The third outfit of the cycling shorts trend series, are cycling shorts paired with an oversized blazer. This look is so incredibly in fashion right now; you’ll have difficulty not spotting it. It’s in a way classic eighties to mid nineties, and I absolutely love it myself. But out of all the outfits, this one was definitely the hardest to pull off for me. The problem actually sits with the blazer itself. It’s so hard to find a good fitting blazer on the high street that is both loose, but doesn’t have shoulders that droop halfway down your arms. Even this checked blazer from H&M isn’t immune to this issue. Its shoulders are far too wide for my body. So, how do we make an outfit like this work for us?
Well, read on below.
So, two of the biggest things you need to be aware of with the oversized or Dad blazer. Don’t button it up if you’re short, and watch out for where the shoulders on the blazer sit. What a lot of high street brands will do is just scale up the fitting and cut. So, while the waist and arms will be wider, so too are the shoulders and the length.
Now that’s fine if you’ve got model proportions and that looks good on you. But I know it doesn’t look good on me. You want to make sure that the shoulders sit correctly and the blazer isn’t too long. That unfortunately makes your search on the high street a little harder, but with some perseverance, you will find the right one. I also advise that you get a blazer that sits just below the widest part of your hips. Too short, and it won’t look right and too long and it’ll swamp your figure.
If you have hips, an hour-glass figure or are pear-shape, I also recommend using a belt to cinch in your waist and help balance out your figure. But what if you don’t want to wear it with a belt? What if you want to do the open and loose look? Then I recommend you keep the blazer halfway off your shoulders, open at the waist and wear something form fitting underneath. I would also either wear very short shorts, or skinny jeans to make your legs look as skinny and long as possible to balance out the size of the blazer.
Tip number 1 Oversized blazers are very hard to pull off right. Choose one that fits your shoulders, and if you’re short cinch it in at the waist.
Tip number 2 You can wear it open and loose if you’re shorter, but you need to show off your waist. Form fitting tops underneath will stop you looking heavier.
Tip number 3 If you’re going to wear shorts and ankle boots, make sure the top of the boot doesn’t go too high. If you’re short or have short legs, mid-thigh boots are not the answer here.
This outfit was built around the oversized checked blazer, but because cycling shorts are by their nature quite casual, I wanted the outfit to look a lot smarter. So, I went for a black turtleneck top underneath, some black boots and a black belt. I wanted the emphasis of the outfit to be on the checked blazer and to be on the shape it creates on my body. I also loved playing around with the eighties feel of this outfit. My necklace is a vintage piece from my Mum, who’s had it since the late eighties and plays homage to the Cartier leopard head necklaces from that era. The belt is wide and brings the eye to the waist, which has been cinched in to balance out the blazer. the outfit is finished off with these black sock boots from Missguided from about a year ago and my Chloé bag.
Outfit Details
Oversized checked blazer: H&M, found here
Black mini cycling shorts: H&M, found here
Silver double buckle Western belt: ASOS DESIGN, found here
Black sock ankle boots: Missguided, old. Similar ones found here and here
Nile Minaudière black leather clutch: Chloé, found here
