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HOW TO STYLE BLAZERS & HOW TO SPOT QUALITY TAILORING ON THE HIGH STREET

by Claire Chanelle

 

If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel here, you would have seen this video on my Reiss haul and how to shop for tailoring. This video does explain in detail how to shop and style tailoring on the hughstreet but for those of you that would prefer to read an article in bullet points and see the photos I thought I document this look here. The black blazer I have can be found on my blog here and the doc croc leather jacket will be published on my blog this weekend.

I am so happy with my new Reiss blazers, I have one for every occasion and between them I feel like I can mix and match them with everything in my wardrobe. In this article I show you how you can wear the same outfit by simply adding a different jacket you can change the style and vibe of the look. Or it’s as simple as; if you like this outfit there is no harm in re wearing it again and again but change slight details. You could even keep the same shirt and jacket but change the trousers or maybe change the shirt colour to top completely.

I seriously pioneer re wearing you wardrobe, recycle, recycle, recycle. 

I hate the thought of spending my money on an item I an only wear once because someone saw me on Facebook or Instagram wearing something. Seriously so what. It actually shows you are creative that you can re wear a piece over and over again. More to the point I think society has forgotten how normal it should be to re wear your clothes!

I love to invest my money into quality pieces so for me wearing items once is not an option. Even when it comes to in expensive clothes, I hate spending £5 on a T-shirt that I know will irritate my skin and wash badly. It’s a waste on £5. I would prefer to spend £35 on a T-shirt that I can wear for a few years and wash 50 plus times. With that said there really is no need to spend more than £30-£50 on a T-shirt.

Due to your requests combined with my own challenge of wanting to find good quality high street pieces I wanted to tell you where I shop on the high street and what I look for.

1. Natural fibres and fabrics. I stay away from man made fabrics such a Polyester and Nylon. They do not wash well and they irritate my skin.

2. Classic cuts and colours. I like my investment pieces to be classic colours I can wear again and again. Colour is fine if it’s a colour you love and wear a lot. I like red and depending on the season and mood I can wear blush pink and baby blue. Khaki and bright blue are other good classic colours.

3. Attention to detail. I pay attention to the small things because these stand for quality and durability. For example I hate cheap buttons, it can kill a jacket or shirt. SHUDDER SHUDDER.

4. Good tailing is key. Just because the jacket is expensive doesn’t mean it’s well made. Look at the lapels and collar. Are they re in bursted with extra fabric? Do the buttons on the sleeve open? If they don’t put that jacket back immediately. A lot of the time brands will trick you and only have the first button working. This is okay, I guess; I can let it slide if the price is right and the jacket is to die for; it’s not ideal though.

5. Fit. The fit is actually everything. Once you wear a luxury jacket that has a fantastic pattern it’s very hard (for me) to buy badly fitted, cheap jackets that have a boxy, average pattern. The pattern is the maths behind the garment. Literally maths! The worst part of my degree, pattern cutting is so hard I swear. A good pattern cutter cost time and money and this is where low end brands decide to cut on quality. You do not have to know the ins and outs of pattern cutting to see and feel if a jacket or trousers or any kind of tailoring fits you. You will put it on and you will just know.

6. Finally where is it made. This isn’t breaking point for me but I take it into consideration. For example Phillip (Pheng) Lim is American but with Chinese and Cambodian decent so he makes his collections in China, why not? I guarantee his factories are morally great and the workman/women are skilful. These exceptions are totally fine. It’s a bonus if the garment is made in the obvious places…. Italy, is of course best known for tailoring.

The Reiss blazers offered me all of the above. Great fabric, working sleeve buttons, made in Italy, amazing colours, great fit, a great finish and a high street (high end) price. Yes Reiss is high end high street but it’s one of very few high street stores that can offer me tailoring at this price at the quality I desire. The same goes for the Reiss T-shirts, I love the cotton and linen mixed ones and I love the mens shirts.

I hope these tips help you for when you next go shopping. They are pretty simple factors to bear in mind but they will make a whole difference when quality, durability and fit are concerned. Let me know if you follow my tailoring guide and if it helped. If you would like me to do more articles/videos like this please let me know in the comment box and I will look into different stores of even put some more looks together with Reiss.

Can we also just still appreciate how stunning my Kelly bag is. I am still gushing over this and love it so much. The best purchase I have properly ever made.

 Same look, different jacket.

CREAM BLAZER SIZE 8 

GREY BLAZER SIZE 8 

LEATHER TROUSERS SIZE 8  

BLUE SHIRT MENS MEDIUM 

KELLY BAG 

BOOTS (RUN BIG) 

Photos by Paris

This article was not sponsored by Reiss. Some items were gifted and some I paid for.

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3 comments

Kiki March 23, 2017 - 8:50 am

I really like this look and try to make it a stable in my warobe, but feel like it doesnt suit my petite frame. The sleeves are so long. I am 154cm and between a size 10/12. My sister always tells me blazers make me look older and boxed in. Any advice on length of blazers ans sleeves?

Reply
Sophie March 23, 2017 - 12:47 pm

Those blazers are gorgeous!
http://styledfortheoccasion.com

Reply
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