First of all let us clear the common misconception. Any tailored jacket that doesn't come as a part of a suit cannot be categorised as a blazer. To many of the tailor's horror the terming of the styles are getting interchanged and worse still all termed under one name. Most of the time what you think is a blazer is not a blazer.

One of the men's garments that are often confused with the blazer is the sports coat or the sports jacket. If you are wearing a blazer then it means you are dressing for a special occasion that is somewhat formal. But sports coat isn't that picky, you can wear it to your party and enjoy it for a full night but will still look good at the end. This is the main difference and hence both are designed according to their purpose. While the blazers are made of lighter cloth, the sports coats are made of tough material like tweed. In a sports coat you can add textures and patterns without a second thought, while in a blazer it is not that appropriate.

With time the garment style has got more casual and there are some changes in design too. The modernized sports coat is more fitted and also comes in lighter weight wool fabrics. But even now the fit is such that you can fit a layer of knitwear underneath and also that the cloth is often textured.

There are many styles of sports coat to choose from. As in like a suit they have single and double breasted styles. Since the sports coat is a versatile style you can wear them to various occasions like parties, casual weddings and sometimes to your office too. But the main thing in using it in these ways is the color and pattern of the sports coat.

The first one is the classic recommendation of navy sports coat. Navy is undoubtedly the most versatile color and hence it may be best to have a sports coat in this timeless color. The next one in suggestion is a dark colored textured sports coat to get through the winter season in style. Also make sure that you get thicker materials because a light cloth won't look good with the sweaters and scarves. Go for the dark colored ones like dark grey, black, charcoal, burgundy and brown with subtle patterns like herringbone, checks and plaids.

As you progress into the summer or any warmer climate then the dark colored colors will look dull in the bright climate. Therefore it may be best to go with lighter and brighter colors of sports coat for these warmer seasons. Some of the colors recommended are white, tan, khaki, camel, cream and beige. They look good under the natural light. If you aren't into common colors and wouldn't mind trying out different colors then you can also go with sports coat in shades of red, green, pink, purple, gold, silver, orange rust and some of the colorful ones.