The BIG blazer has been a fringe trend for about three years and is gaining momentum. My guess is that it will be mainstream next season, or the year thereafter. It’s generally long, cut very straight, and creates a boxy silhouette. It has small or large shoulder pads, and can be single or double-breasted. They come in any colour across a range of dressy and casual, soft, or rigid fabrics. Some are patterned, and have matching bottoms. The idea is to wear them with a very simple layering top so that they take centre stage. The layering top can be tailored, fluid, or cropped. Here are some visual examples.
The oversized fit varies from item to item. Sometimes the shoulder line is structured and follows the line of the shoulder. Sometimes the shoulders extend into a linebacker look with the help of large shoulder pads. And sometimes the shoulder seams deliberately drop off the shoulder, like you need to go down a size or two, but that is the look.
Some of my clients and friends took to this trend right away because it’s a whole lot more comfortable than wearing a structured blazer, and is a fun fashion flashback. Some love how it covers their curves and midsection. It also makes them feel less dressed up, which is one way to wear a blazer with a very casual lifestyle. Others are less enamored because it lacks the structure and waist definition that they enjoy when wearing blazers. In fact, it’s why they wear blazers at all. And others feel like they’re wearing the wrong size blazer.
The silhouette reminds me of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. I LOVED them, and wore them a lot back then. I had several with mega shoulder pads, and most were double-breasted. They were long, and some were part of soft pantsuits. I had them in pastels, brights, and neutrals, and felt awfully grown-up wearing them as a teen and young adult.
I’m an ‘80s fan, but to my surprise have not dipped my toes back into this look yet. Instead, I’ve been in the mood for short tailored blazers, or fluidly tailored regular length blazers.
But just last month and out of the blue, I got the itch the try on a few oversized blazers. I noticed that I like a very specific version of the silhouette. I prefer an oversized blazer to be fairly structured on the shoulder line with medium size shoulder pads, cut straight down so that it’s boxy and roomy around the hips, and in soft fabric so that it’s a little prettier. The sleeves must be fairly tailored so that I don’t feel overwhelmed in the silhouette. I can go single or double-breasted. The soft cream tuxedo style from Banana Republic fit perfectly in my oversized way, but alas no soft pants to match. I’ll keep the trend on my radar because I’m finally in the mood for it.
Over to you. What do you think of the oversized blazer trend?
