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Fall Shopping Guide: Schoolboy blazers
Once upon a time, a highly influential designer named Nicolas Ghesquiere sent models down the runway wearing slouchy jodhpurs (more on those later) and shrunken schoolboy blazers. The fashion world collectively swooned, and now derivative looks are appearing left and right. Balenciaga's show featured a variety of styles--some tipped, some striped, some classic navy with monogram--and asking me to pick my favorite would be asking me to make Sophie's Choice. (Well, okay, I exaggerate. My favorite is the navy tipped blazer.) Pair with an Algerian-type woven scarf for a straight-from-the-runway look, or get more creative with your neckwear via a vintage Hermes scarf or layers of chunky costume jewelry. As for the jodhpurs, look for them in a later Fall Shopping Guide post.

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At $2,500, this Celine jacket doesn't seem like much of a bargain compared with Balenciaga's. And it's not. However, this clever style is not only reversible to black--hello, two jackets in one!--but you can modify the lapel as well, taking it from a narrow notched style to a deeper, navel-grazing one.


Ralph Lauren's monogrammed flannel blazer doesn't scream knockoff; rather, it looks like you've borrowed Serena van der Woodsen's prep school uniform. And who doesn't want to look like they've just walked off the set of Gossip Girl?


But when I think "schoolboy blazer," the first store that comes to mind is Brooks Brothers. So considering this striped jacket, part of the Black Fleece collection, was designed by Thom Browne, you can be sure the tailoring will be impeccable, giving Ghesquiere--a master cutter in this own right--a run for his money.


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The proportions on this 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket are not quite right--it's a bit too cropped, and the double-breasted cut is not exactly what I had in mind--but if you're on the petite side (of if, like me, you're high-waisted), the boxy cut will flatter.


The fact that this Rag & Bone jacket is tweed makes it equal parts schoolboy and Chanel-inspired, giving it a more grown-up, ladylike look.


Faran at Fashionista has spent much time and effort chronicling the J.Crew Lexington blazer; it's sold out in navy online, but apparently the navy is on sale in stores for $199. The gray is still pretty cute, though, and since you can wear it with black, I'd almost call it more versatile too.


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Naming this Lux blazer after one of the most exclusive prep schools in the country gives it instant cred; while it comes in a more sedate gray, I like the irreverence of the purple version.


This Topshop jacket has more of a military inspiration, but it's very rock-and-roll too, and thus perfect if you feel like you can't totally pull off the preppy look. I also like that even with the crapola exchange rate, it still feels like a bargain for such sharp tailoring.


However, I think the best pick of all--and the one I'm going to order--is this simple yet totally standout blazer from, of all people, Tommy Hilfiger. What can I say? It's preppy perfection.