How should a blazer fit on a man? (2024)

Suitable for both formal and casual occasions, blazers are ideal garments for adding a hintof class to your outfit. When matched with a suitable shirt or top, pair oftrousers and shoes, they can bring together the perfect look, and with a choiceof colours, materials and designs available, blazers are now a flexible garmentchoice that can be worn for a multitude of events.

You can style a blazer by matching it with the correctcolours and items of clothing, but it’s unlikely that you’ll get the lookyou’re aiming for if it’s not the right size. As a baggy or overly tight blazercould be unflattering or uncomfortable, it’s important to ensure that you’rewearing a blazer that fits your body shape and feels right. In this blog, welook at how a blazer should fit and what you can do to get the best possibleblazer size.

Although you may prefer your blazerto be longer for additional comfort or warmth, or fit tighter for a moretailored look, you may be interested to learn how a blazer is typicallydesigned to fit. As these garments were traditionally tailored to the particularbody shape of the wearer, each part must fit in a specific way.

The traditional fitting for eachsection of a blazer is as follows:

Collar -

Resting on the back of your neck,the collar should naturally weave around your shirt collar.

Shoulders -

With the seams of the blazersitting squarely, the shoulders shouldn’t feel too tight or too loose.

Sleeves -

Measured to not hang over yourhands or rise up your arms, the sleeves should land somewhere between yourwrist and your thumb.

Chest -

When buttoned, the lapels of yourblazer should only be loose enough to fit a tightened fist between the fabricand your chest, and they should be snug to your chest.

Waist -

Although sometimes hard to judge,your blazer should gently flow over your waist, with a sufficient gap toprevent a feeling of tightness but not so much space that it feels baggy andloose.

In many instances, it’s possible to check that a blazeris the correct length based on your height using what’s known as ‘the cuppingfingers method’. To do this, simply wear the blazer, stand up straight, holdyour arms at the side of your body and cup the blazer from underneath. If the blazerfails to reach your fingers, it’s probably too short, whereas if there’s a lotof excess material rolling into your hand, it’s likely that it’s too long.

You may decide to pick a blazer size that is longer orshorter than the standard fit out of personal preference. For example, morecasual blazers could be shorter and tighter.

Measuring for a blazer is a relatively easy process. Allyou need is a measuring tape and help from someone who can measure your body andtake down the measurements. For accurate results, the dimensions of your chest,shoulders and arms must be correct, and each of these areas must be measured ina specific way.

Measurements you need to make include:

Chest - measure around your chest under your arms,pulling up to your armpits

Shoulders - measure from shoulder to shoulder across thewidth of your back

Arms - measure from the top of your shoulder to yourwrist, basing the length on your own preference of how long you want yourblazer sleeves to be

Upper body length - measure from your collar to yourwaist, again basing this measurement on your own personal preference in termsof blazer length

Although we’ve already briefly touched on measuring yourchest for a blazer, it’s important that this measurement is accurate as it willbe the basis of how your blazer fits. If you opt for a blazer that is sizedwith a number and a letter, this will be an indication of your chest size andyour height. For example, a 44 L blazer would be best suited to someone who istall with a 44 inch chest.

When you take your chest measurement, you need to makesure that the measuring tape is as far up your chest as possible, sitting underyour armpits, and is not too tight or too loose around your body. If it’s toolow and ends up being closer to a reading of your stomach area, it won’t beaccurate and your blazer won’t fit as comfortably as it should.