In Review: The Spier & Mackay Hopsack Navy Blazer / Sportcoat

Spier & Mackay Navy Hopsack Super 110s Wool Blazer – $328

Note: These have dropped to as low as $246 in the past couple of weeks, but who knows if those sales/promos have come to an end. Those previous price cuts are part of the reason why sizes have started to go pretty quick.

There’s a reason Spier & Mackay has made, over time, so. many. navy. sportcoats.

Because they’re damn good at them.

Ryan is 5’9, 160, wearing an unaltered size 36R Slim.

Spier is a brand that legitimately seems out to improve season on season. And that’s hard to do, being that they’ve been one of the best bang for the buck brands in menswear for more than a few years now. With something as wheelhouse as a navy blazer, you’d think there’d be temptation to change something just for the sake of change. Thankfully, they’ve tended to tweak but not blow up the formula. And what we the consumer ends up with, continues to be a weirdly good quality, super versatile, timeless product for the price.

Hopsack can be bad. Like, burlap-sack bad. A loose, burlappy (totally a real word), grandpa’s-closet weave this ain’t. The Super 100s wool is smooth and silky to the touch, thanks to a tighter weave which feels smooth, but is still super breathable.

The hopsack blazer features 100% Super 110’s Merino Wool from Dino Filarte.

As usual with their sportcoats, Spier opted for a low-shine, almost matte fabric finish on the Super 110’s Merino Wool from the quality fabric mill, Dino Filarte. The stitch density is tight, yet loose, if that makes sense – loose enough to move nicely, and breathe easy, but tight enough a weave to provide a smooth and uniform exterior appearance. The 265-gsm all-season weight and breathable Bemberg lining make it super comfortable for not just fall and spring, but summer, too.

Non-functional cuff buttons means super-simple tailoring.

All the Spier quality hallmarks are still here: timeless lapels (read: good width here, NOT razor skinny or J. Crew slim), half-canvas construction, Spalla Camicia (“shirt-sleeve”) natural shoulders, quarter lining, genuine bullhorn buttons, and their slim patch pockets on the lower half. Those patch pockets and the unconstructed shoulders do a great job keeping this blazer from looking like an orphaned suit jacket, all while the bullhorn buttons (instead of brass or gold-tone) help keep it looking sleek and modern.

The “Slim” fit is a true slim, with not much wiggle room. Contemporary fits a bit less body-skimming.

The bold red lining is awesome, and that lack of a full lining in the back PLUS the hopsack wool means it regulates the wearer’s temperature. It’s so well-constructed that I was able to flip it inside-out, Fresh-Prince-of-Bel-Air-style, and it wore and moved just as nicely as it did right-side-out. Now THAT’S a well-constructed jacket. The pick stitching on the lapel and chest pocket is a fine touch. And of course, the cuff buttons are non-functional, making for easy tailoring.

The fit on this is nails. Spier’s offering of both a true slim fit as well as a more athletic “contemporary” fit has landed them plenty of fans across multiple body types. And speaking from a personal perspective, their jackets fit my frame consistently well. That’s a big deal. Whereas plenty of other brands seem to struggle, badly, in the fit-consistency department, fit consistency has been a point of pride for Spier. I prefer the true slim fits. If you want something with a little more wiggle room? Go with their contemporary silhouette.

Not just dress shirts, but light sweaters and even tees can look great with a sportcoat.

A style tip here – sportcoats aren’t just for dress shirts! I donned my favorite light striped sweater for this review. Just make sure the fit is just as good on your underlayer as is the blazer. This jacket fits me truly slim, so there’s not going to be much room for anything too bunchy or heavy.

There are a lot of bad blazers & sportcoats out there. Maybe they’re too hard shouldered, or they’ve got garish gold buttons, or they’re made from stiff fabric, or they’re lined with cheap polyester. Spier, once again, has avoided all of those common pitfalls to deliver a foundational jacket that wears as good as it looks. All for an affordable price that fancier brands, and their name-worshiping fans, would turn their noses up at.