# Difference between blazer, sport coat, and suit jacket **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032 "2015-05-28T11:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/1 "2015-05-28T11:23:22Z")
My dress for the office is business casual; I almost never dress more formally (except for extremely rare weddings and funerals). I have an upcoming business trip that requires a blazer/sport coat. There are three coats in my closet (1 grey, 2 navy blue) – I’m quite certain the grey one is a suit jacket, since there are matching pants. I have no idea what the 2 navy blue coats are – how do I determine if they are blazers, sport coats, or suit jackets? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/2 "2015-05-28T11:59:21Z")
> **[Sports Jackets vs. Blazers vs. Suit Jackets: What's the Difference?](https://www.artofmanliness.com/style/clothing/suit-sport-jacket-blazer-difference/)** > > These three men's jackets are often bunched together, and even labeled wrong by retailers. What's the real difference between them and does it matter? I found this to be a good reference. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/3 "2015-05-28T11:59:54Z")
[Suit vs sports jacket vs blazer…](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/02/25/suit-sport-jacket-blazer-difference/) ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/4 "2015-05-28T12:06:06Z")
. . . and now I feel the need for a blazer with regatta stripes. It would go so well with my boater. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/5 "2015-05-28T12:26:23Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My dress for the office is business casual; I almost never dress more formally (except for extremely rare weddings and funerals). I have an upcoming business trip that requires a blazer/sport coat. > > There are three coats in my closet (1 grey, 2 navy blue) – I’m quite certain the grey one is a suit jacket, since there are matching pants. I have no idea what the 2 navy blue coats are – how do I determine if they are blazers, sport coats, or suit jackets? The article everyone is linking to is accurate, but in case it’s more detailed than you were hoping: You’re correct that all suit jackets have matching pants by definition. Sports coats and blazers both do not have matching pants. In about 99% of your life encounters you could use sports coats and blazers interchangeably, both in the actual fact of wearing them as well as talking about them. In fact, I can’t think of any good reason to insist on maintaining that there’s a meaningful difference between blazers and sports jackets. Maybe ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/6 "2015-05-28T12:36:44Z")
Thanks for the link – very interesting info. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything that would help me determine into which category the 2 navy-blue coats in my closet fall. They look like they could fit into any category to my untrained, no-fashion-sense eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Sumit\_Sharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71e660/32.png) [@Sumit\_Sharma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sumit_Sharma)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/7 "2015-05-28T12:39:34Z")
For formal - Blazer For sports - Sport coat For casual wear - Suit Jacket ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/8 "2015-05-28T13:06:57Z")
> [@Sumit\_Sharma](#): > > For formal - Blazer > For sports - Sport coat > For casual wear - Suit Jacket But how do I know which is which in my closet? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/9 "2015-05-28T13:23:09Z")
> [@Sumit\_Sharma](#): > > For sports - Sport coat Are you saying that I should wear a sport coat when I’m _playing_ football, or when I’m _watching_ football? That’s a serious question. I really don’t know what “sports” means in this context. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/10 "2015-05-28T13:39:06Z")
> [@Sumit\_Sharma](#): > > For formal - Blazer > For sports - Sport coat > For casual wear - Suit Jacket Say what? A Blazer is formal wear? And a suit jacket for casual use? I mean it could be but a suit is generally more “formal” than a sport coat or blazer. And a sport coat for “sports”? What does that even mean? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/11 "2015-05-28T13:42:56Z")
> [@Sumit\_Sharma](#): > > For formal - Blazer > For sports - Sport coat > For casual wear - Suit Jacket I’m sorry but this is entirely wrong. You would never wear a blazer for a formal event. At minimum you would wear a suit, possibly a dinner jacket (better known as a tuxedo). For a truly formal event, which is rare these days, a morning suit for daytime and white tie and tails for eventing. A suit jacket should be worn as part of a suit, and is not casual. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/12 "2015-05-28T13:43:26Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > Say what? A Blazer is formal wear? And a suit jacket for casual use? … Wow, I totally missed that. I’m confident that it’s a typo, and what **Sumit\_Sharma** really meant was:For formal - Suit Jacket For sports - Sport coat For casual wear - Blazer ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/13 "2015-05-28T13:45:35Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Thanks for the link – very interesting info. