A Farris Tale

Wearing a double-breasted blazer can feel uncomfortable for some since the design can come across as formal and uptight at first glance. Oscar Jacobson’s design Farris, with its pointy lapels and softly constructed shoulders, fits in perfectly in any wardrobe. With the lapels having the right shape and the buttons being placed at the right height, the Farris appeals to the vast majority of people.

- It is very much about finding the perfect balance in a blazer, and with the Farris we have really succeeded, explains Carl-Johan Frisk, Collection Manager at Oscar Jacobson.

The double-breasted blazer has enjoyed many different glory days in men’s fashion these past 100 years. During the 1930’s up until the 50’s, the double-breasted blazer was a staple for any man wanting to dress up, before it disappeared for more or less 20 years only to make a grand comeback in the 1980’s when fashion was all about ’power dressing’, drawing inspiration the film Wall Street. Starring Michael Douglas.

- Back then, the silhoutte of a double-breasted blazer was boxy, with pronounced shoulders. Today, the construction is soft which has made the blazer much more versatile, says Carl-Johan Frisk. He’s the co-developer of the Farris, which has become a success and somewhat of an iconic garment in the Oscar Jacobson product line.

- Farris was created in 2019, when we felt that men’s fashion had reached a new breaking point. Many of our customers requested double-breasted blazers that had a more casual feel to them, Carl-Johan Frisk says. A double-breasted blazer demands more from the fit and the design. It took a long time developing the Farris.

- Oscar Jacobson builds its design on a cultural heritage that is anglo-saxon, Italian tailoring and Scandinavian simplicity. You have to add all of the parts together in order to create a perfect expression. The lapels and the way the buttons are placed, the length and the width and the balance between different parameters, Carl-Johan Frisk says before continuing:

- One of the reasons why the Farris has become so popular is that it has straight cut lapels that are pointy, which creates a very distinct expression. Elegant, but not too flamboyant.

A double-breasted blazer has always been more eye-catching than a single-breasted. This, along with the historical connotations, has led to some people feeling that the double-breasted blazer is too formal and that they have a hard time finding enough occasions to wear it. But with the soft fit of the Farris, the feeling becomes something completely different, almost like wearing a cardigan that falls loosely on the upper body. Personally, I almost exclusively wear double-breasted blazers because I feel elegant and relaxed at the same time.

- The wide range of use is the biggest advantage of the Farris. You can use it as a suit with a pair of dress pants, but it works just as well with jeans or chinos. I use the Farris pretty much every day and combine it with different trousers and different garments under the jacket, in between shirt and tie, sometimes just a T-shirt or a thin knit sweater, continues Carl-Johan Frisk.

And for the connoisseurs, the Farris has old school tailoring details, such as classic AMF-knitting on the lapels, the shoulders and the pocket flaps.

- AMF seams are decorative and resemble hand knitting. The process is time-consuming but a sign that a blazer is of high quality.

The Farris comes in a variety of different fabrics, from Super 120’s wool from the Vitale Barberis Canonico weaving mill, to linen and cotton.

- We also have a very elegant tuxedo made from 100 percent silk and a club blazer made from dark blue woollen yarn with structure from the Italian weaving mill Marzotto. As I said, there are many options with the Farris, concludes Carl-Johan Frisk.

It’s quite simply the perfect blazer.