I have a confession. For years my black blazer just hung in the closet, waiting for a job interview that rarely came. It felt too fancy for regular days and not quite right for anything else.
Then my sister Jenna borrowed it one weekend, threw it over her jeans, and looked like a million bucks walking into brunch. I stole it right back the next morning.
And ever since, I’ve been a little obsessed with figuring out all the ways a blazer (and a few see-through layers, honestly) can go from stiff to something you actually want to wear.
20 Ways to Style a Blazer, a Funnel Neck, and a Little Sheer
Black Tuxedo Blazer With Straight-Leg Jeans
This is the one that started it all for me. A crisp black blazer over straight-leg jeans is the combo I reach for again and again, especially the good tuxedo blazer outfits women keep coming back to for a reason. It looks pulled together without trying too hard.
Roll the sleeves and add a pair of loafers or a low heel.
Brown Funnel Neck Jacket With Wide-Leg Trousers
Oh I love a good chocolate brown right now. There is something so warm and rich about it, especially against camel or cream. Pair a brown funnel neck jacket with wide-leg trousers and you have got this quiet, expensive-looking outfit that costs whatever you want it to cost.
The funnel neck does the work of a scarf, which means one less thing to lose in the car. I always lose scarves.
Black Sheer Top With Blue Jeans
Now we are getting into the fun part. A black sheer top with a simple blue jean feels a little dressed up and a little casual at the same time, which is exactly the balance I chase most days. My friend Dana wore this to a dinner last month and I could not stop staring (in a good way).
Layer something underneath so you feel comfortable. A little tank or camisole works perfectly.
Sheer Turtleneck Under Slip Dress
This is such a clever trick and I only learned it a couple years ago. Slide a thin sheer turtleneck under a slip dress and suddenly that summer dress becomes a fall dress. Some of the best sheer layering outfits come from this exact move, taking one piece and stretching it across two seasons.
Black under black is the safest bet. But a white turtleneck under a darker slip is really pretty too.
White Tuxedo Shirt With Black Tailored Trousers
Classic. Timeless. A little bit borrowed-from-the-menswear-department in the best way. A white tuxedo shirt tucked into black tailored trousers is the kind of outfit that looks the same in photos from decades ago as it does today.
Leave the top button undone. Add a slim belt. And if you own a nice watch, this is its moment to shine.
Leather Funnel Neck Jacket With Balloon Pants
So this one is a little more fashion-forward and I will not lie to you, I was nervous about balloon pants for a long time. They felt too much. But paired with a fitted leather funnel neck jacket on top, the proportions just work. Snug up top, roomy down below.
Keep the shoes simple here. A sleek boot or a clean sneaker so the pants get to be the star.
Sheer Lace Top With Midi Skirt
A sheer lace top has a romantic, slightly old-fashioned feeling that I really love.
Tuck it into a midi skirt (satin or a swishy pleated one) and you have got an outfit for a wedding, a birthday dinner, whatever the calendar throws at you.
Sheer Dress Over Black Bodysuit
Here is where sheer top outfits and sheer dresses start blending together, and I am here for all of it. A see-through dress over a solid black bodysuit gives you all the drama of the sheer fabric with none of the worry. You stay covered where it counts and the dress just floats over top.
This is a going-out outfit for me. My sister wore hers to a party in the spring and got three compliments before she even sat down.
Oversized Tuxedo Blazer With Mini Skirt
Long jacket, short skirt. That contrast is the entire point. An oversized blazer paired with a little mini skirt is playful and a bit unexpected, and it makes your legs look like they go on for days.
Add tights when it gets cool. Add tall boots when it gets colder. This one adapts.
Black Funnel Neck Jacket With White Jeans
I know, I know, some people are scared of white jeans past a certain date on the calendar. I am not one of those people. A black funnel neck jacket against crisp white denim is a sharp, graphic look that feels modern without shouting about it.
Great funnel neck jacket outfits almost always start with a strong color pairing, and black-on-white is about as strong as it gets.
White Sheer Blouse With Tailored Pants
A white sheer blouse tucked into tailored pants reads as office-appropriate and dinner-appropriate all at once, which is the dream if you go straight from work to somewhere else. Layer a camisole underneath and you can wear it anywhere.
Sometimes the simplest combos are the ones I wear the most. This is one of them.
Sheer Top Under Oversized Blazer
Take a delicate sheer top and throw a big structured blazer over it. The blazer gives you coverage and shape, while the sheer peeks out at the collar and the wrists. It’s a soft-meets-structured thing and I cannot get enough of it.
Button the blazer if you want to feel more covered. Leave it open if you don’t. You are the boss here.
Tuxedo Blazer With Satin Slip Dress
Now THIS is the outfit I would wear to almost any evening event. A satin slip dress on its own can feel a little bare, but throw a sharp blazer over it and suddenly it’s dressed and grown-up and lovely.
The contrast of the stiff blazer and the fluid, shiny dress is what makes it. Add strappy heels and you are done, tbh.
Cropped Funnel Neck Jacket With Leggings
Okay, athleisure but make it a little chic. A cropped funnel neck jacket over leggings is my running-errands, coffee-run, school-pickup uniform. It looks put together but I can move in it, which matters when you are chasing kids around a parking lot.
Clean white sneakers finish it off. And a little bag across the body so my hands stay free.
Black Sheer Blouse With Maxi Skirt
A flowing maxi skirt with a black sheer blouse gives off this effortless, breezy feeling that I associate with warm evenings and long dinners outside. It moves when you walk. It photographs beautifully.
Half-tuck the blouse into the skirt so you keep your waistline. Nobody wants to disappear into a sea of fabric.
Sheer Maxi Skirt Over Mini Skirt
So this is more of a fashion-y idea and I will admit it took me a minute to understand it. A sheer maxi skirt layered over a solid mini gives you all the length and drama of a long skirt while keeping the shorter one underneath for coverage. It’s clever and a little theatrical.
My niece pulled this off at a music festival and I thought, well, I could never. And then I sort of wanted to.
Tuxedo Blazer With Wide-Leg Jeans
Wide-leg jeans and a blazer. If straight-leg jeans are my everyday, then wide-leg is my slightly-fancier everyday. The proportion feels a little more relaxed, a little more current.
Add a heeled boot underneath the long hem so you get some height and the jeans do not puddle on the floor. And tuck a simple top underneath, nothing too busy.
Red Funnel Neck Jacket With Pencil Skirt
A red funnel neck jacket. Bold, yes. But paired with a black or camel pencil skirt, it becomes the pop of color that makes the entire outfit interesting. Red is one of those colors that just always looks classy, I swear.
Keep everything else neutral so the jacket gets to do the talking. Beige heels, simple earrings, done.
Sheer Mesh Top Over Tank Top
A sheer mesh top over a solid tank is the easiest way to try the see-through trend without feeling exposed. The tank keeps you covered and the mesh adds that little bit of edge on top. My kind of compromise.
I like a black mesh over a black tank for something sleek, or a white mesh over a colored tank for a bit of playfulness. Both work.
Sheer Shirt Over Bralette With Jeans
For the confident days. A sheer button-up shirt worn over a little bralette with jeans is casual and a bit daring at the same time. Great sheer top outfits let you dial the coverage up or down depending on how bold you feel that morning.
Tuck the shirt in and add a belt for structure. Roll the sleeves. And keep the jeans simple so the top gets to be the moment.
