Wearing Blazer On-stage - Material?

[Bicycle147]

Our band likes to wear blazers and sport coats on stage as our look. I figure a lot of you probably do this as well, I have wool blazer that fits me nice but when it seems a little too thick to have a bass draped over my shoulder.

I just ordered a linen blazer off ebay because i happened to come across one that is perfectly in my measurements, and I know linen is thinner so I figured it may be a good gigging jacket.

Any thoughts on this? Have you found any style or material of sports jacket/blazer to be best for mobility & having a bass over your shoulders?

Thanks

 

[electracoyote]

First, good on you and your mates for stepping into the classy semi-formal aesthetic of blazers and sport coats. I wear them a lot, and my male band mates often show up with some combination of tie, vest, or suit jacket.

Yes, the wools will make you sweat if yours is a high-energy stage show like mine. If you can find a lighter knit that still looks good on you, it can only help.

Rock on.

 

[Bicycle147]

First, good on you and your mates for stepping into the classy semi-formal aesthetic of blazers and sport coats. I wear them a lot, and my male band mates often show up with some combination of tie, vest, or suit jacket.

Yes, the wools will make you sweat if yours is a high-energy stage show like mine. If you can find a lighter knit that still looks good on you, it can only help.

Rock on.

Thanks, we love wearing that stuff, plus it distinguishes us from every other band in jeans and a band shirt. What material/thickness is the jacket you find yourself grabbing most often for show?

We're a hard rock band with a vocalist who puts on a great show, my only concern about the linen is that the weight from the bass will make it wrinkle quickly because of the nature of linen.

 

[electracoyote]

Thanks, we love wearing that stuff, plus it distinguishes us from every other band in jeans and a band shirt. What material/thickness is the jacket you find yourself grabbing most often for show?

We're a hard rock band with a vocalist who puts on a great show, my only concern about the linen is that the weight from the bass will make it wrinkle quickly because of the nature of linen.

Yeah, that might happen with your linen. But it might happen with a variety of materials. I usually don't worry about it too much, it's part of the show and all my jackets end up at the cleaners after one or two shows.

I'm actually stuck on a couple of sharkskin jackets that flip-flop in the light, think A Bronx Tale. They are wool, I sweat a lot, sometimes they get wrinkled, but that's show business.

Make yourself comfortable, find that balance between function and fashion, and let the dry cleaner do the rest.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

I like a linen or linen/cotton shirt and a silk jacket. A properly made silk jacket is not overly delicate.

 

[bolophonic]

I have a linen blazer that I found at a thrift store years ago. It seemed like it had been worn once or twice. It is nice because the fabric is heavily starched, so it’s light and cool, but the material has enough structure that it isn’t a wrinkled mess. I have worn it to several gigs.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Just start hitting Goodwill and similar thrift stores. Cotton, linen and whatever you find. If you find a jacket for $5-10, who cares if it has to get pressed or dry cleaned every once in a while?

 

[two fingers]

Yeah hit the 2nd hand shops. We had an emergency the other night and needed a white mock neck t-shirt for one of my kids to wear under a cheerleading uniform. None of the local stores had one so we found one at a Goodwill. I was BLOWN AWAY by the nice clothes in there for pennies on the dollar. I bought three nice shirts for work for about 5 bucks. Those shirts would have cost me well over a hundred for all three new. I am not a blazer guy but there was a 40 foot rack full of them. All colors sizes and materials