Ask Angie and YLF: Fitting the JCrew schoolboy blazer

My ongoing education in fitting blazers continues from last fall:)

I finally pulled the trigger on the J. Crew classic schoolboy blazer when it went on deep discount this week. I ordered both a 4R and 6R, thinking the petite, while better for my short waist, would be too short in the arms. The pictures are of the 4R. The shoulders fit well, and I wasn't surprised to see the torso was boxier than the tweed Boden blazer I bought last year.

The question lies mostly in the fit around my hips. It looks OK from the front, and the length down the back seems fine (no buckling as seen from the side) but the back vent gaps open. The same thing is happening with the 6R. What's the problem? Should I try the petite? Is is this another case of J. Crew fitting only those with the slimmest of hips?

(Oh, and excuse the jeans. They're too tight but the color was just the right contrast for you to see the blazer issues!)

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12 years ago

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I see what you are talking about with the vent. Vents are for ease of movement rather than ease of fit, if that makes sense. Also, it seems to be pulling at the top of the vent too, not just the bottom. Where is the bottom of the jacket hitting you? I think the schoolboy blazer is meant to hit at the hipbone or just below because it has a "shrunken" fit. That's where it hits me (I take a 6R). It looks a bit long in these photos. I don't have the problem with the vent, but my shoulders are broader than my hips so I often have the opposite problem--shoulders fit, too much room around the waist/hips. If you wore it open all the time, the vent thing wouldn't be a problem, but that makes the jacket less versatile. How does it feel? Is it tight around the bottom? What happens when you sit down? Does the whole blazer push up because it's tight?

Suz

I think they've just changed the design of the Schoolboy blazer, making it somewhat longer. If this is the older version, it is supposed to be a bit shrunken.

It looks a bit odd in the back generally -- in the shoulder area as well as the hip. The shoulder seams seem fine....but it's as if the back is sticking or something. As if there isn't enough space there. I don't know what to think. It looks good from the front and you would probably never wear it closed. Would be good to see open as well.

Anonymous

Very strange. It does almost look like it is pulling across the hips and the torso might be a bit long if it is binding on your hips and then that is poufing up causing the lines on the shoulders.

It really is cut for a boy, isn't it? It looks completely square (and super cute) from the front. If you plan to wear it open, I think it's fine. If it flared out for our womanly hips, it wouldn't be a school-boy cut I guess.

Beth

Ana, I thought it was hitting at the right spot, but looking at the pics, I think you might be right that it's a hair too long. It doesn't feel tight around the hips, either standing or sitting. I do plan to wear it open nearly all of the time, but I'm also seeing what Suz is seeing with the weird fit in the upper back, too.

Ceit, that's a really good point. Maybe a shorter (petite) fit would solve both issues. Hm.

I've added two pictures with the jacket open. Oddly enough, the issues are mostly still there. It doesn't help that it came wrinkled out of the box, but I don't think that's the whole problem.

LOL, Claire, I suppose that's a very good point. Maybe we need schoolgirl jackets?

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If I were you, I'd at least try a petite, just for comparison. Alternatively, you could try the "new" schoolboy blazer, which is supposed to be a little longer and more streamlined (full price though, unfortunately). I just tried it on today and I really like it. It doesn't feel quite as boxy.

Gaylene

The shoulder area bothers me more than the vent, actually. One shoulder seems fine while the other looks wrinkled. I wonder if it's a quality control issue and the right back shoulder was skewed when the fabric was cut?

Caro in Oz

Nice jacket. I agree about the problem in the shoulder area - those folds on the right (of picture) really bother me.

Worth trying another one if they are available still. It really could be quality control.

You know, you all might be on to something. In several of the pictures I took, the back vent was off center. I just thought it was the way I was standing, but given the wrinkles on the shoulder, I went ahead and ordered another jacket.

It'll be interesting to see if there's a difference. Either the jacket is cut oddly or I'm built crooked.

Yes, Beth. Either way it's worth trying to get it just right. PPP!

Sarah A

Ill look forward to seeing if the replacement is cut differently (QC problem). FWIW, I am crooked. Most of us arent actually perfectly symmetrical. My right arm is a good inch longer and before i started rolling my sleeves more I had to have everything tailored to adjust for that. I do typically try to find clothes that minimize my crookedness though

Hey Beth, have you received the replacement blazer yet? I was at the Crew today trying on blazers and I wondered how things worked out for you.

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