It’s a styling question we’re asked about so often by guys: “How do you wear a blazer with jeans?” Followed up by the most pertinent part of this wardrobe conundrum… “and not look like Jeremy Clarkson?”

And it’s a fair point, he is dastardly in every style sense of the word but, Clarkson aside, the jeans-jacket combo is an incredibly versatile look. It comes with a plethora of options that allow you to smarten up for work or an evening date, or dress down and rock an eighties-inspired look with boxy cuts and faded denim.

Either way, the jacket brings an elevated touch to a wardrobe classic. As New & Lingwood’s product and marketing director, Simon Maloney reflects: “Thirty years ago a blazer and jeans double act was the peak of preppy style; but as with many things in fashion, it’s inevitably become not only widely acceptable but sharp to wear the two timeless items together”.

The Rules Of Wearing A Blazer With Jeans

Alas, something so simple can easily go wrong, so let’s start with some ground rules. Where it usually goes array is when we take a suit, break it apart and throw the suit jacket on over jeans. (For the record, only Ralph Lauren can do this. And that’s only because he lives on a ranch and because he’s Ralph Lauren).

Then, the other mistake is wearing said suit jacket with a plain white formal shirt with boot-cut dad jeans, which screams boarding-school sixth-former on a weekend ramble. So, the key to avoiding breaking these rules is picking a blazer for men that isn’t part of a suit and one that offers a similar formality and looks in its fabric to the style of jeans and the layer under the jacket (we’ll get onto some examples in just a minute).

Gieves & Hawkes

And, just as all jackets don’t have to be suit jackets and not all blazers have to be navy with gilded gold buttons, remember. And not all jeans have to be jeans in the traditional sense of classic 501 blue.