Chiming in a bit late here, but thought I *had* to add something because I a) own several J. Crew schoolboy blazers, b) own last winter's version of the Boden British Tweed blazer, c) tried on the Smythe houndstooth blazer but couldn't make it work on my petite hourglass shape, and d) wound up with the Smythe double-breasted blazer in black. Happy to answer any Qs about fits, measurements, fabrics, etc. -- in the meantime, a couple of thoughts, in no particular order:
* Re your q about coloring...I haven't seen that blazer in person, but in general I feel like J. Crew makes clothing for people who have Jenna Lyons's coloring. I think even their grays run warm; this may be one reason I haven't worn the schoolboy in English tweed that I got last year (the dreaded final sale shopping mistake). I think the tweedy Boden one that Angie pointed out may have better coloring for you.
* Re fit: Probably the reason that I don't have an issue with the schoolboy cut is that I do indeed have the petite, short-waisted frame that Angie mentioned. I ended up not keeping the ones I tried to order last winter because they felt a bit too boxy around the waist, though -- probably what unfrumped is referring to in describing them as casual.
* Re fabrics: Some of the J. Crew schoolboys I've tried had nice soft fabric; others, not so much. I tried their glen plaid one last year but just felt it wasn't as nice a fabric/print as the Boden one in a similar pattern. Note that the Boden one is still a bit scratchy for me, but it seemed higher quality than the J. Crew glen plaid schoolboy overall. It does feel heavy, but in my winter climate, it doesn't look odd to wear it indoors.
* The Smythe blazers: I loved the idea of the houndstooth blazer, but a) elbow patches do not look right when they hit *below* the elbow, and b) a short-waisted, somewhat large-busted hourglass shouldn't even think about trying on that jacket. It would look better on you, I think. As the reviews show, the double-breasted black one works better on petites (because of the cropped length and shorter sleeves) and hourglasses, even though the fabric is much scratchier than the other one.
Clearly I share your penchant for patterns and blazers! (Though I'm not so good at the PPP part. That said, if any interesting ones from last winter or this spring (read: the navy geometric print) show up at the Boden sample sale this weekend, I can't promise one of them won't follow me home...)
