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Affordable Men's Style

In Person: The $30 Target Wool Blend Blazer

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Target Merona Wool Blend Jacket – $30.00 ($39.99)

Many thanks to Tim H. for sending in the style tip / in-person request for this one.

Be prepared to size down.  These can’t be cut from the same pattern as the Merona Kensington cotton sport coat.  An off the rack medium on those seemed to fit a 165-170 pound frame surprisingly well.  That’s not the case here.

The boxy shape on this wool blend Merona blazer is tough to miss.  The sleeves are long and they need to be tapered/slimmed badly.  BUT… those jcp blazers run about a size too big as well.  Maybe worth a shot to size down and/or have your tailor double (or more) the “value” of the blazer by having the sides and sleeves slimmed.  Maybe?

Forget the camera, the jacket adds 10 pounds.  At least.  Size shown = Medium.

The good news is that while it’s lined, it’s barely structured.  No shoulder padding to speak of.  Sleeve buttons are non functional so tailoring the sleeves should be relatively easy.  There is some accent stitching around the sleeve buttons, but with the pattern of the fabric and the color of the thread, no one is going to notice if the buttons get shifted up a bit to shorten the sleeve.  The light grey on dark grey herringbone fabric is a surprisingly soft 45% wool, 36% poly, 19% acrylic, and that acrylic gives it a nice soft texture as opposed to a scratchy tweed.

A steal if it weren’t for the fit.  Again, maybe sizing down would solve most of these problems… but should a “small” really = a 38R, 5’10″/170 pound frame?  Look, that’s far from Shawn Kemp territory, but it ain’t Spud Webb either.

Appears to only be available online for now.  Target.com’s “find it in store” option shows larges are available in store but that’s it.  Strange.  Thoughts on what size of body should equal what size in store?  Leave it all below.

Comments

  1. Uh oh. I already pulled the trigger on a medium. It should be here later today. Maybe I’ll lay it under the Kensington and upload a picture. Hope the size difference isn’t too crazy.

  2. Vanity sizing vs. true sizing — I think now it’s hitting men just as hard as women.

    I used to wear a L when I was starting college. Four years later, I went down to a M. Four-plus more years later, now I wear a S in about 40% of off the rack brands (still a M in the other 60%). Similarly, to get the same fit as my old 32 waist pants, I have to size down to a 31 now. And there is no weight loss involved.

    Size inflation due to people size inflation. This has got to stop, America. Or these people have to realize that you can’t stay a M after gaining an extra 100 lbs.

  3. +1 on the increase of vanity sizing. I am a 35-36in waist and picked up a pair of Polo cords in 32.

  4. I also ordered the M and it fit me pretty well, except for the sleeves, which were too long. For reference, I normally wear a 39R or 40R @ 6’0″ 180lbs and 34″ shirt sleeve. The sleeve length on the one that I received is equal to a Tall lenght. The Kensington in Medium fits me great, so I agree with Joe tht this is definitely cut from a different pattern. I also thought that the fabric felt really cheap.

  5. I’m not sure how the Small is going to fit if you normally wear a 40.. I’m normally a 36 (or a 38 if the jacket is REALLY slim), but really I’m a 36. The small fit me PERFECTLY. Maybe there’s a large gap between small and medium? I’m loving the small personally, and smalls are normally too big in jackets for me.

  6. Vanity sizing kills me, specially in the shirts and jacket department. I’m 5’8′, 128lbs and bottom heavy from bicycle racing. I can find OTR pants that fit, Levi 514/513, JCP Chinos, but tops other than American Apparel t-shirts? Not even remotely. Every shirt I buy needs a $15-20 allotment for tailoring. I guess that’s just life in supersized America.

  7. Vanity sizing is a problem, the other is the lack of consistency in sizing from the same brand. I’ve found this to be a problem especially in jeans. Different washes in Levis and Gap jeans of the same model (e.g. 501s) fit completely differently. Not slightly, but like a full size or more difference between one wash or another. Sounds like Target has the same issue with their jackets. I really don’t understand it. I’m a solid medium on every men’s size chart but even the brands that pride themselves on a more modern tailored fit (J Crew for example) I have to go down to a small on fairly often. And a 32 inch waist should be a 32 inch waist people.

  8. I think overall inconsistency with sizing is a bigger problem for Target than vanity sizing. When the Kensington first appeared, I tried it on my usual size small and felt like I was being squeezed into a sausage casing. I tried on a different color a couple weeks ago, and the small was perfect. Whenever they put out a new product like this, my expectation is that the sizing and fit will be a bit wonky until they’ve had a few production runs and gotten general consistency under control.

  11. I have a feeling maybe 6’2″+ (those arms look long on everyone in the
    forum threads here too so far), and maybe 200# or so – might fit that
    size L in-store. I’ve been checking my local Targets (there are quite a
    few in the area), but none of them have any of the blazers besides the
    common navy/tan cotton one.

