How to Wear a Sport Coat: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

FAQs

What is the proper way to wear a sport coat? ›

Wear the sport coat with a shirt and tie.

Classic is always in style. Match patterned sport coats with solid-colored shirts for a casual but stylish look. If you want to be sophisticated and put-together, putting on a patterned sport coat with a solid shirt and a neat tie will have people turning heads.

A sport coat is a patterned jacket that coordinates with trousers that are not made of the same fabric or have the same pattern. A blazer is a solid color jacket with contrasting (often metal) buttons. And a suit coat has a pair of pants made from the same fabric/pattern as the coat.

Generally, the bottom edge of a jacket should end between the two knuckles on your thumb. This rule can be pushed a little bit when wearing a casual sport coat because they tend to be a little shorter.

You don't want this to feel too tight, be creasing around your armpit or on the opposite end have more than an inch of space between your armpit and the armhole. Remember, it's a sports blazer, it's not meant to be as flexible as your other casual jackets which serve a different purpose.

The when-to-button rule is: When wearing a single-breasted jacket from a suit, a blazer, sport coat or black-tie evening suit (tuxedo), the jacket is always buttoned when a man is standing and always unbuttoned when he is seated.

Wearing a sport coat with jeans is, at this point, a pretty standard style move. That's not a knock on the combo, it's just a fact. And it's popular for one key reason: because, at its best, it just plain works.

Interestingly, gold buttons as well as piping are only reserved for certain members. Those with First May Colors are entitled to wear piping and have gold buttons on their blazer while First Lent or Second May Colors are entitled to wear silver buttons on their blazer only.

Sports coats can slide easily into business casual, or make for a comfortable yet stylish afternoon event, but won't cut it for very formal events. Think of your sports coat as a way to stay sophisticated at casual events. With that in mind, they look great over jeans, or otherwise pick a contrasting pair of pants.

1: Consider the Sizing

Generally, when you're looking for outerwear, the rule is to go for a size bigger. What you don't want to do though, is to go for a size that makes you look more like a pile of coats than a person wearing one.

Look at how much space is between you and the jacket. There should be just enough room for the layers you would normally wear underneath your coat; it should not look baggy or too loose on your body. Keep in mind that a coat that's too tight performs differently, too.

Do you tuck in at shirt under a sport coat? ›

An untucked shirt can look great with shorts or jeans for a smart-casual look but when wearing a Blazer, tucked is the only way! If you are aiming for a more relaxed feel then it's much more stylish to open the top button or two on your shirt.

When it comes to wearing a blue coat, you'll generally want to match pair it with a light-colored shirt. Like all things in style, there are exceptions to this rule, but if you've just purchased a navy blue sports coat for the first time, you'll want to keep it simple and stick with those high-contrast light colors.

For a more casual look, pair the sport coat with khaki or denim pants. If you are going for a more formal look, opt for dress pants in a darker color such as black or navy. Regardless of the pant choice, make sure the sport coat fits well in the shoulders and is the appropriate length.

“Just be sure that there is an anchoring commonality that helps the two plaids make sense together, such as similar color palettes or the same plaid pattern (tartan and tartan, buffalo check and buffalo check, windowpane and windowpane, etc.).” Balance out the look with other chic pieces.

Stand in front of a mirror and look for signs that the fit isn't right. If the sleeves don't cover your wrists and the bottom of the coat rides up — like the image on the left — the coat is too small. If the sleeves go down past your thumb, and the shoulders are much wider than your shoulders, the coat is too big.

A sports coat is the perfect piece to elevate a daily outfit. Made from more relaxed fabrics compared to its cousins the suit jacket and tailored blazer, the sports coat easily adds color, texture, and pattern to an outfit. It's also lightweight, making it a great choice for warm weather or for layering on cooler days.

You should never have your Suit Jacket on when driving, and the main reason would be the Seatbelt. Seatbelts will put pressure on your jackets, causing wrinkles.

