All women have a blazer. Few know its history.
"
It's hundreds of years old and it's still young. It was born in the sports world and became a symbol of elegance. Implemented itself in the more traditional kingdoms and broke with all the dogmas of the fashion world. It is transversal. Timeless. Versatile. Single.
XIX CENTURY
The first version of the story.
The earliest version of the story links the emergence of the blazer with the oarsmen of the Oxford and Cambridge naval clubs in the nineteenth century. It was a broad coat, equivalent to current windbreakers, that served to protect the rowers from the cold during practice and racing. It also began to have colors and patterns to distinguish teams more easily.
In 1825, members of Cambridge University's Lady Margareth Naval Club wore a coat with just a row of buttons, fastened at the center. The piece was after named a blazer because of its intense red, vibrant, fire-like color (blaze or blazing). The naval club Lady Margareth still wears matching blazers today.
1837
Another version.
Another version says that in 1837 the captain of the British Navy Navy frigate HMS Blazer ordered the crew to wear a special costume to receive the visit of Queen Victoria. For this purpose, a double-buttoned blue twill jacket with gold buttons and the frigate's coat of arms were created. The Queen was so impressed that the coat became the official royal navy uniform.
The rowers began to wear the blazer in their daily lives, which made the coat a symbol of status. Other sports - such as horse riding, cricket, hunting, tennis and sailing - quickly wanted to adopt the same style.
With the influence of the World Wars, the women's fashion world adopted a more masculine style. Coco Chanel was the great forerunner in recreating the blazer, adapting it to the feminine silhouette. In the 1970s, Yves Saint-Laurent bet on sophistication and his blazers became popular with executive women. Armani became famous in the 1980s for rethinking the traditional blazer and turning it into a more relaxed and minimalist version.
The blazer has crossed centuries and generations and remained a fashion icon.
A blazer is almost always the right piece to wear.