants in the summertime. MidnightCity, seems to know his sh*t, but I would say you want to keep the fabric of the jacket and pants should be the same.

warrior1 said:

and wear both in an accounting interview I have coming up or should I just buy a whole new suit from Macys and only wear this jacket for going out?

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Dude might have f*cked himself wearing a blazer and slacks to an interview, especially to an accounting firm. Here's a general rule of thumb, always wear a navy blue single breasted suit to an interview. Something like this,

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v3/1070442703_1/G001-2013-Men-font-b-Suits-b-font-Slim-Fit-Tailored-font-b-suit-b-font.jpg

Charcoal gray is also an acceptable option,

http://www.jamesbondsuits.com/product_images/q/150/skyfall-charcoal-suit__34016_zoom.jpg

As for shoes, you want (depending on the job your going for,) get some

brown or black cap toe shoes,

http://pinstripepulpit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Blucher-Balmoral.jpg

Those are your basic shoes, with black being more formal. Also, when you buy your shoes, get the proper dress belt

http://www.beltsnjewelry.com/images/PRO2665_1841bk.jpg

In the corresponding color.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KtD6WG_ncs

Should a Man Buy a Black Suit - Men's Style Fashion Advice - When to wear 2-Piece Black Suits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9atXrn9NJgY

Can Men Wear Suit Jackets Separate From Suit Trousers? Male Style & Fashion Advice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52IVYQ3dAdo

How to Wear A Men's Suit Jacket With Jeans - How To Pull Off Denim & Suit Jackets - Style Tips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x60hiC-lcmk

Odd Jackets - Sport Coats - Blazers - Men's Suit Jacket - Menswear Clothing Terminology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiTIosmm6p0

Build An Interchangeable Wardrobe - A Man's Guide To Buying Clothing That He'll Actually Wear