When attending an event or venue that requires you to wear a suit or blazer at some point you might be tempted to take your jacket off.
However, traditional etiquette states:
"A gentleman never takes off his jacket."
Still this is a fair guideline, but we'd like to add to it. The rule you should try to adhere to ought to be:
"A gentleman never takes off his jacket, too early."
Let's be clear, since we no longer live in the '60s where men wore suits women wore skirts and that was that. The choice of taking of you suit jacket at any moment should be yours and yours alone. Any reason could satisfy the choice of taking it of or leaving it on.
However, as a gentleman it is always wise to keep the etiquette and wishes of others in mind. There are certainly situations that allow you to remove your jacket during an event. Also, during travel taking off you jacket could save you from having to wear a wrinkled suit after you arrive.
Here we will look into some specific occasions and give our thoughts on why we think you might or might not take of your jacket whilst sitting down.
Pro-tip: If circumstances dictate you to keeping on your jacket be sure to unbutton it before sitting down!
Should You Remove Your Suit Jacket During Dinner?
During dinner your first impulse might be to open up that outfit and let everything breath however unless your at home sitting on your couch with your microwave dinner this might not be the best way to go. Most of the time, the etiquette for a jacket at dinner is quite strict, therefor especially at the start of dinner or event it's best to button up and soldier on.
However not every dinner is the same so let's dive into some special occasions.
Eating In A Fancy Restaurant
When your dinner venue or its dress code asks for a suit jacket or blazer there isn't much wiggle room. Unless it is specifically requested it is best to keep your jacket on.
Work Dinners And Drinks
When ever you have a formal dinner or go out with some co-workers or business partners your safest bet is to keep that jacket on. You will offend no one by keeping it on and depending on whether you tend to sweat when wearing a suit or dress shirt you might want to keep things hidden from plain view.
If the events ends up being a success and its getting late you might start to see some jackets getting ditched. Just be sure that if you're not the host or the guest of honer, you're not the first to do so.
Don't be the first one to take it off and probably not the only one still wearing it
During A Wedding Dinner
You might be wondering when you can take your jacket off at a wedding, the answer is fairly straight forward.
Your hosts will want to have some nice pictures from the event to look back, so they will want everyone to look there best. Therefore, as long as the groom is wearing his jacket so should you.
This might take to long in your eyes, but if you keep at your best behavior you might just impress someone enough to make the decision earlier at your own wedding! If the event goes on into the night things tend to relax at which point jackets and (bow)ties tend to disappear.
Should You Wear Your Jacket When Sitting Down On The Job?
In the past couple of decades a lot of offices have moved passed any strict form of dress code and allow their employees to wear whatever they want. If however casual Friday is still a dirty word at your office wearing a blazer might still be the norm. Taking it off or keeping it on might then be influenced by some things out of your control.
Should You Take Off Your Suit Jacket While Working At A Desk?
This is more of a culture thing than anything else. Assuming your desk job does not involve any rapid movement it is doubtful that your blazer would interfere with any of your work. Thus, if everybody else is wearing theirs during desk work, so should you.
Again there are off course some exceptions to the rule. If for example you have a certain important meeting or perhaps a presentation later that day, and you want to look at your best. Be sure to take it of if it is necessary to avoid any wrinkles. Or if your office place is a jackets-only environment you might want to consider buying the same jacket twice.
When Is It Okay To Take Off Your Suit Jacket In A Meeting?
Unless your meeting takes a whole day or involves food or drinks taking of your jacket during the meeting is unlikely to happen. Maybe if it's over a hundred degrees outside and the air conditioning has failed you might want to consider taking it of but if your doing business you'll want to look your best!
Should You Take Your Coat Off In A Job Interview?
Now this is always a difficult one, although you can never be overdressed for an interview, maybe you haven't called ahead on what appropriate attire for their work environment is, and you might feel the urge to take it off. In that case we would say go for it! At times like these it's never a good idea for you to be uncomfortable, so you wouldn't want your blazer to inhibit you from displaying the best of you.
It's always a possibility to 'ask' whether it would be okay if you take your jacket of. By that time they've seen how capable you are of looking cleaned up, so it's doubtful they'll decline your request. Simultaneously it will give you some information for future reference in case you get the job and want to know what to expect in terms of dress code at the office.
What To Do With Your Jacket While Sitting Down During Travel?
Whether you're traveling alone or for business most of the time it's fine to take off your jacket. Gone are the days when people would dress up to go on the road. Nowadays, traveling tends to be downtime so don't be afraid to make yourself comfortable.
Can You Take Your Blazer Off In Public Transport?
Especially when you're traveling with public transportation and are stationary for a long time like in a train or airplane it's best to take of your jacket. These often cramp spaces also do you jacket no good in terms of wrinkles.
Do You Take Suit Jacket Off In Car?
In a car you'll also want to take of your jacket, with a seatbelt and contoured seat your suit will wrinkle easily. Also, if you end up being behind the wheel, it's better to have your arms free in case of any unexpected incidents on the road.
How Should You Sit With A Blazer?
Sitting suit might feel a bit unnatural at first, if you do need to sit down while wearing your blazer, here are a couple of tips on how to sit with a suit on and how to avoid any wrinkles in your jacket.
Open your button(s), under no circumstance should you ever sit down while having your jacket buttoned up. While it most likely will be very uncomfortable since your suit wasn't made for it, it also strains your suits in ways it wasn't built to sustain. This will not improve the future fit, and will cause creases all over your jacket.
Be sure your back flaps aren't bundled up as you sit down. As a warmblooded species sitting on or against your bundled up suit will be as if you're ironing in the creases. Depending on the chair you're sitting on. Either make sure you sit on the flaps while flat, pass the flaps through the back of the chair or make sure there is enough room between you and the back of the seat.
Our Verdict
So keep in mind, no matter the situation always remember to do what makes you feel best, sometimes offending someone else is a small sacrifice to make for your own comfort. But do keep in mind to not do anything you would not want to be done to yourself!
