As mentioned on the previous post, the navy sport jacket is the most versatile article of clothing to top off much of anything you wear in warm seasons. Not as serious as black, brighter navy shades feel vibrant, cool and crisp for hot days and nights, while darker navy exudes the gravitas that you may miss from wearing black, but with a bit more life blown into it.
Again, if you find yourself unable to deviate from black, start out with a deep, inky navy that looks dark navy during the day and almost black at night - consider it as training wheels before you advance to a true navy, which should clearly be more blue-cast than black. But even if you never get past this gorgeous shade of midnight, it doesn't matter - you're still wearing navy, and a deep, rich one at that.
No navy blazer talk would be complete without the gold button discussion. I wouldn't completely dismiss them, but they are definitely conventional. It could be argued that it's a classic, but unless you work for the GOP or run within/work in a very conservative and/or exclusive setting, the look will come across out-of-date and boring for most guys who want to show some personality and modernity. Unless you can somehow work it subversively as a fashion statement, it wouldn't fly - and most guys don't have enough fashion savvy to pull it off in this way, anyway. In defense of the gold button though, I would say that the guy below looks handsome and presentable, but from a style and originality perspective, all he's getting from me at best is..."Meh."
If you absolutely love those metal buttons, the only thing I can suggest is to make the switch from shiny gold to matte brass or nickel. Better yet, if you like the look and fit of your navy blazer and can part with the gold buttons, get them replaced with plastic or corozo buttons in a matching shade of navy - you'll feel like you have a brand new jacket.
Now that you've got a rockin' navy blazer in order, up next: How to work it, and work it good!
