Frankly, when we think of Old Navy, we think of brands the world would be better without. For research purposes, we do visit the store, but only to find the highly-disposable, mostly-unwearable dregs of a huge clothing conglomerate. Still, we love to be proven wrong, and so couldn’t resist when contributor — and Dappered.com author — Joseph Weber offered to make the case for Old Navy’s Twill blazer.
Get a Tailor. That’s the first thing I tell a cost conscious guy who wants to start dressing better. You can drop a load of money on clothes, but if they’re illfitting, they’ll be ill-looking. Find a piece that’s a good canvas for your tailor, and you can easily add $100 in value just by having it reshaped. That fact is precisely why, for around $50, these Old Navy Cotton Blazers are worth serious consideration by anyone who can’t justify spending even $130 on one blazer.
I know a lot of you guys are probably rolling your eyes, but hear me out. They have a perfect amount of casual weight -- not overly structured like a wool dress blazer, and they aren’t limp and defeated like a completely unstructured one either. They come in a number of different colors, and although they need to be brought in for the more-fit crowd, they are pre-contoured. My tailor said they're easy to work with, and once they've been tapered, they look pretty close to terrific.
There are of course drawbacks. The buttons don’t have a great look, but you can replace those if you want. There’s also no way it can compete with Uniqlo blazers for dressed up events, but it does look perfect with dark jeans and dress boots. Or light chinos, a gingham shirt, and knit tie. Half the male population still believes dressing up means loose jeans and an untucked dress shirt. Your silhouette is a weapon. This jacket will help you wield it effectively. For really, really cheap.
Joseph’s entire outfit:
Old Navy Twill Blazer in Gray – $49.99 (can be found on clearance racks for as little as $24.99)
Gap Black & Blue Gingham Shirt – $34.99
Alfani RED Knit Tie – $9.99
Levi’s Slim Straight 514 Jean – $32.99
D&G Sean Chronograph with custom leather strap – $182.00 via Gilt
Words and pics by Joseph Weber
6 Comments
One thing Old Navy is good for is children’s clothes. My 6 year old gets one year (if we are lucky) out of a pair of pants and maybe 2 on a shirt. With sales and coupons Old Navy is always a good spot for him. I never even bother to stop and check out the men’s section though. It is more of a get in and get out as quick as possible approach.
Also, not to be discounted is their 2 for $5 flip-flops. They’re cheap, and perfect for the pool/beach/gym shower, etc. Just don’t wear them on the subway – well, do what you want, but I don’t recommend it.
I like the look of these blazers, my problem has been that I am a weird shaped dude. My neck is bigger than it should be as are my shoulders (my previous tailor loved me because I had to buy big and then get everything taken in). When I try on these every single one is too tight in the shoulders and I feel like Hulk. If I could find one that would fit, I would probably get it though. They seem like nice jackets.
I own that jacket. Can’t complain about it, especially given what I paid. I found it in my size on a clearance rack for $25. Surprised it got marked down that far, but felt like I found a nice steal. I haven’t gotten the jacket tailored yet but I plan to. Looks nice with a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans!
I just picked one of these bad boys up last night for $7! Gotta love the clearance rack. It fits me pretty well OTR, too. It’ll only need a minimal amount of tailoring.
I know a lot of you guys are probably rolling your eyes, but hear me out.
They have a perfect amount of casual weight — not overly structured like a
wool dress blazer, and they aren’t limp and defeated like a completely
unstructured one either.You must be like this Chopard Watches ReviewsIt’s the old what goes around comes around routine.