The best way to mix your tailored and casual pieces.

Style rules exist for a reason. Yes, they can seem overly didactic and even a little patronising at times, but the great majority of people would be lost without them. There comes a time, though, when we build up enough knowledge about a given subject to start making our own decisions. This is when rules can become barriers.

Today’s style question offers up a perfect illustration of this point. It comes courtesy of @harms.sahota, who is confused about the best way to mix tailoring with sportswear. According to the traditional codes of tailoring, this is an act of sartorial subversion. But don’t take that to mean you shouldn’t do it. Rules, after all… well, you know the rest.

I’ve seen guys wearing joggers with a blazer – how can I pull this look off?

@harms.sahota via Instagram

Thanks, Harms. Before we jump in, a note on semantics: joggers are British slang for sweatpants. We thought it was important to clear this up for the benefit of our American readers, who might have assumed… well, it’s not clear exactly what you might have assumed. There was an action movie released, not too long ago, about a man who could instantaneously transport himself or “jump” from one place to another. You might remember it; it was called Jumper. A perfectly straightforward name, you might think, but British audiences – for whom the word “jumper” refers to a comfy woollen sweater – couldn’t bring themselves to take it seriously. Anyway, we digress. Joggers are sweatpants. Let’s move on, shall we?

The first thing you need when attempting to pull off any look that’s outside of your comfort zone is confidence. Remember that there are plenty of conservative dressers out there whose feathers would be ruffled by the sight of a man wearing a blazer with sweatpants. Imagine what your friends from school would say. Are you OK with that? Yes? Good. The next step is to log onto MR PORTER – oh, it appears that you’re already here – and pick out a few appropriate pieces. Sweatpants are slouchy and loose-fitting by nature and will look terrible with a structured blazer, so make sure you choose something with a similar silhouette. You may be tossing sartorial convention to the wind by pairing sweatpants with a blazer, but that doesn’t mean you should play equally fast and loose with rules of proportion.

The same goes for colour, too. Opt for neutral, complementary shades, such as navy, grey and black, and if in doubt go for a single colour. Black on black never fails, as illustrated by one of the featured looks from our lead story in today’s issue of The Journal, in which we’ve paired a black cashmere blazer from The Row with black cashmere sweatpants by Berluti. The fabric, colour and fit of these two garments are so similar that you could be forgiven for mistaking them for a suit. As for what to wear with them, we opted for a ribbed cashmere rollneck, also from The Row, and a pair of white leather sneakers from adidas. The inclusion of sneakers reflects the fact that, even in this case, with the luxury dialled all the way up to 11, this is not a formal outfit.

That brings us to our final point, which is context. The secret to pulling off this look, or any look for that matter, is not just knowing how to wear it but when and where to wear it, too. Is this an office-appropriate outfit? That entirely depends on where you work, but if you’re in any doubt it’s best to assume that the answer is “no”. This is very much an example of tailoring’s new mood – loose, relaxed, easy-going yet elegant, and rather more suited to leisure pursuits than the nine-to-five. It’s a hot topic in menswear and something we’ll be seeing a lot over the coming seasons. In other words, Harms, you’re very much on trend.

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