How to Commission a Custom Blazer in Bangalore: Cloth, Cut & Cost

Why Commission a Blazer

A blazer is the most worn jacket in most wardrobes, which makes it the best candidate for tailoring. Off-the-rack blazers are cut for average shoulders and arms, and the cloth is chosen for mass appeal rather than your climate. Commissioning one lets you decide every element that matters: cloth that breathes in Bangalore, a shoulder that suits your frame, and details that make it clearly a blazer rather than a stray suit jacket. If you are unsure how the two differ, start with our guide to blazers vs suit jackets.

A Short History of the Blazer

The term blazer originally referred to the bright red boating jackets worn by members of the Lady Margaret Boat Club, the rowing club of St John’s College, Cambridge, founded in 1825. According to the history of the blazer, the popular story linking the name to HMS Blazer is not borne out by contemporary sources. Over time the blazer became a club and school jacket, and then the solid, often navy, odd jacket we know today, sitting between a sports jacket and a suit jacket in formality.

Step 1: Decide What It Is For

• Office: a navy or grey blazer in a smooth or lightly textured cloth, with a cleaner shoulder.
• Social and weekend: softer construction, patch pockets, more texture.
• Events and parties: velvet, jacquard or a bolder colour.

Knowing the purpose narrows every later choice.

Step 2: Choose Cloth for the Climate

Step 3: Pick the Colour

Navy is the most useful first blazer: it pairs with grey, khaki, white and denim and moves from office to dinner. Mid-grey is a strong second. Olive, tan and brown are excellent third choices for smart-casual wear, and a velvet jacket in black, wine or bottle green covers evening events.

Patterns and Textures Beyond Plain

• Herringbone: a broken zigzag weave with subtle texture, excellent for a first patterned blazer.
• Houndstooth: a small, jagged check with a classic, slightly country feel.
• Windowpane: thin lines forming large squares, confident and modern.
• Glen check: a detailed woven check that reads as grey from a distance.
• Basketweave and hopsack: open textures that breathe in warm weather.

Step 4: Decide the Construction

• Unstructured: little or no padding or canvas; soft, light and casual. Ideal for heat.
• Half-canvas: horsehair canvas through the chest and lapels for shape and a natural lapel roll. The best all-round choice.
• Full-canvas: canvas through the entire front; the most shaped and long-lasting.

Step 5: Choose the Details

• Shoulder: natural and soft for casual blazers; lightly padded for a cleaner office look.
• Lapels: a notch lapel is the versatile default; a peak lapel is more formal. Choose a width proportionate to your chest.
• Pockets: patch pockets read as relaxed; flap pockets as smarter. A ticket pocket adds a traditional touch.
• Buttons: horn for understated, metal for a classic navy blazer, mother-of-pearl for a summer jacket.
• Vents: side vents for movement and a tidy back when you sit.
• Lining: half-lined for warm weather; fully lined for flannel and velvet.

Single- or Double-Breasted

A single-breasted blazer with two buttons is the most versatile, suiting the office, dinners and weekends. A double-breasted blazer, traditionally navy with brass buttons, has a naval heritage and more presence; it should be worn buttoned and suits taller or slimmer builds particularly well. Our guide to two-piece, three-piece and double-breasted suits explains the buttoning conventions.

Blazers With Indian Details

A blazer can borrow from Indian tailoring too. A mandarin or bandhgala collar gives a clean, formal neckline that works without a tie; jacquard or brocade cloth makes a festive blazer for Diwali or a sangeet; and a blazer worn over a kurta with slim trousers bridges the two traditions at pre-wedding functions and dinners.

Step 6: Measurements and Fittings

A bespoke blazer starts from a pattern drafted from your own measurements, roughly 20 to 25 points at Chirag Parmar Signatures including posture. Bring the shirt or knitwear you plan to wear under it. At the fitting, check the collar sits against your shirt collar, the shoulders end at your shoulder bone, the button closes without pulling, and about a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff shows.

Blazer Mistakes to Avoid

• Sleeves too long: a blazer should show a little shirt cuff; sleeves covering the cuff make the jacket look borrowed.
• A jacket cut too short: very short blazers date quickly and look unbalanced with trousers worn at a normal rise.
• Suit-like cloth: a smooth, shiny worsted makes a blazer look like an orphaned suit jacket.
• Fastening the bottom button: on a single-breasted blazer, the bottom button is left undone.
• Heavy padding in a warm city: strong shoulders add heat and stiffness; keep them light unless the look demands it.
• Forgetting what goes underneath: if you will wear knitwear, the blazer needs room for it.

What Drives the Cost

A custom blazer is quoted at the consultation once the cloth, construction and details are chosen. The cloth usually moves the figure most, followed by construction, with a full-canvas jacket taking more skilled hours than an unstructured one, and then details such as horn or metal buttons, working cuffs and lining. For context, bespoke suits at Chirag Parmar Signatures range from ₹15,000 to ₹3,00,000+, and a blazer involves the same pattern-making and fitting work as a suit jacket.

Step 7: Look After It

Brush the blazer after wearing, hang it on a shaped hanger, rest it a day between wears, and steam rather than press. A well-made blazer, cared for, lasts for years.

A Decision Checklist

1. Purpose: office, social or events
2. Cloth and weight for the season
3. Colour
4. Construction: unstructured, half-canvas or full-canvas
5. Shoulder, lapel, pockets, buttons, vents, lining
6. What you will wear it with

Outfits Around a Custom Blazer

Fit Checks at the Trial Fitting

1. Collar: resting against the shirt collar all round, with no gap at the back of the neck.
2. Shoulders: ending at your shoulder bone, with no dent below the seam and no pulling across the upper arm.
3. Button: closing cleanly at the waist without X-shaped creases.
4. Back: smooth from collar to hem, with vents that hang closed when standing.
5. Sleeves: showing a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff, and falling without twisting.
6. Length: covering most of the seat for a classic blazer.

Lining Choices

A blazer’s lining affects comfort as much as its cloth. A fully lined jacket slides on and off easily and hangs cleanly, but it is warmer, which suits flannel and velvet. A half-lined jacket leaves much of the back open, letting heat escape, and suits most of the year in Indian cities. An unlined jacket is the lightest of all, but its internal seams must be neatly finished because they are visible. Breathable linings such as cupro feel cooler than polyester.

A Blazer Built for Indian Weather

For a blazer you will wear most of the year in Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad, combine an open cloth such as hopsack or tropical wool, a half lining, soft or lightly padded shoulders and patch pockets. That combination keeps the jacket light and breathable while still looking sharp over a shirt, and it travels well.

A First-Blazer Plan

If you are commissioning your first blazer, keep it simple: navy hopsack, two buttons, notch lapels, patch or flap pockets, side vents and a half lining, with horn or discreet metal buttons. It will work with grey trousers for meetings, chinos at weekends and cream trousers at warm-weather events. Once you know how it fits and wears, a second blazer in grey, olive or a textured pattern can take the wardrobe in a new direction.

How Long a Blazer Lasts

A well-made blazer in a sturdy cloth, worn in rotation and cared for, can last for many years. Canvassed construction helps, because the chest keeps its shape instead of breaking down, and cloths such as hopsack and twill wear better than very fine, smooth wools. The parts that show age first are usually the cuffs, the edges of pockets and the lining, all of which a good tailor can repair, so a blazer worth commissioning is also a blazer worth maintaining.

Commission Yours

For business tailoring beyond the blazer, read our business suit guide. See custom blazers in Bangalore or book a consultation.

Sources

• Blazer, Wikipedia

Explore our Designer Suits collection, or book a consultation to start yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

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