4 Pieces to Pair with Your Warm-Weather Blazer

You’ve probably got a blazer or two or ten in your closet.

But like any piece that’s under the guise of business attire, you can feel like the fun stops before it even starts.

There are so many things you can do with this jacket though, for work or weekend. With blazers trending right now, the inspiration is everywhere. Which means you should seize the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and into creative mode.

New outfits are just around the corner. All you’ve gotta do is style them.

Here are 4 simple, but creative ways to wear blazers and styling tips for each to help you along the way.

And don’t forget! After you read up, leave me a comment below and tell me which way of styling your blazer you’ll be trying this week.

Lots of love and joy!

Raquel

WITH A DRESS

Styling Tip:

Follow your dress silhouette with the vertical line of your blazer, so both pieces naturally flow together. Here’s what I mean…

If you’ve got a straight up-and-down blazer (pictured above) or oversized boyfriend-style blazer (pictured below), you’ll want to avoid an exaggerated fit ‘n’ flare shape in a dress. Instead opt for a long and lean silky dress silhouette or a shift dress.

For dresses that have a set-in waist like that fit ‘n’ flare or sheath dress, try a cropped blazer that falls right above the waist or one that curves in at the waist to follow the line of the dress.

Styling Tip: Balance the proportion of blazer to dress by making sure the length of the dress and the length of the blazer aren’t the same.

You don’t want the dress and blazer creating a single horizontal line across your body, because this makes for a boring look.

It doesn’t matter if the dress is shorter (usually only happens if the jacket is super oversized) or longer than the jacket. Either way, they just need to be different lengths.

WITH A PRINT

Prints are my fave, and I bet you’ve got a few of them stored up in your closet just waiting to get some love.

To add them to your blazer-focused outfit, you’ve just got to do one thing: link the colors in the shirt, skirt, or pant print to the color of your blazer.

Styling Tip: You can link two of the exact color together (cobalt blazer, cobalt-infused print) or you can use the characteristics of the color in your jacket to link to a print.

Below I’m using my watermelons to link right into my light, bright, warm, coral-colored jacket. While they’re not exactly the same color, the watermelons share the characteristic of light, bright, warmth with the jacket, so the coral jacket and the watermelons talk to each other.

Is your go-to blazer a neutral? Use it in the same way as you would a colorful blazer. Choose a pattern like leopard to play into a tan blazer or a silver metallic snake skin print to play into a grey blazer. Tan can be found in most leopard prints, so you’re linking the exact color, and grey has the same cool and light characteristics as silver, so you’re linking the characteristics of both colors.

WITH A JUMPSUIT

Forget the classic suit. Wearing your blazer with a jumpsuit is the power move you need to be using at work.

The right business jumpsuit lets you move as easily as a dress would, but has the sleekness of a traditional suit. Adding the jumpsuit underneath your blazer will make both pieces more polished, intentional, and commanding.

Want to play with messages in your outfit?

Styling Tip: Tune into texture.

Is the blazer relaxed or rigid? Structured or soft? Ask yourself the same questions of the jumpsuit.

Match the texture of the blazer to the texture of the jumpsuit for a sharp message.

Rigid blazer + structured jumpsuit = power

Relaxed blazer + soft jumpsuit = approachability

If you’re looking to balance both, it’s easy! Just mix textures — try a structured blazer with a flowy jumpsuit like I did below.

WITH A TANK

This is super simple way to create a smart and casual look with your blazer, but there’s a trick to it: Don’t over think it!

While color matching is super duper important to creating clean looks, adding a basic tank underneath the blazer only means asking yourself one questions: Is the blazer dark or light?

If dark, go with a dark tank. If light, go with a light tank. Got a mix of colors in the blazer? Go either way.

Styling Tip: Even if the color underneath is slightly different, the quality of the color will link the blazer and tank.

If your blazer is black and your tank is navy, this slightly-off pairing will actually create a more interesting, sophisticated, and fashion-forward combination.

My blazer below has navy trim, but my tank’s actually charcoal — is it working? Yup! And yours totally can too. Happy Styling!