How to Wear a Double-Breasted Blazer: The Complete Guide for Women

The short answer: a double-breasted blazer is a jacket with two columns of buttons and a front that overlaps across the body. Wear it buttoned for a sharp, structured line, and open for an easier, more relaxed one. Choose a regular cut if you want one jacket for every occasion, an hourglass cut if you want a defined waist, and an oversized cut if you like a strong shoulder. Pair it with something slim underneath: a fine knit, a fitted T-shirt, a silk shirt.

The double-breasted blazer is one of the hardest-working jackets a woman can own, and one of the most often worn badly. Its extra fabric across the front is what gives it presence, and it is also what makes the fit unforgiving. This guide explains the rules, using the label that has built its whole business on the style, Blazé Milano, as the reference point, with alternatives from across Coveti’s blazers.

What makes a blazer double-breasted?

A single-breasted jacket closes with one row of buttons down the centre. A double-breasted jacket overlaps, so the front panels cross and fasten with two parallel columns. The most common arrangement on women’s tailoring is four buttons, two of which fasten, often with an internal button anchoring the underlap. Double-breasted jackets usually carry peak lapels, which point up and out toward the shoulders and broaden the chest visually.

On a Blazé Milano blazer the anatomy is textbook: a four-button double-breasted front, peak lapels, slightly padded shoulders and an internal mother-of-pearl button that holds the wrap flat. The brand’s Everyday Blazer is the clearest example of the classic version.

The three double-breasted cuts, and who each suits

Other labels on Coveti offer the same choices. The Alex Perry Double Breasted Fitted Blazer in Wool Suiting is a close, fitted cut; the Frankie Shop Jade Wool Double-Breasted Blazer in Brown Glen Plaid and the Maison Margiela Bianchetto Double-Breasted Wool Blazer take the style in a looser direction.

How a double-breasted blazer should fit

The shoulder seam ends at your shoulder. On a regular cut it sits right at the edge of the shoulder bone; on an oversized cut it can drop a little beyond it, by design.

It closes flat. Buttoned, the overlap should lie smooth across the chest. Pulling into an X shape around the buttons means it is too small, and since the front of a double-breasted jacket cannot be let out much, size up.

The sleeve shows a little cuff. With arms relaxed, the sleeve should end around the wrist bone, so a sliver of shirt cuff shows if you wear one.

The length covers the hip bone. Most classic double-breasted blazers finish at the hip; cropped versions end at the waist and oversized ones lower.

Brand sizing matters here. Blazé Milano sizes 00, 0, I, II, III and IV convert to UK 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. The brand advises your usual size in the Everyday and Charmer, and one size smaller in the oversized Everynight and Nightbreak. Our guide to how a blazer should fit goes into more detail.

Buttoned, open, half done: when to fasten it

A double-breasted jacket was designed to be worn closed, and it looks most deliberate that way: the overlap creates a clean diagonal line from shoulder to hip. Fasten the working buttons and the internal anchor, never just the top pair, because the underlap will hang loose. Worn open, the same jacket becomes softer and more casual, and the extra fabric falls into two panels that frame what is underneath. Regular and hourglass cuts suit both; oversized cuts are usually cut to be worn open.

What to wear under a double-breasted blazer

The jacket has plenty of fabric of its own, so keep the layer underneath slim.

A fine knit. A polo collar, a crew neck, a roll neck. The Blazé Milano Highland Polo in Highland Camel, in wool and cashmere, sits neatly under a buttoned jacket.

A crisp shirt. A white poplin shirt with the collar outside the lapels is the classic office look; the Blazé Milano Onagori Shirt is cut for exactly that.

A plain T-shirt. The quickest way to make tailoring feel weekend.

A slip dress. An open double-breasted jacket over silk is one of the best evening looks there is.

What to wear on the bottom

Balance is the rule. Because a double-breasted jacket adds width on top, it looks best with a lean line below: straight trousers, slim jeans, a slim skirt. The matching trouser is the easiest answer. Blazé Milano cuts its blazers and trousers from the same cloths, so a jacket and the high-rise, straight-leg Fox Pants make a suit; our guide to Blazé Milano suits lists every matching set. For a casual look, a straight jean works with any cut; see how to wear a blazer with jeans.

Double-breasted styling by occasion

For an evening jacket, the Blazé Milano Nightbreak Blazer in Mystere Night Blue is oversized and double-breasted in wool and cashmere, with black velvet details.

Is a double-breasted blazer flattering?

On almost everyone, when the cut is right. Petite women look best in a regular cut, and in an hourglass cut, that finishes at the hip, worn buttoned so the diagonal line lengthens the torso. Full-busted women should choose a cut with a little room in the chest and wear it open, so the overlap does not add bulk. Tall, narrow frames carry the oversized versions best. If in doubt, start with the regular cut.

Frequently asked questions

Should a double-breasted blazer be buttoned?

It is designed to be worn buttoned, which gives the sharpest line, and you should fasten the working buttons and any internal anchor button. Regular and hourglass cuts also look good open. Oversized cuts are usually meant to be worn open.

What do you wear under a double-breasted blazer?

Something slim: a fine knit, a crisp shirt, a fitted T-shirt, a silk camisole. The jacket already has a lot of fabric at the front.

Are double-breasted blazers in style?

Yes. The double-breasted blazer is a permanent fixture of women’s tailoring, and labels such as Blazé Milano, which built its name on the style, release it in new cloths every season.

How should a double-breasted blazer fit?

The shoulder seam should end at your shoulder, the front should lie flat when buttoned without pulling, the sleeve should end at the wrist bone and the hem should cover the hip.

Is a double-breasted blazer good for petite women?

Yes. Choose a regular cut, and an hourglass cut works just as well, as long as it finishes at the hip and you wear it buttoned. Very long oversized versions can overwhelm a petite frame.

What is the best double-breasted blazer for women?

For one jacket that does everything, a regular-cut double-breasted blazer in wool, such as the Blazé Milano Everyday Blazer, which fits true to size. For a defined waist, the hourglass Blazé Milano Charmer Blazer.

Keep reading

What is an hourglass blazer? How to wear an oversized blazer. Every Blazé Milano blazer compared. Browse all designer blazers and the Blazé Milano edit.