What is a sports jacket?

A sports jacket is a short formal jacket similar to a suit jacket, usually worn without matching pants. In addition, it also has a somewhat casual cut. This makes it excellent to combine with a sweater, chinos and jeans.

Sports jackets are often called blazers, which is technically incorrect. In fact, a blazer is a casual sporty jacket with patches, patch pockets, prominent buttons, and panels (sticks of fabric that hang loose at the bottom of the jacket).

The history of the colbert a.k.a. sports jacket or sport coat

Although the word "colbert" sounds French, it is 100% Dutch. The garment may have been named after the seventeenth-century French minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, but there is no hard evidence for this.

The sport coat is called that way because it was mainly worn during outdoor sports like hunting or fishing. It is the lesser formal type of fancy jackets and is perfect for work attire.

In the twentieth century, the jacket's popularity grew and became more common for chic occasions. As fashion became more informal in the 1960s, the jacket has become increasingly formal since that period. Today, the jacket is associated with office work, politicians, and official events. Only at a gala, you will not get away with it, then it is better to choose a dress suit or tuxedo.