SCHOOL, BOATING & CRICKET!

"Blazer Maketh The Man"

Whether it is striped, piped or three buttoned up; there is nothing quite like a sports blazer! With the wide variety of colours, stripes and designs; every summer wardrobe should have at least one of these hanging in there. 

When it comes to the origins of the striped blazer; most fashion historians argue that there were curated back in 1880's where, the Lady of Margret College of Cambridge added stripes to their blazers to stand out from their close competitors. Which in turn created the turn, "blaze of colour!" or "blazer" we now know. 

One Of My Recent Vintage School Blazer

As for myself; I recently found myself traveling up to Sheffield with a good friend to visit the Mecca of vintage garments: Rag Parade. A place acknowledged for a wide variety of old men's fashions from: leather motorcycle jackets, to Army Gear and work wear culled from multiple places around the world and from a cross section of periods in history.
Whist being in this attic of fashion, I noticed a high hanger filled with a wide range of blazers, each with their own curious stripes and badges; representing numerous teams and schools from across the world. I was in love! Upon asking the owner about the blazers, he told me he had a very wide range of them; all from various dates post 1900. All gathered from different places which reflected their rarity influencing their prices. After searching and trying on, two very unique blazers which each fitted like a glove I purchased them. In hope that they would add a little extra flair to my already amazing wardrobe. (If I do say so myself)

One was a rare Cricket Blazer from South Africa in a light blue colour way with a medium yellow stripe running down, shown above. Another purchase was a English 1970's (I believe) black and burgundy striped with a sewed on emblem on the pocket, referencing the academy with letters rather than a crest or animals typical found on these.
Another difference between the two is that the English blazer features a more dated design with patch pockets and a three button closure. However, the South African blue blazer is very different in style, it features offbeat pockets, with metal buttons instead of plastic buttons making fit more with a boating style rather than a school blazer.

Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine Showing off his Style

1920's Cricket Style

Going back in time, it was uncommon for a man not to rock on of these both on and off the theater of sport or behind a desk; as well as on the street walking or practical anywhere that demanded clothes. Which as a result, these styles of blazer became a sort of institution for the modern man in the early 20th century with a lot of middle class and elite men choosing this garment over anything else in their wardrobe. This included the fateful mountaineer Andrew Irvine who wore his as a result of winning the Cambridge Vs. Oxford boat race back in 1923, a year before his disappearance up Everest.

Although, moving some 40 years later, these types of jackets were rejuvenated by the original Modernist of the 1960's, who chose them as a statement piece to wear on the streets and driving on their scooters. This brought the striped blazer back into contemporary culture again along with into the headlines. With a lot of guys wearing them to Brighton as a form of uniform against the rockers and police in heavily documented brawls, They favored this style largely down to its vintage feel as well as the three button fastening and the bold colours on show. Which all in turn disrupted the idea that they were from working class backgrounds.

Brooks Brothers' Amazing Gatsby Collection

When Baz Lurman took F. Scott Fitzgerld classic novel "The Great Gastby" and ushered it into the modern era, the iconic american menswear brand Brooks Brothers took it upon themselves to recreate the feel of the jazz age, with a deep collection of clothes for the film. A collection brimmed full of tweeds, white linens and of course stripes; as shown above. They expertly chose to recreate the true feeling of nostalgia and make sure you felt as an extra, in this adaption extravaganza. As a an all around fan of Brooks Brothers, I was really excited to see not only their involvement in the film but also the fact that we as customers could purchase these clothes too, After downloading and browsing the catalog I was drawn to the boating/ regatta type outfits with their dandyish flair, slim silhouettes and they way they seemed to channel a more 20's vibes on the whole than some of the other costumes. With this my favorite was the deep burgundy with the crisp clean white stripes with added black lines to create an all round crowning contrast.      

A Scene From The Film "The Go- Between", Very British Film

- THURSTON

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