Blazer for redhead: gray versus black...

I'm trying to choose a blazer/jacket...and I need help!

Pendleton's petite jackets happen to suit my short, busty figure, and this one would suit me to a T with its high stance and neckline-framing collar. I like the buttons and sleeve detailing, too. I am auburn by choice, and 43 years old. But I can't decide on the color. I've been backing away from wearing black, as I am finding that it washes me out now that I'm past 40. This gray tone has, according to the Pendleton site, "tiny stitches of Moroccan blue and tortoise", which warm it up and would tie in with my red hair and my wardrobe.

I work in IT and sometimes attend conferences and professional meetings. Suits are too formal so I usually wear a blazer/jacket with contrasting trousers for these occasions.
I live in Wellington, NZ, which is quite chilly (think Seattle) and more formal than other areas of NZ.
My wardrobe is in tones of teal, cobalt blue, navy blue, cream, olive greens from light to dark, chartreuse/greeny yellows, and some dark browns, grays, and purples. I only very recently started wearing warm gray tones near my face.

I wish I could afford both colors, but it's an investment piece for me, and I have to pay extra for shipping to NZ via a mail forwarder, alas. So I have to choose. I'm a bit inclined towards the gray one because there are just more black blazers out there to choose from. But a black blazer is such an essential basic, and I only have very informal ones - a drapey silk one and two black knit ones. I'm including a picture of the blazer in turquoise - which would look smashing on me. But colored blazers are VERY unusual in Wellington.

Any thoughts are welcome!

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11 years ago

N-Marie

Veteran

I do love the teal one and would buy it in a heartbeat. But, it will be less versatile for a conference travel capsule. I do similar travel to multi-day conferences and usually pick a gray or black blazer because I can more easily change the blouse and pants for a variety of looks. It's tough to fit more than one blazer in a small suitcase (although you could wear it on the plane). For you, I like gray a bit better than black because it is less severe and less formal, which I think is a better fit for the IT industry.

Aziraphale

Here's some food for thought. I'm probably working from a similar starting point as you (I'm 42, and not a natural redhead, but I've got that fair skin, faded freckles and light brown hair that can be easily dyed auburn and look convincing) and about two years ago I was determined to find a grey blazer. I was convinced it would be an essential addition to my wardrobe.

Well, I found a good one that fit perfectly, and several months later I went back and bought the exact same one in black. To my surprise, I wear the black one FAR more than the grey one. It's a workhorse. I still like the grey one, but I would miss its loss from my wardrobe far less.

EmilyC15

Active Member

Thank you! It's true, N-Marie, last time I went to a conference, I was wearing a blazer on the plane. And Aziraphale, first I have to high-five you as another "Good Omens" fan, and second, I hear what you're saying about the black one being a workhorse. Interestingly, I ran this question past some of my Facebook friends in NZ and all but one of them would go for black.

DonnaF

The older I get, the less I wear black, esp. on top. It just feels harsh and old in combo with other colors. IMHO, the gray jacket would go very well with your other colors and look fresher. The color is also more seasonally versatile.

unfrumped

In a sense black only goes with everything if your wardrobe colors go with black! That's a wider range though since a solid sharp black works with prints , brights, jewel tones icy pastels and many items gray just can't cut.
BUT then black does not actually " set off" a log of softer and autumnal colors.
I think you would need to take a hard look at all the target items you'd wear it with AND whether you want to move in a non- black direction and work on a stricter color palette if mix and match items that are great with your coloring.
Can you use your black jackets for a marathon try- on to see how your items skew, or also could you bring home a grey jacket locally & return, but do same tryon?
I find it very difficult to have the one blazer to rule them all, because of lengths and proportions.
Final note, and not to be a party- pooper, but how current is that 3- button style? Or is it " your" style so is flattering and what you'll gravitate toward regardless of newer styles?
I love Pendleton fabrics and have bought items maybe every other year or so, but they are maddenly conservative in styles. Usually you can say, if you buy something new it's current by definition, but I have not trusted Pendleton enough and so have passed over some lovely fabrications. This style may be classic enough to work-- would like to hear from some style experts on that.

Unfrumped, you're SO right that a lot of Pendleton can be on the frowsty edge of classic. To my eye, the Nicole jackets have an equestrian touch in the high stance and plentiful buttons (there's actually four), and equestrian is, for me, a classic that goes the distance. Angie was talking about it just the other day, so I was keeping my eye out for jackets and found these. Your "try on" idea is a great one - and thrift stores have plenty of gray jackets. DonnaF, I'll try that and see if a gray is indeed fresher on me.

Unfrumped has a good point. Black doesn't work in everybody's wardrobe. I wear a lot of black, white and grey tops, and my bottoms are either blue denim or grey denim or olive green, usually. The grey blazer goes better with a black top and really dark blue jeans, but the black blazer goes better with just about everything else.

(High five! Terry Pratchett is a genius).

Suz

(website)

And here is another monkey to add to the confusion:

Don't assume that the teal blazer would necessarily be less versatile. Or that you would wear it less.

If the colour makes your heart sing and looks smashing on you, as you say -- and if it works well with other colours in your closet -- you just might end up wearing this bright blazer more than you imagine.

I bought a very cheap fuchsia knit jacket at H&M, assuming I might never really use it.

You can guess what happened next. It immediately became a true workhorse. I took it on a month long trip to China and wore it with virtually everything. I wore it all winter when I got home. To my surprise, there was almost nothing in my closet it didn't coordinate with. And it made me happy, especially on dark winter days.

Having said all that, I think it's a great idea to try some greys against the colours in your closet (along with some blacks).

Will Pendleton send you a fabric swatch? Some companies do that. Could be an even better method of testing. Greys can vary considerably.

Suz, I can see the fuschia looking smashing on you! And thank you for
the turquoise encouragement. (Temptation?) New Zealanders have such a predeliction for
black clothing that the New Zealand Fashion Museum has written a book
about it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/life.....d=10787448

I went off to a warehouse-sized thrift store today and I found a black wool jacket and a warmish gray with a turquoise pinstripe. I tried them on and held them up to my face. Between this and everyone's advice....to my considerable surprise, I'm going to join the herd of black sheep and order the black version of this blazer.

- The gray and black were about equal with how they made me look.
- The black instantly went better with the very-representative-of-my-wardrobe outfit I was wearing (cobalt top, dark olive pants).
- The black will dress up and down more easily, whereas the gray is trapped in a certain business formality.

Thank you all again!

I hope you love it! It's definitely a more equestrian look, so there is that, too. Enjoy!

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