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything that would help me determine into which category the 2 navy-blue coats in my closet fall. They look like they could fit into any category to my untrained, no-fashion-sense eyes. No matching trousers, not suit coats. > [@Sumit\_Sharma](#): > > For formal - Blazer > For sports - Sport coat > For casual wear - Suit Jacket This is backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/14 "2015-05-28T14:06:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Thanks for the link – very interesting info. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything that would help me determine into which category the 2 navy-blue coats in my closet fall. They look like they could fit into any category to my untrained, no-fashion-sense eyes. Do you have pants that are made from the exact same fabric? If yes, it’s a suit. If no, it’s a blazer or sports jacket. That’s all you need to know. If you’re ever invited to attend a polo match and you want to make sure you wear a sports jacket instead of a blazer start a new thread, otherwise it doesn’t matter. I don’t mean to be dismissive or anything - the linked article explains the difference if you want to know out of curiosity. Practically speaking though it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/15 "2015-05-28T14:33:42Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My dress for the office is business casual; I almost never dress more formally (except for extremely rare weddings and funerals). I have an upcoming business trip that requires a blazer/sport coat. > > There are three coats in my closet (1 grey, 2 navy blue) – I’m quite certain the grey one is a suit jacket, since there are matching pants. I have no idea what the 2 navy blue coats are – how do I determine if they are blazers, sport coats, or suit jackets? A sport coat is basically any two-button vented jacket with lapels, made of anything from leather to cotton/canvas/denim to various patterned wool fabrics. As the name implies, it’s a more casual garment. A blazer is a type of sport coat, _typically_ made only of wool (or wool-blend if… really, there’s no excuse but people do) in a subdued solid color (black, navy blue) with metal or horn buttons. Other colors typically indicate some sort of affiliation, like a school uniform or golf tournament. So, a sport coat could be made of tweed or corduroy with leather or suede patches on the elbows, while a blazer never could. If you worked someplace that said business casual required a shirt with a collar, a blazer would do nicely over a pinpoint Oxford shirt or polo. If it was some hippy place where you could wear t-shirts and sneakers, a sport coat would suffice if your Members Only jacket were at the cleaners. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/16 "2015-05-28T14:34:57Z")
Something not mentioned. A blazer will commonly have gold buttons. A suit jacket never has obvious contrasting buttons. They will be of a colour matching the fabric. A proper diner jacket will have buttons covered in black silk, and will have satin facing on the lapels. A standard business suit is worn during the day for business. A blazer has become something of a way of differentiating dress from run of the mill suits. Although really only meant for daytime casual wear, it has taken on a rather more diverse role. I wore one to the opera tonight. Open white shirt and contrasting trousers. Perfectly acceptable in a wide variety of settings, including some business settings here. Depends upon where you are. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/17 "2015-05-28T14:47:24Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Thanks for the link – very interesting info. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything that would help me determine into which category the 2 navy-blue coats in my closet fall. They look like they could fit into any category to my untrained, no-fashion-sense eyes. If there’s no matching pants, then they definitely are not suit jackets. They are most likely blazers - navy is by far the most popular color for those. These days most sport coats will have some sort of pattern to them (stripes, checks, plaids, etc.), and often they are made out of thicker, more textured material - tweed or corduroy, for example. No matter, though - those two things are pretty much interchangeable these days. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/18 "2015-05-28T14:53:46Z")
Thanks! Glad to find out that I don’t have to buy a blazer this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/19 "2015-05-28T15:19:04Z")
Will anyone know if I’m wearing a suit coat instead of a sport coat or blazer? It seems like the pattern and fabric would be slightly different, am I right? I have a black, subdued suit of some soft, flat material, but I would expect a blazer or sport coat to be more tweed or crested or striped or with elbow pads or something. EDIT: I posted before refreshing, and I think my question has already been answered. ---
**Author:** ![Seren359](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Seren359](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seren359)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032/20 "2015-05-28T16:17:23Z")
In the UK, (England) You would wear a blazer with trousers (not jeans or chinos) a shirt and tie to a military or school associated event. So formal, but in a limited way. A sports jacket would be worn to an outdoor event where old fashioned attitudes still prevail. Like horse racing. A suit is for weddings and funerals also for buisness. Really formal would be “black tie.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-blazer-sport-coat-and-suit-jacket/721032.md?page=2)