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The 10 Best Summer Blazers for Men in 2023, Tested by Style Editors
For work, weddings, and everywhere in between.
IF YOU only own one blazer, it should be wool. For your second staple blazer, we highly recommend going with a lightweight fabric. For at least half of the year, depending on where you live, wool is unforgiving in the heat. Summer blazers, like summer suits, generally provide a more casual look that is better suited for laid back parties, vacations, and socializing outdoors. Lightweight and unstructured jackets play well with all your hot weather favorites—like linen pants, shorts, polos, and Hawiian shirts. To get you ready for summer, Men's Health's style editors tried and tested over 50 hot wear jackets to make a tight list of the absolute best summer blazers to shop online.
Fabrics to Look For:
- Linen
- Cotton
- Silk
- Rayon/Viscose/Tencel, plant based, silk-like fabrics
- Hemp
- Wool—No more than 50%, used to add structure to light fabrics
Terms to Know
Unstructured/unconstructed: This one refers to the layer of canvas sewn into the body and padding in the shoulders. Suit jackets are either full canvas—which means it covers the entire body, or half canvas—which means it runs from the shoulder to the mid torso. Summer weight designs remove the canvas and often the shoulder pads to make the jacket lighter and more breathable.
Lining: Blazers usually feature a lining of soft, thin fabric to make the more comfortable. A traditional suit jacket is fully lined, but summer blazers go with half or no lining for breathability.
Drape: Simply put, this is how fabric lays over your body. A traditional suit jacket has a lining, shoulder padding, and usually made from heavier fabrics so it holds its shape, for a more formal look. Summer weight blazers are made from lighter fabrics and cut out most, or all of that inner support. This helps your body breathe better, provides a more relaxed look.
Traveler: A relatively new category of suiting, indicating that a piece of formal wear like a jacket or a pair of pants has been designed to be worn comfortably for long periods of time (see: our favorite travel pants). This is usually made possible with tech fabrics like polyester and elastane, and it usually indicates that a jacket is unstructured or close to.
How to Wear Summer Blazers
While blazers should always be fun, summer weight alternatives are a blast. You may be required to wear them for formal occasions, but you should remove all formality from your thought process when styling them. Put together your outfit as if you aren’t going to wear a jacket at all, then throw it on top. Just make sure the color matches and any textures don’t clash.
T-shirts, polos, and short sleeve summer shirts are always a good choice as long as a tie or tuxedo shoes are not required. If it is, then go with a linen or 100% cotton collared shirt. Below the waist, you’re free to go wild with bold patterned shorts or breezy seersucker pants. However, it doesn’t hurt to keep things simple with chinos or jeans and let the blazer do the talking. Summer blazers should be your go-to for any outdoors occasion, especially for summer wedding attire.
How We Tested
Every blazer on this list had to meet the core requirements of being comfortable, easy to style, good enough to pass for formal occasions, and are extra breathable. We started with the obvious factors like core colors, versatile patterns—if any, and light weight fabric. Then we whittled it down with some good old fashioned field testing. Our style editors tested these summer blazers everywhere from office meetings to wedding dance floors. Each and every one passed with flying colors. Rest assured that every option on this list will meet your summer blazer needs, but just to make your job even easier, we broke each one down into specific categories in which they shined the most.
J.Crew Kenmare Jacket in Basketweave Italian Cotton
J.Crew Kenmare Jacket in Basketweave Italian Cotton
This is your all purpose, no brainer summer weight jacket. J.Crew introduced the Kenmare design with a wider lapel, three buttons, and all patch pockets last year as a more relaxed alternative to the legendary Ludlow. After testing it a casual wedding. we found that the English Khaki color goes perfectly with jeans or navy chinos, but can also class up some floral shorts.
| Fabric | 100% Cotton |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unconstructed, partial lining in the front panels |
Percival Linen Tailored Blazer
Percival Linen Tailored Blazer
Linen is king of the summer weight fabrics. Sure, it can get rumpled and wrinkled but that just adds character like a cool scar. Percival offers a linen blazer that just begs you to pack a suitcase and board the next flight to anywhere with a beach. Five colors are available, as are matching trousers if you want to make a suit out of it.
| Fabric | 100% Linen |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured, 1/4 lined. |
Buck Mason Carry-On Jacket
Buck Mason Carry-On Jacket
Traveler jackets are designed to be worn on the move but it turns out that they're also great for staying in one place for long periods of time—like an office. Buck Mason might have accidentally designed the ideal work-from-work blazer. Of course, it travels like a champ as well. We've tested this on cross-country flights, and the Carry-On Jacket still looked great after a five hour journey. With four colors to choose from, you may want to stock up to make it through the summer.
