The Decline of the Sport Coat

I'm 32 years old so for most of my life, young to middle-aged men just didn't wear sport coats. We've seen what passes for business casual so often. Before we went to business casual at my job, the dress code was basically slacks, button down, and a tie. NOBODY wore a sport coat.

Over the last year, I've been watching a lot of Cheers and recently Seinfeld episodes on Hulu. I was really struck by how the men in the shows wore sport coats so frequently...Norm and Frasier wore them to the bar all the time. George and Jerry wore them constantly when they left the house.

It's funny how much things changed. This week, we had guests in the office and were asked to wear business professional clothing. I wore a tie and a navy blazer along with my usual button down shirt and wool slacks. I was out of place as nobody else wore a jacket or blazer.

And thinking about those sitcoms again...Friends ruled the waves from the mid 90's forward and didn't seem to have anyone regularly wearing sport coats informally.

Were the 90's pretty much the time where your average man stopped wearing blazers or jackets outside of formal settings? I almost never see a man under the age of 50 wearing a sport coat out and about.

I frequently wear a sport coat or tweed jacket around the office. The only other jackets I ever see are suit jackets.
Haven't had a blazer in a while, I fear its day may have passed.

I don't wear them to work, but I wear them when we dine out or head out for a night on the town. I don't think of them as "out of place" at all. They're a staple. I see an awful lot of sport coats.

I'm 36 and wear sport coats often. My office is generally between business casual and suit attire (depending on meeting, function, etc.) and I find the sport coat is a nice way to step up attire when not in a suit. Especially in Fall and Spring.

Jarick, if I'm not wearing a suit, I do wear a sports jacket. Dark wash jeans, a button down collar shirt, sports jacket, and pocket square will make you stand out in the crowd. Casual due to the denim, yet still stylish. Others at your office may not notice it, but visitors will.

If you're comfortable wearing a sports jacket or a blazer, I say go for it. Buck the trend of others. You never know..... if you up your style others may follow.

I'm dipping my toe into the waters with my camel hair blazer. It's cut like a sport coat, but the material makes it more versatile like a jacket.

I'd like to eventually get a few more similar items, like unstructured cotton and linen blazers, as the shoulder pads make it look too formal (along with my really wide shoulders).

around here they are pretty uncommon. They're basically extinct here at work, but it's an engineering company so that's not surprising I suppose.

I started wearing them again last year.

Took my navy blazer with me on my trip to Europe, wore it most days when it was cool.

Wear my sports coats to work, and around town. I find them comfortable.

I am not that concerned that they are not "trendy". I like them and find them comfortable, people have commented on how nice they look.

Times have changed but that's definitely a good thing down here. It's too hot for additional layers like that most of the year.

You certainly see fewer of them than in the past, and in some ways, that can be a good thing, in that the guy who can get one good and well-fitted sports jacket can really "up his game" just by wearing it. (In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king ... in the land of the polo, the sports jacket is Duke of Debonair!)

takeshi said:

Times have changed but that's definitely a good thing down here. It's too hot for additional layers like that most of the year.

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Oddly, too-cold weather can also lead to its demise, as most guys have a parka but not an "overcoat" that you need to be able to wear a sports coat underneath in cold weather.

I would love to start wearing more sport coats, I work in a jeans and t-shirt kind of place. I am currently upping my game with only wearing jeans on Friday and wearing oxfords everyday. This winter I will be wearing sweaters over the shirts. Then might move to coats. I too would like a nice overcoat, but that's a few down the line.

Got an urge to ask for a blazer for Christmas now.

Dangit B&B.

I don't think age or time periods are as much a factor as environment. I am 33 and if I am not in a suit at work, I generally have on a sport coat, unless I am sitting at my desk.

I know there are varying terms and degrees for business casual, and there is always a mix in my officer building depending on the work and branch a person does in the workplace.

For a night out I will generally wear the same sport coats, but dressed down more so than I would have at the office.

Pepin said:

I started wearing them again last year.

Took my navy blazer with me on my trip to Europe, wore it most days when it was cool.

Wear my sports coats to work, and around town. I find them comfortable.

I am not that concerned that they are not "trendy". I like them and find them comfortable, people have commented on how nice they look.

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To me this is a question of 'style' vs. 'fashion.' I am comfortable in a sports coat, like having pockets to put my things and think it makes me look like the professional I am. I no longer worry about what is in fashion!

I'm thinking if I were in a jeans office, I would look at unstructured blazers and cardigans.

Id definitely like to start wearing sports coats more often. Especially as we get into the Fall season. I'm in the same boat as the OP. I'm 29, and have previously not really needed a sports coat for my jobs or casually. Through my 20s, people my age just didn't wear them. My grandfather on the other hand was never without his blazer.

The only sports coat I have is a navy one. My parents got it for me in college for things like church, more informal weddings, interviews etc. Before you give me grief about interviews, in my field, I was specifically told NOT to wear a tie to an interview on one occasion. I'm assuming the navy one will still be pretty versatile? Are there other styles/colors of sports coat that are more informal? Something that would look good with a nice pair of dark raw denim?

For work, a blazer would be impractical. I'm in and out of a manufacturing environment all day. I'll stick with the company embroidered uniform button down oxfords that Cintas cleans for me once a week. They are poorly fitting and uncomfortable (50% polyester), but all of the managers are kind of expected to wear them.

Jarick said:

I'm thinking if I were in a jeans office, I would look at unstructured blazers and cardigans.

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At 32 here, a simple google image search of "unstructured blazer", tells me that I don't like 90% of what I see. Haha, not saying it doesn't work, just doesn't work for me.

Haggises said:

Goy an urge to ask for a blazer for Christmas now.

Dangit B&B.

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The navy blazer would depend on the material and how structured it is. And make sure it has metal buttons to look less like an orphaned suit jacket.

If I were going to start a collection from scratch, and I'm a real rookie at this but here goes:

- Structured wool blazer in navy (formal situations where you don't want to wear a suit)



- Unlined linen-cotton blend in tan or gray (Summertime and more versatile)



- Camel hair or cashmere in tan (Fall and Winter, fairly versatile)



- Heavy tweed in gray, charcoal, or Earth tone (Winter, fairly versatile)



- Corduroy in brown or olive (Fall and Winter, very casual)



- Unstructured brighter blue cotton blazer (wear with jeans and chinos, casual)

Doc4 said:

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Group buy?