I’ve been wearing blazers a lot recently, especially when I teach. I’ve been vaguely looking for a charcoal pinstripe blazer to round out my collection (the others are black or glen plaid). Today I stopped by Nordstrom Rack for the Clear The Rack sale and this Nili Lotan blazer jumped out at me.

It’s amazing but I can’t decide if it’s worth the splurge.

Pros:

• I love the Nili Lotan aesthetic in general, and I love how this blazer looks on me, masculine and a bit rumpled.
• It fits well — and it’s the first time a blazer’s sleeves aren’t too long!
• Construction and fabric (wool) are amazing quality.

Cons:

• This particular charcoal has a hint of brown and might be hard to match with black. I’d wear it with faded black denim, not solid black as in the photo. I’ll have to try it with a few options to see if it works.
• It’s $280 even after the clearance discount (would normally be $850).
• The matching pants are sold out and also not my style (elastic waist) so I can’t wear it as a suit.
• I own a lot of blazers already.
• I wish I could try one size up (not an option) but I’m 95% sure this is the right size. If you look closely, you can almost see my arms pushing out the sleeves but really, it looks fine.
• Did I mention it’s $280? Which is an excellent price for this label, or any wool blazer, to be clear. But still.

(second find is the matching pants, but they're sold out in my size)