I’ve never worn a blue blazer outside of the office before. It seems too conservative and confining. But during my trip to Paris in May I was inspired by the effortless ways French women wear tailored jackets. A navy blazer does add a dash of sophistication and style to even casual outfits, so I thought I’d try it. I found a jacket this summer (Max Mara Weekend, on sale) that seemed right for me—stretchy, light and a good price. But when I returned to Chicago for Thanksgiving a few days ago, there it was, hanging in my closet with the tags on. Not good!
Searching for ways to wear the blazer, I found this cool French-inspired fashion resource, La Vie On Grand. Using their recommendations, I styled my jacket four different ways. It wasn’t easy because most of my clothes are in Florida, but I did my best. As you can see below, not all the looks are winners. Then I took charge and I created my own blue blazer outfit. Take a look and let me know what you think. You can vote for the one you like best below!
Look 1: White t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and brown bag
This is obviously an easy outfit to create and I like it. The blazer works in place of a denim jacket, with better pockets and more polish. (This look is Liam’s favorite.)
Look 2: Striped top, jeans, black flats & bag
Stripes are classic, especially in France, and this combo feels a little dressier but very doable. A structured jacket gives you a bit of authority, like—I take myself seriously and so should you!
Look 3: Black dress, gold necklace, black bag and loafers
I don’t own the right pieces to make this look work. I guess I need to invest in some loafers! Regardless, this outfit felt boxy and dowdy (and sort of ’80s) to me. Maybe a dress with a longer skirt would pull it together? But I did learn that mixing black and blue is perfectly fine.
Look 4: Denim shirt, scarf, with black jeans, boots and bag
I’m surprised by how much I like this look. It’s giving a hip/creative/professional vibe that I didn’t know I needed. I rolled up the blazer sleeves to let the denim cuffs pop. Let’s collab on that that screenplay!
Look 5: (Mine) Tan jeans, cream v-neck, cream boots, brown bag
Things were beginning to feel a bit dark with all the black and blue, so I decided to lighten things up with tan and cream neutrals. The v-neck sweater shows a little skin and is sleeveless, which is feels way more roomy and comfortable under the jacket than long sleeves.
Going through this exercise, I agree that a blue blazer is an easy upgrade to even a basic outfit. It goes with many things and definitely is a more refined look than I normally wear. I think it’s important to keep the proportions right and mix in some modern pieces so it doesn’t look matronly. It was fun to play around with this jacket, and now the tags are off! Once again, those French women really know what they’re doing.
Here are a couple other fashion posts you may enjoy:
Fully Fabulous 
Nothing like a blazer to dress up a pair of casual pants, especially jeans! While all the rage in Paris and other European cities, like you said…not so much here in North America. Having said that, whenever I choose this fashion style, even here, I get many compliments. A blazer just makes an elegant style statement!
Great article Marjie!
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Thank you! Another thing that should be acknowledged is that this look can read “mature”. Well I’m not afraid of that ! I agree with you that it’s an elegant element.
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You can pull off any look Marjie with such class !!!! My favs are -#1 look and #4……
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Dana, you are so sweet! I do like to try new styles. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, but it’s fun to play around with
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