History of the Blazer: From Menswear to a Female Wardrobe Essential

Today, the blazer has become an essential piece of the women's wardrobe. Straight, double-breasted, fitted, cropped, or oversized, it can be worn with trousers, a dress, or jeans.

But before becoming this symbol of timeless elegance, the blazer underwent a long evolution, closely linked to changes in fashion and the role of women in society.

The British origins of the blazer

The history of the blazer begins in Great Britain in the 19th century.

The term is notably associated with the bright red jackets worn by members of the Lady Margaret Boat Club, the rowing club of St John's College at Cambridge. Originally, these jackets were used to distinguish members of a sports club. The blazer gradually became established in the world of British leisure, particularly in rowing, cricket, and tennis.

At that time, it still belonged mainly to the men's and sports wardrobe, far from the versatile piece we know today.

The suit enters the women's wardrobe

At the end of the 19th century, women's clothing also began to borrow certain elements of men's tailoring.

British couturier John Redfern was one of the figures who contributed to this evolution. His house became renowned, in particular, for its structured women's clothing, riding outfits, and tailored ensembles.

The development of leisure and women's sports also helped to evolve the wardrobe. At the end of the 19th century, ensembles consisting of a jacket and matching skirt gradually became more common in the women's wardrobe.

These silhouettes offered a more structured look and were better suited to a rapidly changing everyday life.

Walking ensemble, House of Worth, circa 1889 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

A new silhouette for a new era

As women's role in society evolved, so too did their clothing.

Separate pieces, structured jackets, and suits allowed greater freedom in how to dress. The jacket gradually became a full-fledged daytime garment, worn with a skirt and later with trousers.

However, the earliest silhouettes remained very different from our contemporary blazers: the jackets could be long, fitted at the waist, and highly structured, in keeping with the dress codes of the time.

The women's blazer thus emerged less from a sudden break than from a gradual adoption of the codes of the men's wardrobe.

An American women's suit from 1890–1895

World War I accelerates the evolution of the women's wardrobe

World War I marked a new stage.

With the mobilization of men, many women took up jobs that had previously been almost exclusively male, working in factories, transport, and administration.

Clothing therefore had to better meet the demands of everyday life and work. Silhouettes gradually became more practical and less restrictive.

This transformation did not make the suit disappear: on the contrary, it helped to establish the idea of a structured, functional, and elegant women's wardrobe.

Women's wool suit, Callot Sœurs, France, 1915–1917 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

From the suit to the modern women's blazer

During the 20th century, designers constantly reinterpreted the men's jacket.

It became sometimes very fitted, sometimes straight, or deliberately oversized. It was worn with a skirt, trousers, a dress, or simply jeans.

The blazer thus gradually lost its exclusive association with formal suits and became a piece that could be worn almost anywhere: at work, in the evening, or as part of a more casual outfit.

It is precisely this ability to transcend eras that explains its special place in fashion.

The blazer according to La Jaquette

At La Jaquette, we love the blazer for this same reason: it is a piece capable of evolving without losing its elegance.

We reinterpret it through four iconic women's cuts:

• Louise, straight and double-breasted, for a classic and structured silhouette;
• Victoire, cropped and slightly fitted;
• Mathilde, loose and oversized;
• Diane, fitted, to further accentuate the silhouette.

Each model is made in limited editions in our Parisian workshop, using carefully selected fabrics.

From the British sports blazer to contemporary women's silhouettes, this jacket has traversed nearly two centuries of fashion without losing its modernity.