HAT POPSinto your head when I say
blazer? I posited this question to a
handful of friends and colleagues as
a sort of amateur-grade social experi-
ment for this article. I was testing out a
theory: that our attitude towards blazers
tyle sensibilities. Some saw Kardashian-
Jenner-esque, tightly tailored Balmain blazers that offered ample
cleavage and an hourglass silhouette; others thought of the uniform
dressing of CBD-dwelling bankers; there were emphatic cries of
“Julie Pelipas!”, referring to the impeccably chic Ukrainian fashion
director, who is known for wearing the oversized, boxy kind. There
were those who conjured Karlie Kloss
at the 2017 Met Gala in her thigh-skim-
ming blazer dress; Helmut Newton’s
1975 photographs of models in Yves
Saint Laurent Le Smoking jackets; Julia
Roberts, in 1990, accepting a Golden
Globe in baggy Giorgio Armani; Cher
Horowitz in yellow plaid; Prince in
purple; Princess Diana in ’80s lapels.
I’m going to call the experiment a success.
This question became something of
an obsession, not only because the
answers were so varied, but also because
it proved what I have long felt about
the blazer: as a fashion piece, it is unpar-
alleled in its mix of function and style.
It’s clear I’m not alone in my slightly
manic love for the tailored jacket.
Suiting (slouchy or otherwise) has
become a phenomenon. Blazer dresses,
like Kloss’s, have taken the red carpet
by storm. Longer blazers worn over
bike shorts are the Instagram look de
jour. And, of course, they have been
everywhere on the runways, realised
every which way during S/S 2019:
Alexander Wang’s were big and boxy,
and finished in leather; blazers in
neutral tones were recurring at Riccardo
Tisci’s Burberry debut; and there were
cropped and super-cropped iterations
at Christian Dior and Hedi Slimane’s
Celine respectively. The season also saw
the return of ’70s-style statement lapels
at Loewe, Givenchy and Tom Ford,
while Stella McCartney and Louis
Vuitton showed long-line silhouettes,
the latter styled over minidresses. The late Karl Lagerfeld’s boxy,
rainbow-hued tweed iteration at Chanel was a season highlight,
while Miu Miu breathed new life into the blazer dress by affixing it
with a giant statement bow and styling it with Mary Janes and
knee socks for an added ’60s British It girl sensibility.
“I have enough blazers to dress an entire army!” exclaims
Alexandra Carl, the Danish stylist, whose penchant for minimal-
ism-with-a-twist has earned her a cult following. “They add some-
GETTY IMAGESSUITS YOU
GRACEO’NEILLpens a love
letter to the humble and
functional yet ever-chic blazerthing very chic — a masculine elegance to an outfit. I keep finding
new additions with different details and materials that I can’t help
feeling I need to add to my collection. I’m not a big shopper, but
blazers and jackets are my true weakness.”
Counting Celine’s tuxedo jackets, Frame’s velvet suits (“In every
colour!”) and a vintage Saint Laurent hand-printed blazer given to
her by her mother as her favourites, Carl is especially drawn to the
menswear-inspired sensibility of the
piece. “There’s a sense of freedom that
comes with wearing menswear — you
can cover up and be less visible, or exag-
gerate your shape and become more
noticeable. I feel very confident in one
— it’s my everyday uniform.”
This perhaps explains why Carl
opted for a tailored bridal tuxedo by
Racil on day one of her two-day
wedding to filmmaker Jacob John
Harmer in September. “I was inspired
by Jackie O, and Mick and Bianca
Jagger,” she says. “I had always wanted
an excuse to get the perfect white suit,
and I’ve been wearing that blazer
constantly with jeans since.” (An aside:
Carl’s wedding dress, a custom look by
Self-Portrait’s Han Chong with a silk
cape overlay, inspired by Carolyn
Bessette-Kennedy, is worth a google).
“I love that a blazer instantly stream-
lines a look,” says Sara Crampton,
founder of online luxury retailer The
Undone. “You can style a blazer with
basically anything, and look and feel
like a more put-together person.”
Crampton, whose blog Harper &
Harley boasts a legion of loyal followers
thanks to her simple, minimalist style
(she was an adopter long before Marie
Kondo appeared on the scene),
considers the blazer one of the strongest
weapons in her sartorial arsenal. “I own
close to 10 blazers in black, navy and
neutral tones. My favourites are a
Georgia Alice black blazer with a
D-ring waist tie, and an Albus Lumen neutral linen blazer.”
From a business perspective, Crampton has seen interest in blazers
piquing during the past 12 months, especially those that are part of
matching sets. “I’ve definitely seen an increase in suit options from
our designers, especially in more youthful short-suits or those
designs that balance feminine and masculine qualities,” she explains.
“We’re finally at the time where suits aren’t just for the blokes!
I love how equalising a suit and blazer can be. I do feel that
when you wear something, like a blazer, that makes you feel
put-together and confident, it has a real impact on your mental
state. It changes our perceptions of ourselves, and that changes
how others perceive us. It’s an amazing element of how fashion can
alter your mood for the better.”78 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU April 2019
STYLE
Kate Moss at Calvin
Klein S/S 1999.