Black Friday is rapidly approaching and every sane person with half a brain-cell knows to stay the hell away from the mall. At least the wimpy ones. But nay, we are the brave, the bold, the shopping! This Black Friday I suggest we all gallantly go out amongst the sobbing mothers and vomiting children and seek our dirt-cheap-deal fortune. This Black Friday, we should all buy ourselves blazers.
Yes, go buy something for yourself. Conventional wisdom says that Black Friday is for getting a jump on gifts, but seriously, November 25th is so early that by the time Chanukah rolls around, your girlfriend will have just gone ahead and bought the damn iPhone 4S herself. Why not use the cheapest shopping day of the year to buy yourself something timeless and awesome. Thus I give you: the top three reasons you should buy yourself a blazer on Black Friday.
1. Blazers are Wicked Expensive
A good wool blazer can and should cost over $100 dollars full price retail. A well made blazer takes a lot of time, effort and craftsmanship to put together and the price reflects that. Unfortunately, this puts blazers solidly in the “things I can never afford” catagory. Additionally, because they’re so versatile, blazers rarely go on sale before it’s way too hot to wear them. With that in mind, a blazer is a great Black Friday purchase because getting 30-50% off can turn in to saving $30-100 dollars (which is a lot better than saving $7.50 on an iHome).
2. You Have to Try on Blazers in Person
Lots of people have started shying away from Black Friday because they figure they can just buy anything they want on sale at anytime online (or on Cyber Monday because I guess that is a thing).
JENNA LYONS DESIGNED THIS JUST FOR YOU
This doesn’t work out so well with blazers (especially in a no-returns situation). Unless you know your size and a specific brand really well, you should absolutely try on a blazer before you buy it. If you tend to dress more feminine or androgynous (or you are very busty), I suggest going for a “boyfriend” or “school boy” cut blazer. These blazers are cut more similar to a men’s blazer, while being proportioned for women. Schoolboy blazers look better with jeans, leggings or a dress as opposed to traditional blazers designed to be paired with dress pants. Also they’re more comfortable. If you tend to dress more masculine, then you’ll probably want the full boxiness of a traditional men’s blazer or (if you’re teeny tiny) a boy’s blazer. I think a blazer looks best when it’s the smallest size in which you can comfortably bear hug yourself and raise your arms in the air. Some people will tell you that you should also be able to button the blazer up, but those people are wrong. For a casual blazer don’t worry about buttoning it, you probably never will when you wear it. Plus, if you wear over a 34D you’re never going to find one that buttons up anyways. (Check out my Fall Fashion Guide for more blazer fit and style tips.)
3. You’re About to Enter the No Buy Zone
I swear this is the most valid reason to go buy yourself something on Black Friday. The No Buy Zone is the time period between December 1st and March 15th where no matter how badly you need something, you just can’t purchase anything new for yourself without overwhelming guilt. Obviously between December 1st and the solstice you know you’re supposed to be buying gifts for other people. From the holidays until the end of January I’ve got that but-I-just-got-all-those-gifts sense that I don’t really need anything new. I mean, what does it matter if my jeans have holes in the crotch, I just got a new iPhone case. This, of course, is compounded by the fact that I’m out of money. Then, I spend the first half of February worrying that I should be saving up for either a Valentines Day gift for my significant other or (in lieu of a significant other) all the accoutrement I might need to actually buy that cat I’ve been wanting. 
I absolutely refuse to leave the apartment in late February except for skiing (because I live in New England) and, by the time I venture out around the 1st of March, stores are showing stuff for spring which I refuse to buy until the day above 40 degrees. Phew, how did we get all the way to spring? Well, like I said, Black Friday is the last pit-stop before the No Buy Zone. A blazer makes a great choice as your last purchase since it can easily spruce up any old tired look when you’re ready to burn all your other clothes. Believe me, you’ll thank me when you do get that last minute Valentine’s date.
I normally absolutely refuse to go shopping on Black Friday, but I think this year might be the exception. I’ll still try and avoid it, but I’m going to be wandering around a city this year, so I think it’s inevitable to a certain extent that I’ll end up seeing something really great on sale.
This makes me feel better about spending £65 I don’t really have on a Topshop blazer. Also, I’d never heard of Black Friday. But if this trend exists in the UK, I will definitely avoid the city centre on Friday!
