Blazers are as popular today as they have ever been. They are an item of clothing that has never really gone completely out of fashion. At all times, at least one sector of the population could be seen sporting a blazer.
Today, they are being worn by men of all ages. You will also see them on kids and very occasionally teenagers who like the idea of pairing them with jeans or modern styled chinos when they have to look smart, but do not want to wear a suit.
The Blazer Through Time
Blazers have been with us for over 170 years. Legend has it that the Commander of the H.M.S. Blazer was the person who came up with this design of jacket. His ship was due to be inspected by Queen Victoria and he felt his crew needed smartening up, so came up with a jacket that largely covered up what was being worn underneath.
Blazers remained something worn only by the navy for a couple of decades, but slowly began to be worn by other institutions. For example, they were widely worn by public school boys. In particular, for their sports teams, blazers looked good over the top of most sports uniforms.
At this point, they morphed from being single coloured, double-breasted jackets with gold buttons into something entirely different. The design began to vary widely and bold bright, often striped, jackets became the norm. Club badges or insignia were another common feature.
By the 1920s, they had entered mainstream fashion and stylish mens blazers were to be seen all over the place. Gentlemen began to wear them for attending formal outdoor occasions. In the 20s, some women began to wear them too as part of a nautical look. A style that is popular even today.
The Modern Blazer
However, in the 1920s they were still really only worn by the upper classes. It was not until the late 1930’s that other classes began to wear them. They were found mainly as part of a formal suit, but gradually as men were able to afford to spend more on clothes, buying a blazer as well as a suit became possible and they really took off.
Austin Reed sells a fantastic selection of stylish mens blazers . They have something to suit every taste.