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Ablazer is a distinct type of lightweightsports jacket, traditionally made of navy or striped wool or linen. It is typically characterised by metal buttons on the front and sleeves. In terms of formality withinWestern dress codes, a blazer has a dressier appearance than other sports jackets, yet is seen as less formal than asuit jacket.[1]
First introduced in the 1860s as a scarlet jacket in club or plain colours for boating or cricket, it began to shed its sporting associations in the 1930s. The double-breasted navy version in particular established itself as a staple of classic style, occupying a space between the casual tweed jacket and the formal dark suit, and soon became linked to the lifestyle of wealthy elites.[2][3][4] Coloured variants, however, continue to appear in some circles as semi-active sportswear, notably after cricket or rowing.[4]
A "nautical blazer" is defined as a double-breasted navy jacket with naval-style metal buttons, traditionally gold and sometimes silver. "Rowing" or "cricket blazers" are characterised by brightly coloured stripes and a breast-pocket badge denoting club or college affiliation. Other variations, often with a contrasting piping along notched lapels, are worn in more formal settings such as the presentation of cups or medals.[5][6]
Blazers are also commonly worn as part ofuniforms, for instance by airline employees, school pupils, sports clubs, and competitive teams.
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Blazers are worn with a wide variety of clothes, ranging from adress shirt andnecktie to an open-necked polo shirt, or even just a plaint-shirt. They are seen with trousers of all colours and fabrics, from the classic white cotton orlinen, to greyflannel, to brown or beigechinos, and alsojeans.[7]
A fitted, classically cut, double-breasted navy blue blazer with navy-style buttons is a popular design and sometimes referred to as a "reefer" blazer. Particularly in North America and the UK, it is often used inbusiness casual attire.
Blazers, in a wide range of colours, are worn as part ofschool uniforms by many schools across theCommonwealth, and are still daily wear for most uniformed pupils in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These are blazers in the traditional sense: single-breasted, and often of bright colours or withpiping. This style is also worn by some boat clubs, such as those inCambridge orOxford, with the piped version used only on special occasions such as a boat club dinner. In this case, the piping is incollege colours, and college buttons are worn. This traditional style can be seen in many feature films set in theEdwardian era, such asKind Hearts and Coronets.
Where the blazer is part of the dress of a school, college, sports club, or armed service regimental association (veterans' organization), it is normal for a badge to be sewn to the breast pocket. In schools, this badge may vary according to the pupil's standing in the school: being a member of the junior or senior school, being aprefect, or having been awarded colours in recognition of particular achievement in some academic or sporting field. In the Commonwealth, many regimental associations wear "regimental blazers" which also sport a similar badge on the breast pocket, usually in the form of a wire badge, and sometimes also regimental blazer buttons.
In theBritish Army, officers do not normally wear badges on their blazers (or boating jackets). Two regimental blazers will rarely be the same, as they are sourced from different civilian suppliers and are not issued by any authority. This results from the fact that the members of the association are no longer serving personnel, but civilians, though still retaining the bond that the badge represents. The standard colour is navy blue, although in some associations different colours are worn, such asrifle green for the associations of rifle regiments.
Blazers, once commonly worn playing or attending traditional "gentlemen's sports", persist in only some games now, such as occasional use by tennis players, or in cricket, where in professional matches, such as international test matches, it is considered customary for the captain to wear a blazer with the team's logo or national coat of arms on the breast pocket—at least during the coin toss at the beginning of the match.
Two sporting events where blazers signify victory are theCongressional Cup Regatta,[8] at theLong Beach Yacht Club, California, and theMasters golf tournament,[9] held inAugusta,Georgia. The former event awards a crimson blazer to the winner of the regatta, while the latter awards a green blazer to the winner of the Masters.
The sartorial termblazer originally referred to the bright red boating jackets worn by members of theLady Margaret Boat Club (founded 1825), the rowing club ofSt John's College inCambridge.[10]
Walter Wren, a writer to the LondonDaily News (22 August 1889) commented that "In your article of to-day … you speak of 'a striped red and black blazer', 'the blazer', also of 'the pale toned' ones. … A blazer is the red flannel boating jacket worn by the Lady Margaret, St. John's College, Cambridge, Boat Club. When I was at Cambridge it meant that and nothing else. It seems from your article that a blazer now means a coloured flannel jacket, whether for cricket, tennis, boating, or seaside wear."[11]
These early blazers were like later sports jackets, but this term has never referred to blazers, instead describing jackets derived from the later innovation of wearing odd jackets for land-based sports. Assertions that the name is derived from HMSBlazer are not borne out by contemporary sources, although it is reported that before thestandardization of uniform in the Royal Navy, the crew of HMSBlazer wore "striped blue and white jackets",[12] apparently in response to the sailors ofHMSHarlequin being turned out inharlequin suits.[13] As late as 1837 the gig's crew of HMSBlazer were dressed by their Captain in jackets of blue and white stripes and it is from this that the wordblazer, meaning a striped jacket, has entered the language.[14][vague]
The reefer jacket of naval origin, described the short double-breasted jacket worn by sailors in harsh weather, while performing duties such asreefing the sails. It is the descendants of these jackets that are now commonly referred by the termblazer. Originally featuring black horn buttons, these jackets evolved into the modern dark blazer, now available in both single and double-breasted styles, often with metallic buttons.
Striped blazers became popular among BritishMods in the early 1960s, and again during theMod revival of the late 1970s – particularly in three-colour thick/thin stripe combinations, with three-button single-breasted front, five- or six-inch side or centre vents, and cuffs with multiple buttons. Various photos from 1964 and 1965 show London mods in boating blazers. Photos of mod iconsthe Who from 1964 (as theHigh Numbers) variously showPete Townshend,Keith Moon andJohn Entwistle wearing boating blazers.
Another mod band,Small Faces, and other bands liked by mods – such asthe Rolling Stones,the Beatles,the Kinks,Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames,the Animals,the Yardbirds,the Moody Blues, andthe Troggs – had band members wearing striped blazers/boating jackets, or later, brightly coloured blazers with wide white or other light edging. These later blazers often had non-metal buttons, sometimes in the same colour as the edging. The earlier style of striped blazers can be seen in the filmQuadrophenia. The later, bright, style of blazer was affectionately adopted byAustin Powers as part of hisSwinging-London look.[citation needed]
By the late 2000s the blazer had been adopted as a popular fashion trend amongst women, often having shorter lengths, rolled-up sleeves, various lapels and bright colours.
Media related toBlazers at Wikimedia Commons