There are two different theories concerning the origins of the jacket called a ‘blazer’. One states that bright red blazers were worn by members of The Lady Margaret Boat Club, founded in 1825 for the oarsmen of St John’s College, Cambridge. Tailored from bright red flannel, a popular 19th century fabric, these boating jackets were apparently so vivid that onlookers described them as setting the water ablaze. The alternative account relates how in 1837 the Commander of the Royal Navy Frigate HMS Blazer, preparing for an inspection by the young Queen Victoria, tried to improve the appearance of his crew, which did not yet wear a standardised naval uniform. He devised a short blue (or possibly blue and white) jacket with Royal Navy buttons and reputedly the Queen so admired the effect that she ordered all sailors to follow suit. This probably inspired the double-breasted ‘reefer’-style blazer/jacket familiar today, as these were worn by sailors for tasks such as reefing the sails.

Whatever its earlier history, from the late-1880s the blazer signified a relaxed jacket for sports and leisure wear. Fashioned from white, plain-coloured or striped flannel cloth, it was favoured for cricket, tennis, boating and the seaside. By the 1890s it was often teamed with white flannel trousers and a straw boater hat (see the August issue of the Periodical) for weekends and holidays. For cricket and tennis, blazers with bold stripes or contrasting binding in club colours matched the round sports cap, with the blazer breast pocket bearing an identifying badge.

In the early-1900s, blazer jackets entered boys’ and girls’ school uniform as part of a regulation outfit representing their institution. As female sports advanced, sportswomen also adopted club blazers and nowadays a blazer still forms part of the kit for many sports teams worldwide. A dark blazer, often double-breasted with brass buttons, also became popular for smart-casual wear and modern versions remain fashionable today.