Styling your Jacquard Blazer

When it’s time to celebrate in style, every gentleman should reach for his Jacquard blazer. These sumptuous garments take the language of formal wear and add a sprinkle of magic and buoyancy, making them perfect for evening events, garden parties and festive get-togethers. 

In this piece, we’re going to focus on what a Jacquard blazer is, and how to wear it to get the most out of it. We’ll help you to wear it with confidence and panache, whatever the occasion.

 

What is Jacquard?

Most of us probably think we know what is meant by “Jacquard” – fabric with swirling, flowing designs based on foliage or floral patterns. Strictly speaking, however, that isn’t quite true. Jacquard is really the name given to the process of making a design – any design – in fabric. 

It all started back in the late 1700s, when detailing was hand-sewn into fabrics, a laborious and time-consuming process. Extravagant floral designs taking up the whole of the fabric happened to be all the rage among the upper classes at the time. One of the artisans doing the job was one Joseph Marie Jacquard. 

Looms had existed for centuries for creating plain or patterned designs, as long as the designs were criss-crossing, like tartan or plaid. Jacquard worked out that by altering the position of individual threads with each pass of the shuttle, much more complex designs could be woven into the fabric. Furthemore, using punch cards to control the machine, each loom could be truly programmable, so any design could be created. In 1804 he demonstrated his machine, and after a few tweaks, it became a global success.

Thanks to the tastes of the day, those organic patterns tended to be the chosen designs. They would find themselves in clothing, furniture, curtains and accessories. That’s why, to this day, we associate Jacquard with a certain type of pattern. And it’s fair to say that modern designs will be designed on computers, not punch cards, so let’s just carry on calling a Jacquard design what we assume it to mean – a textured, flowing design with floral undertones.

Jacquard blazers and jackets

The Jacquard blazer is a unique item for men who want to wear their style with a flourish. The patterns are emblazoned in metallic thread to give a celebratory sheen to proceedings, often sharing the background colour in a 50-50 arrangement – these are no subtle highlights. 

The beauty of this design is that anything goes. A black base with grey metallic pattern creates a solid, reliable look that needs little if any extra embellishment. Gold brocard on a rich coloured background – crimson or cobalt blue work particularly well – screams opulence and extravagance. Gold also sits atop an ivory base for an almost Graeco-Roman appeal. There’s something monumental about the look, in the literal sense of the word. You’re going to look illustrious whatever colour scheme you turn up in.

How to wear a Jacquard jacket

Now we’re onto the important part – wearing your Jacquard blazer with confidence. One thing to note is that Jacquard blazers are pretty much exclusively standalone garments. Full Jacquard suits do exist, but they occupy a rare niche. Part of the beauty of the Jacquard jacket is that it is the highlight of any outfit, and doesn’t need much in the way of shiny accessories.

We always find that the best way to start the look is with a plain white shirt. Whether the blazer is dark or light, coloured or neutral, white sets the tone and defines the boundaries at the lapels. You’ll probably have your blazer buttoned up, so to get the most out of that white wedge, wear a bow tie instead of a necktie. 

With the white shirt, stick with a black bow tie. Remember, the jacket is the main attraction here; a patterned bow tie could look awkward and unbalanced. A black bow tie with a subtle pattern will usually work – perhaps a black-on-black design in velvet and cotton.

Since you’re wearing a bow tie, it has to be a wing collared shirt, right? We’re not so sure. The wing collar could look a little out of place and impractical when the formality is toned down, and celebration is the order of the night. Because they’re not the norm, these shirts could also compete with the blazer. On this occasion, a chic spread collar shirt works best.

Let’s turn to the trousers next. The formality of the event will be your guide here. In all likelihood, if you’re wearing your Jacquard jacket, it’s going to be a dressy event, so let’s go with a pair of tuxedo trousers. The satin stripe gives you the flash that you need to complete your neck-to-ankle flair, while the silhouette remains at least semi-formal. If the event heats up and you remove your jacket, you’re still going to stand out.

On your feet, stick with your faithful Oxfords, polished to a shine in jet black to match your bow tie. If you’ve only got monks, they’ll do just fine – those buckles will ignite a bit of interest without taking anything away from the jacket.

Wear it with confidence

When you make your entrance with one of these beauties on your shoulders, you’ve accomplished half the mission of projecting confidence and style. But you’ll also find it to be something of a confidence booster, too – the perfect feedback loop. You might be the only man in the room dressed to such a head-turning degree, so lap up every glance and have your topics of conversation ready. All you really need to do is  be your convivial self and just let your blazer become the social lubricant. It’s going to be a long, thrilling ride.