Wear the Ornamental Skull Print Blazer open over a plain white shirt buttoned to the collar, with black tailored trousers and plain black leather shoes. The shirt stays quiet, the blazer carries the skull, and nothing else competes. It reads as tailoring first and Halloween second, which is the whole point.
What should a man wear a skull blazer with?
Everything underneath it should be plain. Keep to three colours below the lapel: white or black shirt, black trousers, black shoes. The blazer already holds a dozen colours and a hundred motifs; adding a pattern anywhere else turns a confident jacket into a costume. If you want a second colour, take it from the print and put it in one place only, a single-fold pocket square.
Which plain shirt works best under a printed blazer?
White is the answer nine times in ten: it makes the blazer the only decision in the room. Black works after dark, but it swallows the dark ground of the print, so save it for a bar rather than a staircase. Choose a long-sleeve cut with a proper collar, button it to the top, and let a half inch of cuff show past the jacket sleeve. The Plain Long Sleeve Shirt is built for exactly this job. Our cut is tailored-slim; if you are between sizes, size up, because a blazer needs room to close over it.
Should a skull blazer be worn open or buttoned?
Open, nearly always. An open blazer frames a column of white shirt and lets the lining and the print do their work from the side. If you must fasten it, do up the top button of two only, and unfasten it the moment you sit. Never button both: the blazer pulls, the print distorts, and the line is lost.
| Element | Do | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt | Plain white, buttoned to the collar | Open three buttons |
| Blazer | Worn open, sleeves to the wrist bone | Pushed up the forearm |
| Trousers | Black, mid-weight, slim through the leg | Patterned or distressed |
| Shoes | Black leather, polished | White trainers |
| Pocket square | One fold, one colour from the print | A matching print |
Where can a man wear a skull blazer this Halloween week?
Halloween is Saturday 31 October, and the clocks went back on Sunday, so the evenings now start in the dark. That suits a blazer: drinks, a gallery opening, a theatre or the opera, a Halloween dinner. For Whitby Goth Weekend (30 October to 1 November) wear it under a long black coat. For a house party, see our skull shirt edit; for the full range, our best skull shirts for Halloween and the skull shirts guide do the rest. Our previous piece, what to wear on Bonfire Night, covers the cold end of the week. Nothing here requires a costume, only a decent jacket.
How do you keep a printed blazer looking sharp?
Hang it on a wide, curved hanger the moment you are home, and let it breathe for a day before it goes back in the wardrobe. Steam rather than press, holding the iron away from the printed face. Brush the shoulders and lapels with a soft clothes brush, and send it to the dry cleaner once a season, not once a month. Check the pockets are still sewn shut before you wear it, and cut the stitches yourself only if you need the pockets; a flat front keeps the line clean. Finally, carry the blazer in a suit carrier when you travel, folded lining outward, so the print never creases against itself.
What should you not wear with a skull blazer?
- A printed shirt underneath: two loud prints cancel each other out.
- An open collar with the chest on show.
- Jeans with rips or fading.
- White trainers or novelty socks.
- A tie with a skull on it. You are not a pirate.
- The blazer buttoned across the stomach.
- Cuffs rolled or sleeves pushed up.
- A pumpkin pin, a fake cobweb or anything from a party shop.
What are three outfit edits built around a skull blazer?
Edit one: The Opera Steps. The Ornamental Skull Print Blazer, a white Plain Long Sleeve Shirt, black tailored trousers and black shoes. Add one fold of pocket square. Done.
Edit two: The Quiet Villain. The Supervillain Gallery Print Blazer over white, with black Claudio Lugli Fitted Chinos and a charcoal overcoat over the arm. The Claudio Lugli Fitted Chino Shorts can wait until May.
Edit three: The Reverse. Let the shirt carry the skull instead: the Embroidery Skulls Shirt buttoned up under a plain black wool jacket worn open. Browse the full Claudio Lugli Printed Shirts Collection, or, for warmer rooms, the Claudio Lugli Short-Sleeve Prints Collection.
Skull blazer FAQ
Is a skull blazer too much for work?
Only if the room is conservative; over a white shirt with black trousers it reads as one confident choice.
Can I wear a skull blazer with jeans?
Yes, with dark, clean, unfaded denim and black shoes, never ripped.
What colour shirt goes under a printed blazer?
White first, black after dark, and nothing patterned.
Should the blazer be buttoned?
Leave it open; if you fasten it, top button of two only.
Does a skull blazer work outside Halloween?
Yes: the ornamental print is a decorative motif, so it works at galleries and dinners all year.
