Interesting observations there.

The blazer is fascinating, it is as loved by the 'well dressed' (replace with clothes hobbyist if you are feeling unkind) as it is loathed by most ordinary people in the UK. I will put my cards on the table and say I think it is one of the most flattering, elegant garments a man can wear. However, the blazer has suffered from two strands of cultural thinking which have developed in the UK over the last 30 years or so at least.

1) Anything associated with the upper classes has been rejected by the masses made up of the lower middle classes and subjected to outright ridicule .. the blazer along with dinner jacket, tweed jackets (which have made somewhat of a resurgence with jeans as some of the old connotations have been forgotten), all manner of accessories such as  ascots, bow ties etc have also fallen into this category. Since we are in the blogosphere you can see examples of this elsewhere on the interweb on for example a website called 'look at my red pants' or something along these lines, you can see from the derogatory comments that there are serious negative class connotations being drawn even in this day and age. I think that's why the younger generation of aristocracy in the UK now have joined the jeans and polo shirt crowd, with a 'modern cut' suit look for smart occasions. check pictures of prince William to see this effect in action.

2) Anything with historical lineage is seen now as fusty, boring and generally better confined to old men or the past, while the modern is promoted as a great leap forward (see synthetic mixes of wools for performance, water resistance etc Italian brands like Canali and even Ted Baker are experts at making hay from this sort of thing). The blazer has a clear connection to naval style uniforms worn at least back to the C18. If you go to the National Portrait Gallery in Covent Garden, you can see several portraits of various naval leaders wearing jackets remarkably similar to a double breasted blazer with gold buttons (with a tail), always with clean snow white trousers, white shirt with black (perhaps navy) cravats and black boots. Now that's pure power dressing.

Last edited by dryplum (2013-12-28 14:46:04)

The 'blazer' and the DB navy reefer are two different garments.

The blazer is still worn a lot in sporting context in the UK - golf, sailing, cricket clubs etc.

The blazer can also be seen as the poor man's office wear ( similar to a sports jacket) for someone who does not wear a suit.