Fashion Tips: One Blazer, Three Different Outfits

The blazer is a cornerstone in formal men's fashion, a must-have piece at everything from baptisms to funerals. But that doesn't mean you have to keep it to its all-formal mold all the time. Break away from all your preconceived notions of this classic men's style piece and see how to turn one investment fashion item into three completely different looks.

Look #1: Fashionable Formal
Here's the least challenging of the lot: the good old formal look. It's pretty much a no-brainer, as you just have to wear your blazer with a matching pair of pants. It's easier if the blazer already came with a pants (as in a set) because you're already sure that you have a matching piece somewhere in your closet.

One thing you should remember about this look is to never wear the blazer with a slightly different color. Wear it with exactly the same color or even a different color entirely (gray on black, say) as suit separates. Trousers that are just a few shades away make your outfit simply tacky. To be safe side, get your blazer as part of a two- or three-piece set.

From there, you just have to exercise all the rules of formal dressing. Pick a clean shirt, a nice unruffled tie and a belt to match your shoes. To up the style ante, though, you could match a patterned shirt with a patterned tie (not for the faint of style), pick out an eye-catching pair of cufflinks or add a pocket square to complete the debonair look.

Look #2: Casual Cool
Wearing a suit and tie for the weekend is the surest way to spell 'overdressed,' so you've got to make your blazer a little friendlier for Saturday and Sunday nights out. The surest way to do that is to lose the corporate look and dress your blazer down with some of the more casual pieces in your wardrobe.

Denim is one of your best friends when it comes to dress-down days, mostly because it's seen as such a casual fabric. A great pair of jeans are therefore a necessity if you plan to take your blazer anywhere after 5PM on Friday. Remember to find a fit that complements your body shape and to keep the rules of color in mind: the more formal the event, the darker the wash of the denim should be.

Pair your jeans with a plain white shirt or, better yet, a polo shirt in your favorite color. If you've got the body for it, you could even get away with just a solid white tee underneath. Finish off the look with a great pair of leather shoes or white sneakers and a full social calendar for the weekend.

Look #3: Dressed Down Dandy
This is easily the most challenging of all three looks because you have to strike a balance between the structured formality of the blazer and the loose casualness of everything else you're wearing. You may want to practice this look in front of the mirror a few times prior to trying it out on the street.

Starting with a classic color blazer (preferably black or navy), pair it with a simple shirt and shorts that hit at or above your knees. If you can manage to find a pair, shorts in pinstriped black are best for this look. Roll the sleeves of your blazer (easiest to do with unlined blazers) and your shirt up to about your elbow, and then finish off with sneakers or a pair of formal shoes. Necktie, fedora, pocket square and statement shades optional.

As you can see, there's no single 'right' way to use a blazer, and there are actually myriad combinations for just one piece. You just have to understand the kind of message a blazer sends and what pieces will make for a more interesting message to convey.