Custom casual jackets: The perfect blazer alternative

A growing favorite among Hall Madden clients is our recently developed “casual jacket”. It comes in several forms and styles, but it’s designed to solve the problem of when you want to add a layer that’s polished, but not as dressed up as a traditional sport coat or blazer.

Our clients find it’s the perfect piece to wear over tees, polos, and as well as their dress shirts. It pairs well with our custom jeans and chinos, too. The common factor is that it fills the gap in your wardrobe where having a light jacket would be perfect for a coffee run, walking the dog, or a casual evening dinner.

We offer three general styles, all determined by the collar. First, a safari jacket style, with a 4-button front that opens to a wider collar. Most of our clients prefer to add the flap bellowed pockets on top and bottom, which can have buttons or no buttons. We think going without buttons looks cleaner, but the button flaps are more traditional for the safari style. You can optionally add a belt as well, but most of our clients forego it for a cleaner and less fussy appearance.

The next style is our utility coat, sometimes called a chore coat. It has a simple turn-down collar much like a shirt and buttons all the way to the neck. Some clients have chose to style it like an overshirt, with just top-only pockets and no lower pockets. Others have taken inspiration from old French workwear jackets and added large patch pockets to the bottom with a single patch pocket on the chest. Our most popular configuration, however, is adding a welted chest pocket and flap lower pockets. This gives the jacket the appearance of a blazer — just with a more casual collar.

Finally, our last style is a blazer cut. In appearance, it looks like a typical blazer, however, there are a few important differences. There’s no canvas interline so it’s entirely unstructured. There’s no shoulder padding, either. And the front panels have no chest darts, allowing for a simpler construction that’s reminiscent of the “sack suit” cut from the 1960s “ivy” era. The shoulders are also extended, giving a slouchy appearance. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you want a very relaxed cut “blazer” that feels more like an oversized shirt, this could be an option — and we can even make matching trousers in most fabrics for a full “suit”.

All of our styles come unlined in the body and with sleeve liners to allow them to be put on comfortably. We can also add internal security pockets and either a single button cuff or a suit jacket cuff with multiple buttons. Each jacket’s comfort comes from its lack of structure and “soft” coat style that makes it a quick go-to pick.

Best of all, we can make casual jackets in any of our in-stock or cut length fabrics, which means you get a huge selection of options to create really unique casual jackets that you cannot find anywhere else. For warm climates, pick from wool-silk-linen blends or seersucker. In colder temperatures, consider trying our alpaca-blended jacketing that’s soft or go the luxury route with cashmere-blends. If you want something traditional, consider linen to make a safari coat or heavy cotton twill for a French chore coat. Or imagine yourself on the English countryside in a chunky tweed wool.

Our casual jackets are made at our suit factory, so you receive the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail — both in design and fit. And much like our tailored garments, we make a unique fit profile for each client so they receive a jacket with the proper lengths, widths and a few posture adjustments, too.

To get your own custom casual jacket and experience these soft coats, book an appointment at your local showroom and we’ll help you explore our many options.