Comparison: Blixen Blazer vs. La Paz Jacket

There aren’t too many “real” blazer patterns out there in the indie sewing community, and it’s rare that two of them are released around the same time. I knew that both Christina from Wardrobe By Me and Kennis from Itch To Stitch were working on blazer patterns, and I knew that I definitely wanted to test both. So when both blazers were tested at the same time, I just needed to test both of them.

Even though both the Blixen Blazer by Wardrobe By Me and the La Paz Jacket by Itch To Stith are knit blazer patterns, they are quite different and depending on what you’re looking for, you might choose one over the other. You can read my review of the La Paz Jacket here and the review of the Blixen Blazer here. I just have to admit that I like both patterns a lot, and I won’t let one of the patterns “win” – I just want to give you a little comparison. So let’s go!

The pattern – drafting & instructions

Christina and Kennis are both designers who know what they’re doing – they know how to draft and they know how to grade. There are a lot of designers out there with limited designing and grading knowledge – but these two pattern companies are definitely reliable. Kennis’s instructions are more thorough than Christina’s – if you’re a beginner sewist Kennis’s instructions might be easier to follow, if you know most sewing techniques you’ll find Christina’s instructions more than enough. The instructions are just written for a slightly different audience. Both designers have facebook groups and are more than happy to help if you have any questions or get stuck.

Printing & assembling the pattern

Both patterns come as a layered pdf, allowing you to choose to print only the size or the sizes you need. The Itch to Stitch pattern pages need to be trimmed, the Wardrobe By Me patterns are no-trim pages, but can be trimmed if desired, too. Both patterns include a copy shop version.

The sizing

The La Paz Jacket comes in sizes 00 to 20. The smallest bust size included ( size 00, A-cup) is 30″ (76 cm), the biggest (size 20, DD-cup) is 49″ (roughly 124 cm). The Blixen Blazer comes in sizes 0 to 16, size 0 being a 30″ (76 cm) bust, size 16 being designed for a 42″ (108 cm) bust.

The Overall Shape and Look

Both patterns have a classic collar and lapel, are closed with one/two buttons in the front and have round edges in the front. The La Paz Jacket has princess seams in the front, the front of the Blixen Blazer consists of a continuous pattern piece. The La Paz Jacket is a little shorter than the Blixen Blazer. In my opinion, the Blixen Blazer looks even more like a classic blazer – because of the overall design and the length. The La Paz Jacket is a little more casual because of the shorter length and the pocket flaps.

Pattern Options

The La Paz Jacket doesn’t come with different options. But there are different cup sizes included, making it easier to get a good fit for ladies with a particularly small or big bust. The Blixen Blazer includes 3/4 sleeves and a peplum back for a little more fancy version.

On the Inside

The Blixen Blazer is lined, the La Paz Jacket is unlined. Kennis has two tutorials on her blog showing you how to add a Hong Kong Finish to your La Paz Jacket, making the inside beautiful, even without a lining. There’s a back stay added to the Itch To Stitch Jacket to stabilize the back. Not having a lining makes the La Paz Jacket a little more casual, too. Sewing the lining is quicker than the Hong Kong Finish, but if you finish the seams of the La Paz Jacket with a serger, the La Paz jacket might be quicker to make.

The Back

Both blazers have a seam down the back, giving you a nice shape. The peplum version of the Blixen Blazer has a waist seam, too, since that’s where the peplum piece is attached. The La Paz Jacket has a classic vent to make moving around easier, the back of both versions of the Blixen Blazer is closed. The peplum back gives you extra room without needing a vent, and I didn’t find the straight back version restricting in any way, either.

The Sleeves

Both blazers have two-pieced sleeves. The sleeves of the Blixen blazer are hemmed by adding the lining, the sleeves of the La Paz Jacket are hemmed by adding a facing to the sleeves. The sleeves of the La Paz Jacket have a slit and are closed by adding a button. This makes it harder to adjust the length of the sleeves of the La Paz Jacket, since you can’t adjust the length after trying the jacket on.

The Pockets

Both patterns come with welt pockets. The pockets of the Blixen Blazer are hidden by the lining, the pockets of the La Paz Jacket are visible on the inside. The Blixen Blazer has “simple” welt pockets, the La Paz Jacket has a pocket flap added to the top welt.

Darts & Pleats

The La Paz Jacket has a dart on the front – starting at the corner of the collar and going down towards the bust. The Blixen Blazer has a dart that’s sewn from the waist/the welt pocket up towards the bust, ending just below it. The Blixen Blazer has a dart at the back shoulder, too. The lining has a pleat at the back and the sides, at bust heights.

These are the main differences I can remember right now. So – which blazer are you going to start with? As I said before, I can definitely recommend both! Let me know if you have any more questions, I’m happy to answer them! You can buy the La Paz Jacket here and the Blixen Blazer here.

 

– This blog post contains affiliate links. However, all opinions are, as always, my own. –