Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

The Suggestion: INC’s Deep Blue Cord Blazer

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INC International Concepts Slim Fit Cord Blazer – $69.99 ($99.50)

The pictures of this blazer on Macys.com don’t do it any justice.  But it’s not like these cell phone pics seen here are going to make Annie Leibovitz jealous.  (C’mon now, this site makes heavy usage of MS paint.  You think we’ve got a professional photog budget?)

It comes in grey and black, but the deep blue version is what you’ll want to consider first.  It’s rich, has a little bit of a shine to it, but being that it’s noticeably corduroy you won’t suffer from any “velvet jacket dude” stereotyping.

The cut off the rack is superb.  Could be brought in a little at the waist if you’re slim leaning skinny.  A medium fit my build almost perfectly and the length isn’t cut too short.  Sure it gets a little wonky when an arm gets raised up to take a picture, but the shoulders are fine for a jacket that could dip to around $50 at some point.

Now $70, could get cheaper...

Be warned.  There are patch pockets on this blazer.  Even the chest pocket is of the patch variety, but that’s no knock against it.  Sleeve buttons are non functioning like most INC jackets.  Center vent in the rear.

It’s not the quietest thing in the world, but this is the kind of jacket you wear to a holiday party where friends will be dressed up but still in jeans.  This is the kind of jacket you wear out for beers with some pals, only to have the cute bartender tell you out of nowhere: “I really like your blazer.”  This is the kind of jacket you don’t spend much money on but really like to wear.  A lot.

Comments

  2. That blazer looks awfully nice. And the price is quite fair. Kudos to Macy’s for making well fitting, affordable and stylish garments like this one. This jacket might be added to my wardrobe very soon.

    And Joe – the last paragraph is so well put.

  4. They are just tags that come on INC jackets. Easily removable and don’t leave any marks.

  5. Agreed. I have a black cord blazer that I wear a ton and get compliments almost every time. Most worn blazer in my wardrobe.

  6. Might have to pull the trigger on this one. I’ve had great luck with the INC ultra light blazers.

  7. I’ve been eyeing up the black denim-weight blazer in store, can’t seem to find it online. Ultra-slim, fits me like a glove, just looking for a coupon to make the $79 price a little more palatable (since the last INC blazer I got cost me $22, I’m very averse to paying full retail for INC, lol..).

  8. Talk about timing. I am going in to Macy’s later today to pick up this exact blazer but still haven’t made up my mind on what shade to get. I did like the grey a lot the last time I was in there but we’ll see.

  9. I’ve seen folks wearing suits/blazers who apparently thought the right-sleeve tags were not meant to be removed. I wanted to facepalm even more than I do when I see folks with vents still sewn together (which seems to happen more often with women than with men, presumably because they are less familiar with suit protocol than we are).

  10. I’m suffering from an embarrassment of riches when it comes to blazers/sport coats at the moment (thanks largely to this site). Let’s see… I’ve got wool tweed, unlined cotton, linen, corduroy, moleskin, classic navy w/ brass buttons at the moment. Do I want to start doubling up on corduroy? Choices, choices…. perhaps I’ll wait for this jacket to drop below $50. You can never have too many semi-casual jackets.

  11. I really like the blazers Macy’s carries.  Unfortunately, what doesn’t work is the size.  Alfani in particular does not run a true small size.  I am a size 29 waist, size 34 chest.  Extra small, anyone?

    Still, nice looking blazer.  If it fit well, I’d buy it on sale.

  12. I wish Mossimo (Target) would start applying some of their great fits to blazers. They finally got polos and casual tees fitting perfect, and their off-the-rack oxfords are pretty solid as well – start carrying some nice cheap blazers!

    I say this because they just introduced an XS size in their shirts, after previously only going to S. Many, many department stores even lack size S, let alone XS.

  13. FWIW, I saw (but didn’t try on) a cotton twill blazer at my Target the other day. It looked like it was more fitted than their standard suit jackets.

  14. Ryan,

    I couldn’t agree with you more.  Mossimo is a go-to for casual shirts and polos.  Their sweaters tend to fit well, also.  I haven’t checked out their oxfords – I’ll have to look into it.

    The problem with being a thinner dude in this age of the husky (read: heavy) man is that 80% of clothing stores will not carry clothing that fits well.  I tried on some 14.5 size Van Heusen slim fit dress shirts the other day, and the sleeves came to my fingertips.  I’m 5’11”.  How long of arms do they expect guys to have?

    Can anyone recommend other places that run true to size small or XS sizes?

  15. Hey Joe, my sleeve length is about 33.5.  Do you feel like this one is JUST long enough for you at 32.5 or could I get away with it?  My other measurements are pretty much spot on to you .

