SMYTHE is the Toronto label that made the blazer its whole point of view. I keep coming back to it because the jackets look like they belong to a real person, not a suit.
Smythe Blazers: The Pieces I'd Buy First
The blazer that stands on its own
I used to think of a blazer as the leftover half of a suit, and SMYTHE is the label that talked me out of it. Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe started it in Toronto in 2004 with one idea: a women's jacket that could hold its own outside the office. Lenczner had come from banking and then buying at Holt Renfrew, and Smythe had spent time in New York and Europe, so they both knew what a jacket needed to do before they drew one.
They did not stop at the jacket. The label is still independent and designed in Canada, and it has grown into ready-to-wear, with the About page telling the same story. Tailoring stays the center of everything, which I like. A sharply shaped jacket can do the formal work of a blazer and still have a point of view.
My plan for this edit is simple. Start with the blazer that fits your shoulders, then decide whether you want a waistcoat, a trouser or a shirt that makes it feel more like you.
Blazers for the days you want structure
The blazer collection tells the clearest version of the story. The Seamed Blazer and the Blocked Seamed Blazer keep the attention on line and construction, while the Saddle-patch Equestrian Blazer borrows a little from the stable. The Hourglass Blazer and Classic Duchess Blazer have a more shaped profile, and the Shawl Collar Oversized Blazer goes looser and easier. The Duchess Blazer and the Not A Db Blazer round out the lineup for anyone who wants a quieter version.
Picture her leaving a morning meeting for lunch with friends in the Duchess Blazer, simple trousers and a soft tee. That is what I appreciate about SMYTHE: a blazer can finish an outfit without turning it into a uniform. My practical test is the shoulder seam. If it pulls when you reach forward, or the lapel buckles when you button it, I would skip that size and try another.
Tailoring with a second act
Once the jacket is sorted, the rest of the line shows how SMYTHE builds a whole look around it. The Db Waistcoat and the Waistcoat take the tailored idea into a shorter layer, while the Pintuck Flare Pant, Cropped Pleated Trouser and Classic Pant give you three different ways to finish an outfit. For a softer change of pace there are the Funnel Neck Shell, the Side Button Cami and the Neck Tie Box Pleat Shirt.
Picture her going from a long day at work to a small gallery opening in the Neck Tie Box Pleat Shirt and the Cropped Pleated Trouser, with the waistcoat in reserve if she wants a sharper line. What I would skip: buying a whole set around a jacket you have not lived in yet. Add one new shape at a time, and if you are stuck between two trousers, start with the pair that works with the shoes you reach for most.
A jacket that earns its place
SMYTHE started from a problem a lot of women will recognize: a blazer can feel too formal as part of a suit and too shapeless on its own. The founders made the jacket the whole idea and let the rest of the closet grow around it. I like that the line still asks for a little intention instead of a pile of new things. The next piece should earn its place by changing what you can wear with the ones you already own. I would start at the shoulder and let everything else follow, although I suspect the waistcoat will tempt me anyway.
