Fifty years ago most men wore and understood the rules of wearing a suit and a sport jacket was just that a jacket for sport worn when the season and situation warranted a suit inappropriate.
Sport jacket vs suit jacket.
The confusion between sport jackets and suit jackets is a more modern problem.
While it might be easier to tell the difference between a sport jacket or coat and a suit jacket or coat with a few basic tips blazers are often confused with sport jackets.
Still all that said it s rarely that cut and dried.
If it doesn t it s either a blazer or a sport coat.
What s a suit jacket.
While fashion experts can easily tell a suit jacket apart from a blazer or sport coat the easiest way for the rest of us to tell them apart is this.
Why the confusion between sport jacket and suit jackets.
Last but not least the dressiest of the three jacket types is the suit jacket.
Finally a suit jacket above right will always be made of the finer stuff i e worsted wool and smooth to the touch.
Finally suit jackets are the fanciest of these three styles.
If it s made of nice fabric and has matching pants it s a suit jacket.
If it s blue with buttons it s a blazer non negotiable.
A suit jacket is a jacket that is made with a matching pair of trousers.
Over time as clothing became more affordable the sports jacket became known less as a jacket for shooting and more as a staple of sharp casual style.
Sport coats are noticeably more casual than a suit jacket.
It is true that there are some suit jackets that could be worn as blazers.
Suit jackets look bulky when they aren t tailored while sport coats are bulkier generally and thus give a little leeway in the sizing department.
This piece has been around the longest and is without a doubt the most traditional and popular.
The sports jacket was actually first viewed as a luxurious item as most men could only afford a traditional suit rather than one that had to be worn with different colored trousers.
These jackets can all be worn with denim or khakis as long as the colors and fabrics complement each other.
If it comes with matching pants it s a suit jacket.
Because it is so important that the jacket and the trousers match up it is not recommended for one to wear the suit jacket as a sports jacket or a blazer as this may result in the jacket being washed more than the trousers.
According to esquire a blazer is a patch pocket navy blue jacket with gold or silver buttons usually worn while boating.