Argh, blazer advice!

[MadameSapphire]

I would love to update my wardrobe with 2 or 3 fab blazers. However, so many that I see nowadays are oversized - as a petite 40-something year old, I look like I’ve dressed in my dad or husband’s clothes. 😂 I’ve also tried on a few that just aren’t great quality.

How does one wear a cropped/fitted blazer right now and, also, a more masculine (but not oversized) style? I’d like one of each and for them to be real wardrobe workhorses! Some links would be amazing, please. Budget is around £100 per piece. TIA.

Also keen to know this, hopefully we get some ideas

What sort of colours will work best with your wardrobe, OP? Black, navy, beige, khaki ...? If you want them to be workhorses I presume you'll want neutrals? Do you want them in different colours? And do you want to buy new rather than eBay/Vinted?

Have you looked at Whistles' petite range? I'm not petite, but do find their cut good for jackets.

I'm 5'2" and find Next range for blazers, in regular sizing, to sometimes fit the bill. Also, they do a petite range. I like their blazers a lot, actually. It's hard to find anything suitable at this height!

I have a similar Whistles blazer to this, OP, & the crepe fabric is really nice quality. It's good in that it's not too heavy for summer, is good for winter too for evenings out as you can throw a big coat over it, & goes with absolutely loads. It comes in black, navy, khaki & "neutral" (grey-beige?). Also shown on 5' 3" models, helpfully!

https://www.whistles.com/product/crepe-boyfriend-blazer-36819.html

Meant to add photos! And that it's reduced to £75 ...

Whistles also have this petite jacket in their sale for £59, in both cream & black. I like the cream especially. Good for summer.

https://www.whistles.com/product/anne-ponte-button-jacket-40715.html

They also have a couple more, not in the sale (yet!) that I think are very versatile.

This one: https://www.whistles.com/product/cropped-boucle-jacket-41281.html

And this one: https://www.whistles.com/product/collarless-linen-blazer-40918.html

What size are you btw?

I like Reis for petite blazers - they have some lovely options at the moment.

alternatively I think an oversized blazer works as long as you have the sleeves ruched/rolled

Agree that their tailoring is very good - but they're more like £200+, unless the OP looks on eBay/Vinted.

Personally I think it's worth either spending more on something that's going to be a wardrobe "workhorse" or, if that's not on option, then waiting for the sales or hunting one down on the resale sites (which is what I do). I'd rather spend £50 on a secondhand Reiss blazer than £50 on a new one from a cheaper brand.

New Look seem to do a petite range. I love New Look for light blazers, though I am the opposite and get from the tall range 😁

https://www.newlook.com/uk/p/9432012014?extcam=UK_SOC_APPPDPSHARE

Agree

i thought it was a given that OP could look on Vinted but I don’t know how easy it is to search for petite sizes.

personally I’d forgo three blazers at £100
a pop and and get one really good one. There’s a couple of nice options on their outlet coming in at less than £150

@MadameSapphireNo idea where you are looking bit cropped jackets are everywhere. See M&S! Fitted ones too and even ones with a cinched waist. Look at belted ones too.

Hobbs petite stuff is fab I have a couple of suits from there. https://www.hobbs.com/product/petite-ophelia-jacket-/0122-4044-9845L05-BLACK.html

@EleanorMc67 They look oversized though and op didn’t want that. Cinched waist or neat cropped might be more what she needs?

Think she wants one of each - a cropped jacket & a mannish blazer?

I posted the Whistles ones as the shape seems to depend on the model & colour! The same jacket looks fine in one pic but slightly oversized in the next. So I thought it was still worth trying as photos can be misleading. That's the boyfriend jacket in the sale though, which is in budget - over budget the linen collarless one looks good IMO.

They've had great lightweight crepe styles in the past, which still crop up on eBay/Vinted. There's also a plethora of Hobbs & Reiss ones.

@MadameSapphire If you are considering eBay/Vinted, to minimise risk I find it helpful to spot where the seller has given the style name of an item - such as here, where they're selling a black Reiss Millie blazer. Even if it's not current, you can usually find more images of it online to give you a much better idea of the shape etc.

So for instance on eBay, this is the photo. Especially when they're black or navy, you can see bugger all in photos! Whereas you can see the shape much more clearly in the Reiss photos of the cream version.