The travel blazer

Travel and Leisure

Recently, we went shopping on a dreary, rainy April Sunday. A rare outing for the two of us, as we are not really shoppers, per se. Well, that's not really true, as I am a shopper, but I normally just choose to do it from the comfort of my leather armchair. Most of the time, I'll just scroll through the listings on FB Marketplace until something catches my eye. But this time, we went to the Metropolis to check out some footwear for her; shoe shopping is the one thing that I don't think can be done well online. Anyhow, while she was off perusing on her own, I came across a blazer that I thought could be a great fit for European travel.

Eddie Bauer Voyager II Travel Blazer

So you might be reading this, and are thinking, why a blazer at all? Well, as is often advocated by others online, it's best to try and blend in a bit when you're in Europe, as it makes you stick out less as a potential target for thieves and pickpockets. And in general, you want to match with your surroundings; you're not going to wear a tuxedo to a restaurant, so why would you wear just a t-shirt either? Sure, things have changed over the years, and Europe isn't the formal attire place that it used to be. You'll read things that say, "men never wear shorts", but in the heat of the summer, I've seen (i.e. heard the foreign accent of) many European men who were wearing fashionable shorts. Runners (referred to as trainers over there) used to be frowned upon. Well, if you haven't noticed, the fashion trend of bright white tennis shoes has been around for quite some time now. But back to the question at hand - why bring a blazer? It's because there is probably no single piece of men's wardrobe more versatile than a plain blue/navy blazer. 

Ok, so to be honest, I have (at last count) five navy or blue blazers. But in my defence, I've acquired three or four of them in my quest for the perfect travel blazer, but even though they weren't the ones, I decided to keep them for work as an Extra. A good blazer can be used to dress up a pair of jeans or chinos and t-shirt. You can also make a half-decent dressy look when paired with an Oxford shirt and maybe even a tie. Make it a little more casual by leaving your shirt untucked. With room for a sweater underneath, it can double as outerwear.

In the right material, it might even ward off a sprinkle; flip up the collar to keep the cool evening breeze off your neck. Maybe even worn on the plane if it gets a little too chilly. Some fashion pages will even have them paired with nice shorts... I'm not sure about one however. But with the push these days for one-bag travel, the navy blazer might be the one jacket to to rule them all. Worn on while travelling, it might even help you get into those elusive business class seats up front. 

I saw this look in Italy first!

Sure, there will be occasions where bringing a blazer as the only jacket is not the right call. For example, on our last trip, we went to Croatia and Eastern Europe, where it was going to be relatively warm, and we had a more relaxed itinerary. Some days, we would be out hiking around the lakes and waterfalls, and others we'd be out all day exploring a new town. Fine dining was not really on the agenda, so I took a more outdoor-style jacket with a tuck-away hood and a more casual look. Or the times when we went to Europe in the shoulder seasons (April/early May and late Oct./Nov.), when more than one jacket was required; e.g. a real raincoat as well as a mid-layer one. But with a sweater, or even a quilted vest, you can extend the season of the blazer if necessary. Bridging the winter season, I'd probably have to bring two "jackets" as well as mid-layers, but might still be able to get by with carry on by wearing the heaviest layers while travelling. 

But what makes a great travel blazer, versus just a regular blazer? Well, the key in my opinion is versatility. Ideally, it would be slightly unstructured; that's what allows it to be used in both casual and slightly more formal settings. With a little less padding in the shoulders and without the stiffness created by the canvas basting, you can adapt the blazer to a wider variety of options. Too little structure and fabric choices like nylon make the garment into really just a nice looking piece of outerwear, which cuts down on its utility. Like the discontinued Victorinox one pictured right, which reviewers say is too flimsy to hold its shape and not enough like a true blazer. You see the amazing pictures online, and you want to love it, but the reality is that it won't look like that in person. The also discontinued Lululemon New Venture blazer has the right material to be a good candidate; except for a strange front pocket design and snaps instead of buttons, it could have been a possible alternative. 

While it's nice to have a full lining normally in a blazer, having less material makes it more lightweight and easier to pack (if required). Not patterned ideally, but maybe a bit of texture to the weave so as to not look too formal; navy blue is a little more versatile than black, in my opinion. I've recently discovered the value of 4-way stretch fabrics, and if you can find a blazer made with this, you'll appreciate the enhanced mobility and comfort. Wrinkle-resistant is an obvious requirement for travelling, and there are blazers now that can be machine-washable, which is a huge bonus. You're not going to go out in the pouring rain in only a blazer, but a water-repellent one would certainly be a nice-to-have.

 

I didn't used to worry about security too much, but for our upcoming trip to Paris, it would be great if it had at least one inside zippered pocket. I started my search originally with the Eddie Bauer travel blazer, of which there have been a few different versions. Like the Victorinox one, it looks great in the photos, but trust me, it doesn't wear like that when trying on in the store; the material is too light and it doesn't "hang" very well; it's as though it is designed for hot, humid destinations. I've probably looked at a dozen different brands, but for one reason or other, they did not fit the bill. Some are better outerwear items than others, and there are many that are beyond my budget range.

Well, as I had mentioned at the start of this post, I found it. The almost perfect travel blazer by Perry Ellis. A lightweight, wool/spandex blend blazer with all of the above; bonus that it was on clearance AND further markdown! It even comes with a little 8" x 11" bag that it folds up into. But what would have made it perfect? The addition of a zip-in placket or bib that would make the blazer more adaptable to blustery or cooler evenings. I also saw a gentleman on our last river cruise whose blazer had a hood that zipped off, where the zipper was hidden when the collar was down, but that's probably too much to ask. But if it does get cool enough where one button isn't enough, I'm hoping that I'll have brought a quilted vest to pair with this blazer.