The perfect prep school blazer

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Maybe it was a backlash to yesterday’s slothfulness that caused me to wake up bright and early this morning with a hankering for some Target shopping.

I hit my local store at 8:30 a.m., snapped a few things from the Thakoon for Target line and pushed my cart over to the little boys section where I sometimes find cute button-downs. There they had two racks filled with mismatched suit jackets and slacks in navy and black. I love the look of a shrunken preppy blazer, but the boys sizes at Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren are still more than $200.

Slipping on a boy’s size 10 or XL in navy, I immediately felt a rush of Hogwarts meets “School Ties” chic and the jacket was just $34.99. The only thing missing was the burnished gold buttons.

I stopped at a downtown fabric store that has bins of old buttons and found university-esque styles. I replaced the two buttons in the front and 2 on the cuffs. All 6 buttons cost just $3.

For under $40, I got the shrunken, prep school look I’ve been wanting. It also made for a fun and easy rainy day project -- perfect for today.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Top: Target blazer ‘before.’ Credit: Melissa Magsaysay

Middle: Target blazer ‘after.’ Credit: Adam Tschorn

Bottom left: Ralph Lauren Rugby ‘little boy polo jacket’ ($298). Credit: RL Rugby

Bottom right: Brooks Brothers little boys navy blazer ($268). Credit: Brooks Brothers