Five Ways to Wear a Relaxed Blazer

Have you ever seen something coming that you don’t like and feel helpless in changing it? That’s how I felt when I saw all these relaxed blazers in the stores. Are you kidding me? My mind immediately went to the late 80’s when women walked around looking like inverted triangle cheese wedges. Miami Vice called and it wants its trend back.

Jackets are getting longer, shapeless and, dare I say, broader in the shoulders. Some may call it a boyfriend blazer. A trend I wore to death in the early 90’s, admittedly. I actually wore one of my dad’s old tweed sport coats, so I guess it was a dad blazer? A relaxed blazer is a whole new silhouette that might require you to rethink how you put a look together should you want to try it.

Every time a new trend is introduced, it takes our eyes to get used to it. Remember how you felt when skinny pants hit the scene and you were used to bootlegs everywhere? The same is true about a relaxed blazer. The look may be odd to see again, and a bit too nostalgic for some, but, who knows? Maybe they will grow on us in time? I don’t know.

I put together five outfits using this relaxed blazer from Nordstrom. Convinced to try this style out for yourself? Check out additional styles at the end of the post.

Outfit #1

Without a lot of shape, relaxed blazers look better when layered over shape in order to create a more balanced proportion. No matter what trends are hot, at the end of the day, a woman wants to dress in a way that flatters the figure.

I styled the relaxed blazer with a pair of jeans from AG with a black knot front tee from Madewell. I finished the outfit with a pair of peep toe sandals from Isola, bag from Rebecca Minkoff and necklace from Stella & Dot.

Outfit #2

Next, I styled this relaxed blazer for work. I created a look with more tailored structure underneath to balance the proportion of the longer, easy blazer. The dress is from BOSS Hugo Boss and I finished the outfit with a pair of navy pumps from Stuart Weitzman, Vince Camuto hobo, chain necklace from Lana Jewelry and silver hoops.

Outfit #3

It’s not all tight and tailored when you wear a relaxed blazer. You can try them with a pair of wide leg cropped pants. This is not something I recommend to women who consider themselves petite. I also highly recommend this looks with heels. I styled the blazer with a pair of striped wide leg striped pants from J. Crew, Amour Vert t-shirt in navy, red block heel sandals from Paul Green, navy bag from Longchamp and earrings from Treasure & Bond.

Outfit #4

While wide leg pants can work with a relaxed blazer, more women will likely find slimmer pants to work better for the same reason that skinny pants typically work better with relaxed tops and tunics. I styled the blazer with a pair of grey skinny ankle pants from Theory, a blush top from Reiss, rose colored pumps from Louise et Cie, grey handbag from MCM and gold necklace from Panacea.

Outfit #5

Slimmer skirts are definitely the better choice to wear with relaxed blazers. If you really want to rock it retro, try a mini skirt. Yikes! The 80’s are alive and well. I styled the blazer with this printed skirt from Zara and ruched top from Nic + Zoe. I finished the look with nude peep toe slingbacks from Pelle Moda, black bag from Tory Burch and gold statement earrings.