  17. Aaron, 
    Depending on where you live, you can always try H&M or Zara, I’m sure I’ve seen some 34s there.  And actually, I was at United Colors of Benetton yesterday and they had some XS/34 sized things (but there are a very limited number of those stores around).  Also, try the teen/young men/boys sections of stores (J Crew, etc), things are less expensive and may fit you if you’re not too tall.

  19. I swung by Macy’s today and tried the blazer on. The fit was spot on, but the cord material felt a little cheap and cardboardy (not a big surprise in this price range). I might get it yet, but I’ll definitely wait for a price drop.

  20. I myself didn’t think it was cardboardy.  Stiffer than the completely unstructured J. Crew that’s around $100?  Sure.  I was impressed with the material for this price.

  21. Well, it was FAR from terrible. Just not quite awesome enough for me to instantaneously throw my debit card at the sales staff. And maybe my expectations are too high, since I’m wearing the J.Crew Factory cord blazer that I got for around the same price (with a 30% a month or so ago), which wears like a broken-in sweatshirt. The INC wears a little more like denim. If that makes any sense.

  22. Yes.  It’s more structured than a blazer that wears like a sweatshirt.  Which is one of the reasons why it’s more dressed up.

  23. Hauled it in today with the 20% in-store for $55 (actually tagged as $69.50, I was sure it was $79.50 last week..), along with a black American Rag corded blazer for $44.

    Two sweet blazers for under $100? Hells yeah! 🙂

  24. I tried it on today, and thought it was quite nice. Although, I wasn’t a big fan of the patch pockets.

    Unfortunately, the sleeves on the large were to short.

  25. Not gonna lie, I was at Macy’s today, and definitely not the blazer for me. The corduroy seemed like a cheap material, and I was much happier with the Tommy Hillfiger dark blue blazer I got for 55 plus tax. It was on sale in the Suit section for 69.99, plus the 20% with the wow pass….can’t beat it for a jacket that has a 350.00 price tag. They had a light blue one too, but it was a bit too Summertime for Fall. A bunch of Izod jackets too, and Tasso for 39.99, but hard to find my size (36R) in any real sales. I’m a slim fit too, so I’m ridiculously happy with Tommy’s cut, vs. the INC cut of “wish-I-was-slim-cut”. Do yourself a favor…walk over to the suit section. See what happens. 

    p.s. – Izod slim fit cut shirt, in my size (small) for 14.99, plus the 20% off….so uh, 12.84 with tax for a 59.99 button down? Check, yes. (In stripes, plaid, and windowpane.) 

  26. Hey Joe, isn’t it a bit too short? I’m not sure about a casual blazer like this one but isn’t the rule of thumb that it should be covering the butt?

    Either way, that fit off the rack is just awesome.

  27. Saw it in store today. Nice material, with a velvet-like sheen, a good thing. Most cords I see, pants or blazers, look pretty plain and drab. Nice unstructured trim fit. I’m 6’1″, ~42L, 190 lbs, 34″ waist, tried out the medium.

    Cons: The lapels are beyond slim, faddishly skinny. And the top button is too high (though this is true of nearly all coats, and most people don’t seem to mind).

  30. Andrew,
    Thank you for your response.  I appreciate your suggestions, however, both H&M and Zara’s blazers are primarily made of synthetic material.  Same for Topman.  I try to stick to wool and cotton.

    I’m 5’11 but only 130 pounds.  Men in my family tend to fill out a bit around 35 (I’m 25).  At my last doctor visit he literally told me that I have the metabolism of a racehorse on crack.  Hmm…

    Cheers,
    Aaron 

  32. How does this compare to the Jcrew cord blazer in steel (gray)?  Would the cute bartender still say that she likes my blazer? Meaning is the Jcrew blazer worth the extra $40 bones? (gotta admit that line got me looking at this jacket.. =) )

  33. If it’s a 14.5 size shirt, then you’re talking neck and sleeve, so…it should have a sleeve measurement too.

  34. They always raise up a few inches or so when I raise my arm to snap the pic.  Everyone has a different preference/rule, and I use the one where you leave your hands at your sides and curl your fingers up like you were going to grasp the handles on a wheel barrow.  The end of the jacket should come to rest right in there.  Did for me.  Not bunched up, and not left short.  But that was just for me.  I wouldn’t call this one of those faddishly short chopped blazers (topman, Urban Outfitters, etc…).  I do also have a weirdly long torso, so, sometimes jackets can look a little shorter on me than others. 

    Or maybe my pants are falling down here, who knows 🙂

  35. I went to try it yesterday, and i thought it was well made. However, the lapels were wayyyyy too thin by any measure

  38. I saw this blazer in two different Macy’s and I can say that the color is amazing. I didnt get the chance to try it on, but, if its anything like black one from last year the fit should be spot on.

  41. Got the cord blazer at Macy’s for $46 after tax today via morning sale + friends and family pre-sale…it’s definitely better than the gray version.