Q&A: How to Wear a Short Sleeved Blazer
February 14th, 2008
Q: I bought a short sleeved blazer. I figured I could wear it with a camisole and jeans or grey slacks in warm weather. But I swear I just saw someone on TV wearing one with a long sleeved turtleneck. Is this a good way to wear the jacket year-round, or am I trying to hard? 
by Colleen Geary, fashion stylist and image consultant
A: A long sleeved turtleneck paired with a short sleeved blazer? I don’t think you would look like you are trying too hard.
A short sleeved blazer is, by nature, fun and flirty. It’s the cheery counterpart to the standard down-to-your-wrists blazer that gets most of the attention. Because the short sleeved blazer is about fun, play with it and experiment. Now’s a great time to play with this piece–the short sleeved blazer is on trend for Spring.
But you don’t have to wait until Spring to bust out your blazer. Wear it with a long sleeved turtleneck (perhaps with pencil stripes), dark jeans, and simple earrings. And when it warms up in the Spring, pair it with cute t-shirts or silky, blousy tops.
If you’re afraid of making mistakes, remember the wise words of Chanel- "There are no unattractive women, only lazy women." In other words, only through experimentation will you develop a strong sense of style.
Have a great tip about how to wear a short sleeved blazer?
Share it with us in the comments!
Pictured: Leila Plaid Short Sleeved Blazer | $27.80 at Forever 21.
Style question? We’ve got answers. E-mail us at questions at omiru dot com.
11 Comments
1. Jessica | February 15th, 2008 at 1:33 am
I always think that pairing a fitted blazer, especially a short sleeved one, with a fluid jersey skirt is a very nice look.
2. Angel | February 15th, 2008 at 3:50 am
Nice short sleeved blazer and as for me, I adore wearing such blazers with long sleeved turtlenecks. Looks so stylish, simple and great!
3. Styler Finder | February 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I think short sleeve jackets are so cute especially for spring time. I like putting really simple tanks underneith them, or a solid long sleeve shirt and play everything up with accessories- i found some really cute ones at artfulwears.com you should check them out!
4. Stephanie | February 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I love the Chanel quote. I truly enjoy experimenting in stores and trying on lots of different combinations to see what works, but I’m a little hesitant to. I always wonder if it’s a faux pas to take a ton of clothes into a dressing room to try on just for the sake of experimenting, without intention to buy. When I do this, is the salesperson secretly cursing me for creating a bunch of extra work for her? Or should I do it without feeling guilty?
5. RobynT | February 16th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I sometimes try to help out the clerks by putting back the clothes I try on–as long as I know exactly where they go and it is not difficult to fold them back properly or put them back on the hanger properly.
6. Trisha | February 16th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Don’t hesitate to try things on–that’s the only way you’ll find out what works best for you. And as a former sales associate, I wholeheartedly agree with RobynT–it doesn’t hurt to help the salespeople by putting things back.
7. Martina | February 17th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Hi Omiru, I love your blog. My 2 cents, please post more pictures, pictures speak thousands words. It’s a bit challenging for me to imagine your ideas without the pics. thanks
8. Trisha | February 18th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Thanks for the suggestion, Martina. We’re throwing ideas around for a redesign of the site, and more pictures are coming. If you have any other suggestions for Omiru, please let us know!
9. FashionGirl | February 18th, 2008 at 6:23 am
thanks for the tips!
10. Jane | July 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am
In response to stephanie, it really is fine to take as many clothes as your allowed into the changing room guilt free, i’ve worked in retail on and off for years and when working at the changing room you really don’t notice how many clothes customers take in, plus it gives you something to do! You should look into shopping on line too, try shopgoldyn.com, its a really cool website with a tun of different designers and amazing clothes, that are hard to find on the high street.
11. Jen | April 1st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I love a short sleeved blazer (such as the nice belted one in the picture) with a simple pair of skinnies and a patterned cami or blouse.