Blazers go through lots of mood swings, from happy gingham to seriously belted and buckled but they are always a wardrobe “essential.” A blazer is the fashion staple of almost every woman we know. Some men have given them up in favor of hipster cardigans but all fashionistas and just plain women who dress up, occasionally, should perish the thought.
The term ‘blazer” was first coined for the rowing crew of blazing red-jacketed athletes from Cambridge or Oxford or some other preppie rowing on the Thames set. Originally loose fitting and warm, the jackets were colorful identifiers of rugby and cricket teams and not long after, blazers started to make their way into civilian life.
A blazer is described as somewhat more formal than a sport coat, which is fine because we would never even consider a sport coat. But a blazer is just the “thing” when you really need to step up. Keep one in your car, when you want to obfuscate the yoga pants you’ve been wearing for three days. Toss one on your capable shoulders when you want to employ an air of imperiousness. Buy a blazer every few years and add it to a collection that never tires. Except for the mod look of the sixties and those unfortunate outsize shoulder pads of the eighties, blazers haven’t changed all that much and the message is the same: we are smart, we are comfortable, casual and perfectly at home on the crew or in a library pulling the threads that are hanging from one of our old favorites. Might be time to invest in a new essential.
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