The blazer is a jacket originating from sportswear. In the mid-nineteenth century, the brightly colored uniform jackets with metal buttons worn in English cricket and rowing clubs signified team affiliation, rather than just a style of clothing, as is sometimes implied today.
The first documented use of the word is linked to the Lady Margaret Boat Club of Cambridge University: in 1825, its members wore bright red jackets that contemporaries called blazers—named after the English word blaze, meaning «to burn,» due to the fabric’s color.Another theory attributes its origin to the uniform of the ship HMS Blazer, but it was the athletic, club version that solidified in the language and the history of costume.Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, the blazer spread to other sports organized in Britain through club systems—cricket, sailing, and later tennis. The color, stripes, and the coat-of-arms patch on the breast pocket served as a team or institutional identifier—the blazer functioned literally as a uniform.The blazer’s detachment from a specific team occurred in the first half of the 20th century when this cut of jacket permeated university and business fashion—first as part of the Ivy League graduate look, and later as an element of smart-casual business attire, a style that persists to this day.Contemporary designers use the blazer as a neutral staple piece, but the cut, double-breasted closure, and metal hardware remain a direct citation of the club uniform, even when the garment itself has completely severed ties with sport.
Photo: Rowing blazers