It’s downright undignified how many blazers I’ve bought over the years. And will continue to buy. They immediately give shape and add authority. With the perfect blazer, anything is possible.
– Rashida Jones
Blazers are super trendy and can work with anything; be it biker shorts, body cons, palazzo pants, pencil skirts…the list goes on. A blazer always has that touch that makes you feel dressed up, even when you’re rocking a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers.
Better yet, you don’t always have to pair your blazer with something as the bottom; you can rock your blazer as a mini dress.
We took a history lesson from Well Made Clothes of the blazer’s inextricable connection to Yves Saint Laurent and his ‘Le Smoking’ suit introduced in the 1960s.
Favored by everyone from Catherine Deneuve to Lauren Bacall and LouLou de la Falaise, Le Smoking was a sleek tuxedo for women, which featured a perfectly tailored black blazer.
Image: Le Smoking in the 1960s. Image source.
“Few respectable restaurants or hotels allowed female guests to wear [Le Smoking] inside,” Business Insider asserts of this revolutionary style. “Nan Kempner was famously turned away from Le Côte Basque in New York while wearing her YSL tuxedo suit. Yet in the defiant style befitting of this androgynous, no-nonsense look, she removed the bottom half and waltzed into the restaurant wearing the jacket as a thigh-skimming mini dress instead.”
In short, Le Smoking blazer redefined femininity during an era of radical social change for women. And it quickly became a way for those women to assert their sexuality and independence, all by virtue of one simple garment. Of course, photographer Helmut Newton was also highly influential in securing Le Smoking as a symbol of sex appeal – his photographs of women wearing the style always managed to capture a delicate balance between elegance and defiance.
Image: Yves Saint Laurent with Catherine Deneuve, wearing Le Smoking. Image source.
I bet you have a blazer in your wardrobe right now; probably a simple plain black one. That’s a classic, you can style it with just about everything and how you style it can definitely elevate your look. However, why not step out of your comfort zone and break away from the simple, plain black blazer. Try a print or better yet, a print with some color.
Here’s a look at the blazers I’m talking about.
- Windowpane blazers
- Velvet blazers
- Striped blazers
- Plaid blazers
- Houndstooth blazers
What do you think? Drop a comment below.
Featured image courtesy of Lesedi Leketi’s Instagram.