Boxing Day is equivalent to Black Friday.
In which case, bring it on.
I have so many blazers I could single-handedly open up a shop for small dandies. I had to build an additional closet to accommodate my love of wearing spiffy jackets.
I’d say 95% of them were used when they were purchased or swapped. All but a few are in mint condition and none of them cost me more than $50, though most were in the $10-20 range. I can’t imagine what it would have cost to buy all of them the first time ’round.
The good quality stuff often comes in classic cuts and lasts a hell of a lot longer than most things made for sales. Just saying – you don’t have to wait for sales to buy good quality items at low prices – look for ’em used! And you certainly don’t have to buy anything on Friday – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
Also: outlet stores.
please oh please gimme advice on where you find your blazers. i’m 21 and own none. i don’t dress femininely, but i don’t like to have the boxy man jackets either. do you sell on ebay perhaps *WINK WINK
I thrift all of my blazers precisely because they’re so expensive, and tailoring costs are so high. (I have tiny t-rex arms, and altering sleeves with functioning buttons requires taking them up at the shoulder – essentially redoing the whole jacket. A lot of work for the tailor, so it’s very pricy!) I got a nice 100% wool J. Crew blazer at Goodwill for $10 awhile back. It’s simultaneously my nicest and cheapest blazer, and I had enough left over for tailoring costs.
Black Friday sort of terrifies me, so I’m sticking to my thrift stores thank you very much. But I will say, for my fellow tiny people, that Zara sells some nice boy blazers. I snagged a tweedy little thing that I’m happy with.
I have tiny little arms too! Also I’m working from 1:30am-10am on Black Friday and I’m terrified. This one customer yesterday said “You be careful. I’ll be thinking about you on Friday” and that just terrified me even more. D:
Only concrete thought in my head about this is “OKAY PORTIA WHATEVER YOU SAY”
Hahahahaha first day above 40 degrees? We don’t have any days below 40 degrees. Texas winters, y’all.
^^ Yes, Texas winters. One of the reasons I moved to Austin from Maine a couple years ago.
It’s 72 degrees here today.
I think I’d rather have Maine! I would take a really cold winter over a 110 degree summer any day of the week. How are you liking Austin?
Mmmm blazers.
Really want/need a blazer for some parties this weekend… no time to shop or thrift though.
too bad I have to actually work on Black Friday :(
there’s always Goodwill! Got a really nice leather duster there
I have to too. *cries*
Of course the blazer I’ve been dreaming about forever, black… Theory…gorgeous, is ALWAYS at least $400 and NEVER on sale, so I’ll just have to wait until hell freezes over or the Democrats and Republicans come up with a budget compromise or they stop making Real L word seasons…i.e. NEVER. le sigh!
Oh god. Oh god. Theory makes the best suits.
I might just go for this idea, considering I once spent an entire winter sulking about the DKNY peacoat I didn’t buy for myself at the 50% off price of $130. Live and learn ;)
If you are relatively small and flat-chested and not into any girly details, you can get a pretty nice blazer from the boys’ section of most any department store for kid-prices any time of the year. I picked up a nice, simple black Nautica one at Filene’s with some sort of . . . nautical touches for about $40. Agree about the fit notes, Lizz — I *can* button mine if I want to but it’s completely unnecessary unless I’m chilly all of a sudden. Also the sleeves just barely skim my wrists, but that’s how I like it.
I READ THIS ARTICLE IN THE MORNING AND THEN I WORE MY ONE AND ONLY BLAZER TODAY ALL DAY IN SOLIDARITY BLAZERS FOREVER I LOVE YOU LIZZ KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK
Awesome! I love the blazer solidarity!
H&M opens at 5 am (at least in NYC)
H&M has amazing blazers! Bought one last weekend for like 45 $!
You make a compelling case, Lizz.
I fucking love blazers. They give a, “Don’t mess with me” vibe. Ihavesixorsevenoreight.
“Then, I spend the first half of February worrying that I should be saving up for either a Valentines Day gift for my significant other or (in lieu of a significant other) all the accoutrement I might need to actually buy that cat I’ve been wanting.”
when single on v-day it’s time to buy some drugs and a heart-shaped pizza
I BOUGHT ONE LIZZ
Of course the blazer I’ve been dreaming about forever, black… Theory…gorgeous
I might need to actually buy that cat