J.Crew Classic Schoolboy Blazer {new school vs old school}

J.Crew sent out an email, as well as featured in their latest catalog, the new and improved Schoolboy Blazer. J.Crew shared the following about this newest wardrobe staple:

Some History: School uniforms started in the 1500s in England, but the term "blazer" wasn't coined until 1825 by a group of Cambridge University students (the style was later adopted by '60s Mods as a symbol of youthful independence). Who Knew?

The New Schoolboy Blazer: Sometimes we take a lesson from you. You asked for it, so we gave the schoolboy a few new design updates, making it way better and the only blazer you'll ever need.

The Details: (1) A slightly longer length elongates everything, so it's extra flattering. (2) Our silky stripe lining makes it even more comfortable. (3) Four buttons instead of three add detail and polish. (4) A menswear-inspired ticket pocket can hold little stuff like lipstick or credit cards- though we prefer keeping it closed.

 Some of you already checked out this blazer in person- and the reviews seem neutral towards negative when it comes to the changes. In particular, the comments made it sound like the details didn't upgrade too much (the length wasn't too significant, adding an extra button not a big deal, etc.). Naturally, this makes me even more curious about the new blazer...

Thankfully, there is a super detailed review of the New Schoolboy Blazer in Navy (item 03171; $198.00) with its predecessor, Classic Schoolboy Blazer in Navy (item 28233; $198.00) by Elle, over at her {amazing} "Fast Food & Fast Fashion" blog. Check out her "Review: J. Crew Classic Schoolboy Blazer in Navy vs. New Schoolboy Blazer in Navy" post. There are tons of images that showcase both blazers side by side making the comparison easy.

From the review, it doesn't seem like much of an improvement to make such a fuss about. Even the length (which I was most excited about!) doesn't appear to be that great. The body length increased slightly from 24 1/4" to 25 1/8.

On a related a note, I find the Classic Schoolboy Blazer recent promo-price fluctuation during the past two weeks fascinating. The rarely-goes-on-sale-blazer was a part of the "instant gratification" sale last week- allowing customers to score this normally $198 item for just $99. (Some JCAs even managed to get it for an additional 40% off- for a grand total of $60!) A few JCAs speculated it was to move inventory of the classic blazer (to make room for the new blazer counterpart). Once the "instant gratification" sale ended, the promotional price of the jacket jumped to something like $128 (I can't remember the exact number). Today, the blazer is still on promotion, but for $178.

J.Crew probably believed the New Schoolboy Blazer would handily replace the Classic version. However, I suspect they got quite a bit of push back from customers preferring the Classic Blazer (which encouraged the price rises!)

What are your thoughts on the New versus Classic Schoolboy Blazer? Have you seen the new one in person? Are the improvements worth it? Please share your thoughts! :)

Quick Poll: Do you prefer the Classic or New Schoolboy Blazer?