From the morning suit of the early 20th century to the fluid blazer of today's tailoring. The evolution of the most elegant piece in the men's wardrobe is a reflection of the changes in etiquette and social codes that have marked each decade.
Despite the constant changes in cut, length and shape, the piece is and has always been synonymous with elegance. A formal piece that enhances the man's silhouette and that since the 2000s has been worn both in formal black-tie and everyday settings, with matching tailored pants or jeans.
The blazer, which was born from the morning coat and this in turn from the Frock coat - a single-breasted coat or, more formally, also known as Prince Albert - persisted into the Victorian era and became popular. At the beginning of the 20th century it was made as a fitted piece, consisting of a simple closure, a peak lapel and is lined in black silk. When combined with a vest, a tie and pants in the same tone, it becomes an evening jacket, in English dinner jacquet.
The influence of the First World War shortened the American style and it became wider at the bottom. A lazy society due to the period of economic prosperity reinvents the garment in cooler tones, even prints, and also begins to be worn as an informal piece, designed for high society outings in the countryside. It's the time of the Charleston and endless parties. Thus, as night falls, the jackets become more striking and include the lapel notch.
At the end of the decade, double-breasted blazers appeared, with double buttons, tighter at the waist but with very marked shoulders.
The 1930s are considered the golden age of men's fashion. The jacket is generally worn draped, with more fabric on the buttons, sometimes crossed, and the shoulder marked as a reflection of a time of prosperity. With its arrival in the cities, it became popular as an office uniform and therefore became democratized.
Rationalization puts an end to loose-cut suits. With the Second World War, the piece adopted a simpler, minimalist cut, dyed in gray flannel, with single-breasted and narrow lapels to save fabric. In fact, the cut of the 1940s suit is very similar to that of today: elegant and fitted.
A countercultural rebellion that germinates in jazz bars and seeks to break conventional dress codes appears in the United States. Young people, who seek to break with the older generations and the secrecy of their clothing, begin to wear long and very large jackets. This type of blazer is known as Zoot, and its name has its origins in the word "suit", in English suit, but intentionally mispronounced.
As usually happens after a time of austerity, an extremely opposite sociocultural current arrives. The jacket is erected again with a double-breasted cut and large lapels. In parallel, a new suit called 'mod suit' appears, which draws on a modern musical trend and is characterized by being slim-fitting - they were usually tailored suits - and combined with narrow ties.
The decade of the 60s arrives as a hurricane of creativity and liberation. The jacket recovers the extreme shoulder pads and, in counterpoint, is worn with narrow ties, providing a triangular silhouette.
While ties widen and adopt a striking palette of colors and prints, the jacket fits and adapts to the body but with large lapels and, sometimes, in striking colors.
Although it has been serving as a uniform for offices for years, in 1980 the suit became the maximum expression of capitalism. It is fluid, with wide shoulders and lapels and the button break is positioned lower.
In the nineties there was a mix of styles. Low hours for elegance and sobriety in men's wardrobes in favor of an era for experimentation and creativity. It is precisely during those years when jackets with three buttons appear, of which due to the cut of the garment, only the last one can be buttoned, at a very low point.
The catwalks of Thom Browne and Tom Ford outline a more fitted blazer. A marked, polished silhouette dominates the scene but with the addition of new colors to the mix, such as off-white, beige or even combined with knitted sweaters in fluorine tones.
A decade later, the jacket is undergoing a subtle change, its rise rises and the garment becomes shorter, for greater comfort, at hip height. Although the suit was already democratized, it was in 2010 when it was stripped of its formal status and thanks to the custom workshops, it was adapted and personalized to the taste of each man.
There are no longer valid rules. The jacket, and the suit in general, has long ceased to be an exclusive garment in men's wardrobes and its character as a unisex piece leads dressmakers to make it with all types of cuts, colors and formats, even dresses. Although it is true, in terms of men's fashion, the loose and crossed cut predominates in this decade.
