Chapter Six, The Blazer

The woman's blazer was always a favorite of mine. In this week's article, i decided to share a little bit of the story of this amazing garment - because it's more than a beautiful piece of clothing, it's versatility and real wearability, but it's also power and history. Find out why:

 

 

Almost 300 years after the men's suit was created, actress Sarah Bernhardt began wearing her, at the time, “boy’s clothes” in public. In 1870, a woman sporting a man’s suit was scandalous, but this controversy didn’t keep her from further challenging gender roles (like the lead role in Hamlet, in 1899). Ahead of her time in many ways, Ms. Bernhardt was the original champion for what has become the sartorial calling card of modern women.

- Thank you so much, Sarah! -

 

40 years later, the suffragette movement was in full swing and with it came women who were bolder and more active. Among many other things, that meant: less restrictive clothing. Behind what was called the Suffragette Suit, was a hallmark of progressive woman and inspired icon and fashion grande dame Coco Chanel. Possibly the most well-known designer to make women’s suits, Chanel gained popularity during the first World War by eschewing corsets for tailoring and is widely credited with making the first truly female suit in the modern sense. Unlike its predecessors, the Chanel suit retained a sense of glamour and femininity.

 

 

Women’s sartorial liberation continued: in the 1930's Marlene Dietrich turned international perceptions and women’s wear in general on their heads by wearing her iconic tuxedos and white double-breasted suits into infamy.

By the 60's the suit was back in full force, and it's connected to some important moments in equality: an unprecedented 40% of women had joined the workforce, there was the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and a Presidential act banning discrimination based on gender in 1967.

Doors were open for Fashion Designers like Andre Courreges and Yves Saint Laurent turning the woman's suit into elegant day and evening wear. 

 

In the 90's, with the rise of Hollywood movies with strong female executive characters, the blazer was in the top trends of the decade. After the 2010's, with the street style phenomenon and fashion democratization in general, The Blazer became more than a trend. It became a real all-in-one piece of clothing: a stylish classic, a practical garment, but also a symbol of power (and equality). 

  

November 4 we welcome to our collection The Black Blazer. And we are very proud of it! Stay tuned.