You are familiar with the two traditional ways to wear a blazer: buttoned and unbuttoned. But, have you ventured out to see what else you can do with a versatile blazer? I am sharing 6 ways to wear a blazer to help you wear your blazers more often.
Belted – Buckle a belt around the midsection of the blazer and position the buckle in the center–this will help draw your waistline in. You can wear your blazer buttoned, unbuttoned, or a blazer without buttons. If you have outer pockets on the sides of the blazer, position the belt above the pockets. I have come to find that belting a blazer works best with blazer style dresses, blazers worn over dresses, and longer length blazers (boyfriend, tunic, relaxed, etc.) Another tip: You can make this work with a piece of fabric instead of a belt. First, tie the ends together into a knot or bow. Then, position it in the middle of the blazer or to the side.
Photo by Katie Bee Photography Scrunched Sleeves – Push your sleeves up to or above your elbow to give them a ruched look. Depending on the sleeves of your blazer, this may not stay in place. Wrap a hair tie or an elastic band around the sleeve to secure the hold. Position it about 2 inches from the end of the sleeve. Next, pull your sleeve up until your hair tie is right above your elbow. (Pull your sleeve up slowly so the hair tie will remain in place.) Then, take the fabric above the hair tie and pull it down to cover the end of the sleeve and hair tie. I recommend using something soft like a teletie or an elastic ribbon hair tie to avoid cutting your circulation off.
This tip works best with loose sleeves. You can also try it on other tops like long sleeve t-shirts and sweaters. For sleeves that button around the wrists, you may need to unbutton them to make it easier to push up.
Vest – Keep warm and fashionable by wearing a vest over a blazer. Try a fur, sherpa, or puffer vest to add texture to your outfit. You can try this styling tip with a buttoned-up or open blazer. Style the vest open or zipped. If you have a high collar on the vest, lift the collar on the blazer and lay it against the vest collar. Not into that? Leave it all laying flat and cover it with the vest.
Photo by Celeste McKinley PhotographyRolled/cuffed Sleeves – Roll the blazer sleeves 2-3 times to create a cuff. You can roll your shirt sleeves with the blazer sleeves making your arms visible (for bracelets), or you can leave your sleeves unrolled as I did in the picture above. Make your cuff neat and free from visible threads.
Shoulders – Wear a blazer on your shoulders and leave your arms out of the blazer. It will look like a cape. This looks good with dresses.
Photo by Katie Bee Photography Scarf -You know the traditional ways to wear a scarf. Let’s spice it up and make your scarf a part of your blazer. These styling tips work best with silk or thin scarfs.
- Place a scarf around your neck and evenly distribute the ends to the front on each side. Secure a belt around. For large scarfs or shawls, fold in half into a triangle or square then wrap the scarf around your shoulders draping the ends to the front then belt.
- Place a scarf around your neck and evenly distribute the ends to the front on each side. Tuck your scarf under the collar and the lapels to secure it. Lapels are the folded flaps below the collar on a blazer. A belt is optional.
- Drape a scarf over one of your shoulders evenly distributing the ends in the front and down your back. Tuck your scarf under the collar and then buckle a belt around to hold it in place. Make it neater by folding the longer end of your scarf in half and continue folding until you have the desired size you want. Try it with a fur stole for a more elegant look.
- Drape a scarf over one of your shoulders leaving the scarf longer in the front. Put on a blazer over your scarf. If needed, adjust the back of the scarf so it doesn’t hang below the blazer. Pull the front piece across your chest and out of the blazer. Buckle a belt around to hold it all in place. Try it with a fur stole for a more elegant look.
