The Blazer.

The navy blazer is the single most useful jacket a man can own. It works with grey trousers for a professional look, with khaki or cream chinos for smart-casual occasions, with jeans for a dressed-up weekend look. It accepts almost any shirt — white, blue, stripe — and any tie or no tie. It is appropriate in offices with relaxed dress codes, at business dinners where a full suit is unnecessary, at weddings as a guest where black tie is not specified, and at social occasions across a very broad range of settings.

The classic blazer is navy — a true, deep navy, not a washed or faded version — in a fine worsted or a soft barathea. Buttons are brass, horn or a dark shell — not the shiny gold-plated variety that looks cheap within a year. Two or three front buttons, with working sleeve buttons. Two or three flap pockets. A chest breast pocket for a pocket square. Clean and understated, or, in the right cloth, the beginning of something more personal.

While navy is the canonical blazer colour, a charcoal or dark grey blazer functions almost as well. A dark green blazer is less conventional but highly versatile. A burgundy or oxblood blazer has a period character that works well in social and creative settings. In each case the key is the cloth: a blazer earns its keep by being in a fabric that drapes well, holds its pressed look, and ages with dignity rather than fading or pilling.

Linen blazers in natural, stone or light grey are excellent for Chennai's climate and for warm-weather social occasions. They crease readily — this is part of their character, not a flaw — and they breathe in a way that wool does not. A bespoke linen blazer made from a good European linen is one of the most satisfying warm-weather commissions we take.