Posted at 12:00 p.m.
It goes with everything. Jeans, a skirt, shorts, and it’s always chic. At the office or on weekends, you can wear it effortlessly. Fluid, textured or printed, the blazer makes an impact and is a wardrobe essential.
Laurence Bareil, founder of VerySmart.ca and author of The smart shopping bible, readily admits that she loves blazers. However, it brings a nuance, because the blazer, historically, was a jacket that was not coordinated with the bottom.
“It’s so easy to wear, whatever our age, our size, our daily activities,” she says. It immediately gives a nice look and style, in addition to being comfortable. »
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PHOTO FROM RW & CO. WEBSITE.
Linen blazer, RW & CO., $169.90
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PHOTO FROM BANANA REPUBLIC WEBSITE
Three-button blazer, Banana Republic, $300
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PHOTO FROM ZARA WEBSITE
Button-up textured blazer, Zara, $139
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PHOTO FROM SIMONS WEBSITE
Double-breasted blazer with marbled buttons, Simons, $150
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PHOTO FROM MANGO WEBSITE
Flowing double-breasted pink polka dot jacket, Mango, $179.99
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PHOTO FROM ZARA WEBSITE
Double-breasted long blazer, Zara, $99.90
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PHOTO FROM SIMONS WEBSITE
Fitted jacket with gold buttons, Simons, $150
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Fashion journalist and lecturer at LaSalle College Lolitta Dandoy shares this opinion. “He’s everywhere this spring. It never really disappeared, but it was put aside during the pandemic. There, we wear it in all sauces, in all colors, the blazer is dressed, relaxed, oversized. There is also the blazer dress that we see a lot, ”she notes. She points out that the blazer comes from England and has long been reserved for men.
The origins
The blazer would have two origins. In 1837, during the visit of Queen Victoria on the ship HMS Blazer, the captain had his sailors put on a navy blue double-breasted jacket with gold buttons for the occasion. It became the uniform of the English navy, hence the name “blazer”. Its origins can also be traced to the rowing team of Saint John’s College, Cambridge, which around 1820 wore flamboyant red and white jackets.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LOLITTA DANDOY
Lolitta Dandoy, fashion journalist and lecturer at LaSalle College
“The blazer has long been associated with elite sports like golf, cricket, tennis and rowing. It was worn with a crest, emblem of the sports team, explains Lolitta Dandoy. At the beginning of the XXand century, it is found in prestigious universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Princeton. The men wore the blazer with the crest to show their symbol of belonging and the prestige of the university where they studied. The blazer was then democratized in the 1950s.
As for women, it was the suffragettes who started wearing the male blazer.
Around 1910, they wore it with a goal of equality. It was a feminist act.
Lolitta Dandoy, fashion journalist and lecturer at LaSalle College
“In terms of fashion, it was Gabrielle Chanel who launched the tweed jacket in 1954 with the creation of the skirt suit, so that women were comfortable and could move. Later, Karl Lagerfeld modernized the tweed jacket by combining it with jeans, shorts or a miniskirt,” continues Lolitta Dandoy.
In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent was the first to introduce the women’s tuxedo, then the trouser suit. The blazer has become, thanks to this designer, an essential part of the female wardrobe. “In the 1980s, the female power suit, with shoulder pads and styling Working Girl, like in the film, is very popular”, observes Lolitta Dandoy. And this style is coming back this year.
Today, the blazer is this timeless one that we wear with everything, on a daily basis. Long, short, narrow, in different materials. “There are blazers of all styles, for all tastes and silhouettes. For the summer, the cotton and linen blend is very pleasant to wear,” emphasizes Laurence Bareil on the eve of the summer season.