There is no difference. Either way, the blazer is just too big

By Ray Zhang

I was in a haste to meet a friend for lunch. The rain had drenched the possibility for me to be on time—a situation I always try to avoid. As I gathered my pace, worried that my denim Asics would be soaked, something in a window caught my attention. I had to stop and look. The Balenciaga blazer that I remembered from the spring/summer 2024 show in Paris was beckoning. It was not as smart-looking as I thought a tailored garment such as this should be. It is huge, to start with, a hulky presence. Even the hanger on which the garment held on to was not broad enough to support the massive shoulders. The blazer fell forward on the left in a lopsided hunch. If it cannot look good on a hanger in a window, what was the chance it might be spiffy on my bony shoulders?

I told myself I would return after lunch to have a closer look at the sartorial abnormality. And I did. The amicable sales girl happily and helpfully told me that it was designed “oversized” when I showed interest in my massive target. She told me that the blazer hanging before me was a “double XS”. Oh! It looked way bigger than that. What is the European equivalent in terms of size, I asked. Without answering, she suggested I try it on, and, if necessary, I could “take it one size up”. I have never worn anything in XXS, I felt like telling her. There is always a first time, so I decided to slip on the jacket to experience the fit. She eased it off the hanger, and directed me to a full-length mirror away from the window. Opening the garment to expose its gaping armhole, she helped me put the truncated wool jacket on. And stood aside for me to admire my foolish self in the spotless mirror.

The first thing that hit me was the weight. It was rather hefty. And then there were the shoulder pads. These were so massive that they felt more like arm rests. The end of the pads towards the neck met the end of my shoulders, which looked like they were falling off. I felt like I had on a blazer designed for the better-muscled ape, King Kong. As I scrutinised myself in the mirror, I saw that the shoulder line was not straight. And the crumpled peaked lapel at the top did not embrace my neck. It clearly did not sit on me neatly. Was it not supposed to? Perhaps what was missing was a bulky French terry hoodie under it. The sleeves of the blazer were very long; they nearly reached my knee. A yueju (粤剧, Cantonese opera) performer might appreciate them. “You want to try one size bigger,” the serious sales girl asked me. Bigger? I told her, eyes lit, my friends would not let me get away with it. Seriously.

Balenciaga ‘cropped blazer’, SGD4,700, is available at Balenciaga stores. Photo: Chin Boh Kay