| Fabric | 97% cotton, 3% Spandex |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured and Unlined |
Todd Snyder Italian Linen Madison Suit Jacket in Naval Blue Pinstripe
Todd Snyder Italian Linen Madison Suit Jacket in Naval Blue Pinstripe
Navy blue with a thin white pinstripe is a sharp, elegant look. Summer blazers may be generally less formal than colder seasons, but this particular one from Todd Snyder, one of our favorite menswear brands, certainly is not. Be it date night or a ritzy wedding, this is the perfect stand in for a proper suit.
| Fabric | 100% Linen |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured, 1/2 lined |
Billy Reid Archie Jacket
Billy Reid Archie Jacket
If you are going to get a summer jacket with a texture, keep it simple. Something like the two-tone plaid of the Archie Jacket from Billy Reid will match just about anything in your summer arsenal (trust us, we've tried). Sure, there are more fun textures out there, but you want to lock down the basics first. This jacket does everything a solid khaki jacket can do, but with a little extra flavor.
| Fabric | 51% Cotton, 49% Linen |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured, 1/2 Lined |
Relwen Flyweight Flex Blazer
Relwen Flyweight Flex Blazer
Relwen designed a blazer with all the functionality of a field jacket. Light, flexible, mildly weather resistant, this is can function as an every day warm weather coat. The four button closure with a throat latch means you can close it all the way up, yet you still have the smooth look of a blazer.
| Fabric | 97% Cotton, 3% Spandex |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured, 1/2 Lined |
Ralph Lauren Polo Stretch Chino Suit Jacket
Ralph Lauren Polo Stretch Chino Suit Jacket
Cotton chino has always been made a great summer weight blazer fabric, but can be hard to move in. Thankfully, stretch cotton has solved that problem. Ralph Lauren makes a great chino suit jacket that stands alone as blazer for all your formal summertime needs. Full range of motion included.
| Fabric | 97% Cotton, 3% Elastane |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unstructured, 1/4 Lined |
Vineyard Vines Seersucker Blazer
There is something about a seersucker blazer that sets the mood for a party. Maybe because the fabric is so lightweight and flexible that you might as well be wearing pajamas. Or perhaps it's seersucker's rich history of maritime leisure. Either way, Vineyard Vines makes your new favorite summer party blazer.
| Fabric | 98% Cotton, 2% Elastane |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unconstructed, Unlined |
Faherty Inlet Knit Blazer
Faherty Inlet Knit Blazer
How do you take the lightweight feel and casual vibe of summer blazers to the extreme? Use a knit fabric. Faherty knowns a thing or two about comfort, and they built a blazer that wears and feels like a cozy cardigan. You can comfortably wear it lounging around the house, grabbing dinner and drinks with some friends, or even wear it to the office.
| Fabric | 91% Organic Cotton, 9% Recycled Polyester |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unconstructed, Unlined |
De Petrillo Linen Suit Blazer
De Petrillo Linen Suit Blazer
Like the Statue of David, this linen blazer is a master work of Italian artistry. From the wingspan of the lapels to the perfect tone of the horn buttons, every detail is considered. If you can afford craftsmanship like De Petrillo, it is well worth the investment. This jacket will have you looking effortlessly stylish every single summer.
| Fabric | 100% Linen |
|---|---|
| Interior | Unconstructed, 1/2 Lined |
Why Trust Us?
A product review story that doesn’t actually test anything hands-on or in person isn’t worth your precious time. Thankfully, we at Men’s Health don’t produce any of that nonsense. For each product, we always test them in person or use them ourselves first before considering whether to include them. Therefore, rest assured that our product recommendations derive from first-hand experience.
More importantly, at Men’s Health, we have a whole fashion closet dedicated to calling in, trying out, and selecting the best as well as newest products in menswear. We put them on stylish, fit guys to hear what their opinions are and see how the items look on them before making our final decision. And as style editors, we constantly go into the fashion closet to feel a product’s fabric or materials—even put it on ourselves for a spin—to test it.
Lastly, you can trust our opinions on product recommendations, styling tips, or trends. Not only do we have Fashion Director Ted Stafford and Deputy Editor, Commerce Christian Gollyan who actually know the difference between undershirts and T-shirts or that polyester isn't actually breathable, but we also have a panel of style experts—including stylists, fashion influencers, designers and decision-makers at top brands or retailers—that we regularly seek shopping guides from. Therefore, our product recommendations and buying tips are all driven by professional, expert opinions.
Brad is a contributing style commerce editor. After a decade working for menswear brands including J.Crew and Ralph Lauren, Brad switched from selling fashion to writing about it. His words have appeared in Huckberry, Heddels, and The Manual.
As Men's Health's Deputy Editor, Commerce, Christian Gollayan oversees all shopping content on menshealth.com. He relocated back to New York by way of Portland, where he was the Associate Managing Editor at TheManual.com. Christian's work has also been featured in InStyle, Food & Wine, the New York Post, and Tatler Asia.
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