    In that Kensington cotton one (I have
    the navy; getting the tan for Christmas), I’m wearing the L, OTR (LotR?
    – hhmmnnn); and I’m 6’0″, 183 at this *exact* moment in time (pre-
    holiday gorging, of course). I really should get them tailored a touch –
    the middle could be a little more snug, and the sleeves are of course a
    little baggy. But… I cannot wear the M at all. I tried. My chest is
    simply too MASSIVE! LOL – Look, I’m not a body builder or anything – in
    fact I really need to start exercising more (*some*) altogether. I just
    seemingly have an extra-expansive rib-cage (or something). Wearing a 42R
    in a couple slim cut suits (Chaps’ and BR’s 42R seems to fit me pretty
    solidly), and 34/30 in numerous pants (501/514 and those Chaps/BR suit
    pants too), so there’s that.

  12. I have a feeling maybe 6’2″+ (those arms look long on everyone in the forum threads here too so far), and maybe 200# or so – might fit that size L in-store. I’ve been checking my local Targets (there are quite a few in the area), but none of them have any of the blazers besides the common navy/tan cotton one.

    In that Kensington cotton one (I have the navy; getting the tan for Christmas), I’m wearing the L, OTR (LotR? – hhmmnnn); and I’m 6’0″, 183 at this *exact* moment in time (pre- holiday gorging, of course). I really should get them tailored a touch – the middle could be a little more snug, and the sleeves are of course a little baggy. But… I cannot wear the M at all. I tried. My chest is simply too MASSIVE! LOL – Look, I’m not a body builder or anything – in fact I really need to start exercising more (*some*) altogether. I just seemingly have an extra-expansive rib-cage (or something). Wearing a 42R in a couple slim cut suits (Chaps’ and BR’s 42R seems to fit me pretty solidly), and 34/30 in numerous pants (501/514 and those Chaps/BR suit pants too), so there’s that.

    (possible double post, as the formatting got weird, so I tried to delete the first one)

  13. Got this on Monday, cut is fine with me. I’m usually a fringe M/L and went for M here. My issue is that it has that synthetic material Seinfeld “swoosh”. Still, for $30, it’s in the rotation and surprisingly warm.

  14. My thoughts exactly.

    Needed a red gingham shirt, so i tried JCP’s line…The large tried to choke me, and the XL looked huge around my neck…. that’s way too big of a discrepancy.

  15. I’m with you, Joe. We’re virtually the same size and when I tried on Medium of this jacket Monday evening, I felt it was boxy and boring. No Small available. The Kensington I had in Medium and it felt better. Still not as snug as a 40R in H&M or 38R in Thompson or Express jacket.

  16. I know how you feel! Same proportions here, but mine are from distance running. Every time I read “size down” on this site I just skip to the next item, lol. I will say Express makes some fantastic fitting shirts for me, no tailoring needed.

  17. Agree on the size consistency issue, and Target is a prime offender. Found the herringbone blazer in store last weekend, and sizing was all over the place. As noted, sizing down is a good idea, but even between the three smalls I tried on there were significant fit discrepancies. The first was so tight, I couldn’t button it…Skip to Goldilocks conclusion…the last one was perfect. Snug where it should be,and doesn’t need any alteration at all. Turned out to be a steal for $30, but only because I had the luxury of trying on a range of the same size blazer. Ordering online, on the other hand is a total crap shoot.

  20. Maybe I’m blind, but it doesn’t look that bad to me. Sleeves are long, that’s all I see.

  21. I’ve wondered for awhile now if they changed the fits on the Kensington. Got to it pretty early, but as its reappeared some have complained about the fit. Gonna have to get back in store and get another look. Great call Ben, thanks for this.

  24. Actually, 5’8″ and 130 lbs isn’t too far off from “average” in a pre-Big Mac world. Records from the Civil War indicate the average soldier was around 5’8″ (just an inch shorter than the average modern man) and 140 lbs at the time of enlistment. Most of these men were farmers or some other variety of manual laborer, so they weren’t scrawny weaklings, either. Additionally, someone with Aaron’s stats is safely within the “normal” BMI range.

    What I find interesting, as a “small” guy, is that most people don’t actually think I’m small. I don’t look “small.” I’m 5’9″ and 145 lbs, bottom heavy like Aaron, and I find that a lot of size smalls and 36Rs are too big. I can only do true slim fits in those sizes, or else European sizing. Yet my tailor originally guessed I was a 38R, and I’ve had other folks in the clothing industry estimate me at a size medium. Those folks express surprise when I tell them I’m actually on the small side of small/36.

    I am fairly average or just below average in both height and weight, and still typically have to buy the smallest sizes available. I feel bad for guys who are actually small but still stuck with the same selection of sizes.

  25. Try finding 30-36 pants. They just aren’t a thing. Or finding something with long enough sleeves that tapers from a 40″ chest to a 30″ waist. Being proportioned well makes clothing difficult. (BTW, 6’6″ 190, after bulking up.)

  27. Speaking of the Merona Kensington Blazer, I was able to snag a blue one for $24.00 today at Target.

    Marked at $39.99, rang at $30.00 and used 20% one Merona item coupon (printed from Target.com or via Target iPhone app) to bring it to $24.00.

    Didn’t like the wool blazer mentioned in this article, but I imagine it could also be had for $24.00 using the aforementioned coupon.