Looking back, I’ve worn blazer’s quite regularly through my school years and professional life – school uniforms (where they were perpetually too big); teaching in Japanese schools where at least one formal suit is required for official events; in the office when I started working back in Australia.
At some point though, blazers became a bit of a faff as I aged and my work confidence grew. I didn’t need to hide behind a blazer anymore because I wasn’t trying to look like a legal secretary, I was a legal secretary regardless of the clothes I wore.
Grana’s version of a blazer is quite unlike any other design I’ve come across. It’s nearly a shawl/kimono but with the suggestion of more structure in the form of pinned three-quarter sleeves, front lapels, and tailored round hem.
I’m still finding my way with the blazer, but the benefit of this unconventional design is that I could probably wear it happily outside of an office, and it won’t look like I’m trying to recycle my school uniform (true story – after high school I tried to reuse the shirt that made up our winter uniform, but an eagle eyed friend spotted it and called out my lameness).
Styling with trousers
Styling with trousers isn’t too difficult. I think the key to the outfit is ensuring you wear slim pants to offset all the swish and sway of the blazer on top.
From the back it does look at little like one of those painting tunics you might have worn in kindergarten to protect your clothes. I think the rounded hemline, being so very large, almost seems like a tacked on extraneous piece of material. You get a bit of a lab coat vibe because there are no darts or additional tailoring that nips in at the waist. However, you can tell that this is firmly a coat, rather than a cardigan, because of the heft and fall of the material.
Styling with a skirt
Ok so pairing this blazer with a skirt concerned me a little bit. So much material on top, and the skirt I chose for this challenge is slightly flared; that’s a lot of material going on with not a lot of definition.
However, I think the skirt saves the day in this case. Because it’s tailored quite slim and sits high on my waist, from the front I am nicely tucked in, which then lets the blazer do its billow-y best.
From the back, the blazer feels more like a long length cardigan since there are no nips and tucks that gives my waist any definition or shape. However there’s still enough tailoring and structure for the outfit to not fall completely into little granny territory.
…
The design is quite oversized and I am wearing S; the shoulders are a little tight if I cross my arms, but I have large shoulders thanks to pole dance. That completely changes how clothes sit on me. There is also a sleeveless version that includes a tie belt if definition around your abdomen is your concern. I haven’t yet experimented with tying off this full blazer myself, but it could be an option in the future.
This post features items that have been gifted to me by Grana, but does not contain affiliate links. If you’re interested in checking out this blazer (which also comes in black), don’t forget that you can use my discount code at checkout to receive 10% off and free shipping – CINDYxGRANA.