When wearing a suit, always leave the bottom button open for the waistcoat and jacket. The tradition dates back to King Edward VII from the early 1900s. He unbuttoned the bottom of his waistcoat because he was too fat. He unbuttoned the bottom of his jacket to pay homage to the riding jacket that suits replaced.

The three-button suit comes with a simple rule: "sometimes, always, never." It means you should sometimes fasten the top button (if you feel like it), always fasten the middle button, and never button the third.

A Well-Made, Tailored Cotton Dress Shirt

This is probably the most formal look, and it always looks good with a tie (try a bow tie for fun). Alternatively, you can wear it with the top button undone and a T-shirt underneath for a more casual look.

Is it OK to wear a sport coat unbuttoned? ›

Conventional wisdom states that you always button your suit jacket. This is good advice: a buttoned suit jacket is more slimming than an unbuttoned one. What's more, it shows off the cut of the suit itself to the best possible effect. When in doubt, you should always fasten your suit jacket.

Generally speaking, we don't recommend it. Suits have a certain formality to them, and pairing them with sneakers dilutes that formality. If you want to wear sneakers, we've got plenty of casual wear like twill pants and jeans that we can custom-make for you.

Colors like browns and grays work well, as do patterns like windowpane checks and plaids. In general, keep the dominant color lighter than your jeans, and if you're wearing blue jeans steer away from navy blue jackets.

Blazer tip: Color

While most blazers can be styled for any occasion, grey and navy are the most versatile colors, with brown and tan better suited for more casual settings.

Blazer Colors

Blazers come in a wide range of colors, hues, and patterns. Traditionally, these tend to veer more toward the classic look. The most common blazer colors are navy blue, charcoal gray, black, light gray, and beige.

Grey blazers are arguably the most versatile, which means there are plenty of ways to wear one. For example, for work, you could pair yours with a pair of slim-fit trousers in black, brown or navy. And, they can be layered over a formal or casual shirt, a jumper, or a T-shirt.

A sport coat, also called a sport jacket (or sports coat or sports jacket in American English), is a men's smart casual lounge jacket designed to be worn on its own without matching trousers, traditionally for sporting purposes.

The origins of the modern sports coats can be tracked back to those times when most men wore jackets and ties exclusively. In fact, they were not considered to be appropriately dressed if they weren't wearing a jacket. Today, they are widely accepted for casual wear and come in many colours and patterns such as: Tweed.

As the name suggests, the term Sports Jacket is derived from the 19thC Victorian sporting pedigree of the style. More specifically from the tweed jackets that were worn when pursuing the country sports made popular by Queen Victoria herself.

When buttoned, the coat should not be roomy, but should lie close to your body. That being said, it should be in no way taut or feel constricting on your chest or midsection when wearing it over a suit or blazer.

What is the best length for a coat? ›

A good guide is the rule that the hem should preferably end a hand's breath above the knee. This length has a visually elongating effect. Especially shorter men should choose a short coat to achieve a good proportion ratio. Some style experts divide the body into eight equal parts to determine suitable coat lengths.

Coats that hit mid-thigh: If you're 5'3″ and under, a long coat can easily swallow up your petite frame. Coats and jackets that hit, at most, your mid-thigh will be your best bet when keeping you warm without overwhelming your stature.

With a single-breasted, three-button suit, simply close the middle button, always. The top button is optional and can be buttoned up or left undone. The bottom button, again, should never be buttoned, as it will put a strain on the fabric of the suit jacket and will not look flattering.

SPORT SHIRT

Sport shirts are a casual button-up, with either long or short sleeves. They are meant to be worn under a sport jacket or on their own and typically have more pattern, a casual fabric, and a soft collar and cuffs. Sport shirts tend to be shorter, and therefore can be worn untucked.

The go-to style move is a good one, so long as you do it right. Wearing a sport coat with jeans is, at this point, a pretty standard style move. That's not a knock on the combo, it's just a fact. And it's popular for one key reason: because, at its best, it just plain works.