The blazer has been with us for nearly 200 years now and even today, it is a very popular style of jacket. There is some dispute over which kinds of jackets can be called blazers and which cannot. Over the years, the way they look has evolved and changed. Today, you can buy blazers in many different styles. They are basically a suit style jacket that is designed to be worn with slacks, pants or, today, jeans.
A traditional blazer is usually navy blue, double breasted and has navy style buttons. In other words, gold buttons. Even today navy men’s blazers are the most popular style.
The Origins of Blazers
The first record or blazers being worn was in 1825. The members of the Lady Margaret Boat Club from St. John’s College, Cambridge wore red jackets. It is said that because the red was so bright it was blazing red, hence the word for their jackets was a blazer. Gradually it was used for other sporting club jackets. These jackets usually had the club badge on the pocket, in other words they were emblazoned with the sporting club’s emblem or logo. For this reason, some textile historians believe that this was the true origin of the word. Because of the naval appearance of traditional blue blazers, other people believe that the word has in origins in HMS Blazer, but this theory is the least popular of the three.
By the 1900s, men were wearing their sporting blazers outside of the club. It was at this point that they began to enter mainstream men’s fashion.
Modern Blazers
Today, blazers come in a huge array of styles. They are made out of all kinds of materials and come in every colour or pattern under the sun. Which you buy is very much a matter of personal taste. However, the trousers you plan to wear your blazer with need to be taken into account. You also have to be careful about the texture of your blazer. A wool blazer simply does not work with canvas chinos even if the style and shade is right.
Austin Reed sells a great range of navy mens blazers. They stock many different styles made from high quality material.