A sport coat , also called a sport jacket (or sports coat or sports jacket in American English ), is a men 's smart casual lounge jacket designed to be worn on its own without matching trousers , traditionally for sporting purposes. Styles, fabrics, colours and patterns are more varied than in most suits; sturdier and thicker fabrics are commonly used, such as corduroy , suede , denim , leather , and tweed .
31-513: A blazer is a type of lightweight sport jacket . Originally a scarlet jacket worn in club or plain colours when boating or cricketing, the garment gradually lost its connection with sportswear from the 1930s onward to enter classic style, and the look came to be associated with the lifestyle of wealthy elites. A "nautical blazer" is a double-breasted navy blue jacket with naval-style metal buttons (gold, or sometimes silver coloured). "Rowing" or "cricket blazers" have bright-coloured solid stripes, and
62-683: A "reefer" blazer. Particularly in North America and the UK, it is often used in business casual attire. Blazers, in a wide range of colours, are worn as part of school uniforms by many schools across the Commonwealth , and are still daily wear for most uniformed pupils in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These are blazers in the traditional sense: single-breasted, and often of bright colours or with piping . This style
93-572: A Pink Carnation) " by Marty Robbins ; the title was later adapted by Jimmy Buffett for his 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean . A sports coat or sports jacket comes in a variety of fabrics such as wool, tweed, linen, corduroy and cotton. The most classic style of a sports coat is made from wool, in particular tweed . In Ireland, Donegal tweed is famously made in the Irish County of Donegal and used for sports coats and jackets. There are several well-known manufactures such as
124-461: A chorus that goes as follows: Although the music is printed in the boat club's history and the song is sung at every Boat Club Dinner, few members know the tune. Dinners are also known for more controversial songs (such as the infamous "M2 song" sung by all current and many past members of the Second Men's May Bumps Crew). St John's has long had a close rivalry with Trinity College. Every year,
155-421: A coloured flannel jacket, whether for cricket, tennis, boating, or seaside wear." These early blazers were like later sports jackets, but this term has never referred to blazers, instead describing jackets derived from the later innovation of wearing odd jackets for land-based sports. Assertions that the name is derived from HMS Blazer are not borne out by contemporary sources, although it is reported that before
186-551: A crimson blazer to the winner of the regatta, while the latter awards a green blazer to the winner of the Masters. The sartorial term blazer originated with the red "blazers" of the Lady Margaret Boat Club (1825), the rowing club of St. John's College, Cambridge . The Lady Margaret club jackets were termed blazers because of the bright red cloth, and the term survived the original red coat. Walter Wren ,
217-569: A long career with LMBC, becoming President of the Club in 1897. One of the greatest influences of the 20th century was Roy Meldrum who established the "Lady Margaret" style, which he detailed in his rowing books. The Boathouse was opened in the May term of 1901. It was extended in the 1970s, and was the first boathouse to have a workshop for the boatman. In the early 1980s, when the college began to admit women, further modifications were made upstairs to create
248-403: A patch on the chest pocket denoting the club or college. Other types, featuring a contrasting piping along notched lapels, were worn more formally for the presentation of cups or medals. Blazers are often part of a uniform that denotes, for example, an airline's employees, pupils of a particular school, members of sports clubs, or sportswomen and men on a particular team. Blazers are worn with
279-413: A school, college, sports club, or armed service regimental association (veterans' organization), it is normal for a badge to be sewn to the breast pocket. In schools, this badge may vary according to the pupil's standing in the school: being a member of the junior or senior school, being a prefect , or having been awarded colours in recognition of particular achievement in some academic or sporting field. In
310-519: A single vent . A blazer is similar to a sports coat, typically tailored from solid color or striped fabrics. Blazers are often made with metal buttons reflecting their origins in the British Navy and the sport of boating , though this is not necessarily a defining feature. Blazers also often have patch pockets , unlike other kinds of coats. The jacket is mentioned in the title of the 1957 rock and roll hit single " A White Sport Coat (and
341-700: A strange tradition takes place during the Bumps Weeks in Lent and May term, known as the "Stomp". Crews gather on the College Backs every morning preceding the races. One crew at a time will stop at a lone tree, knock three times on its trunk and shout out the name of the crew that will be starting in front of them that day to be " bumped ". The whole club then strolls through the backs towards arch-rivals Trinity . Once in Trinity College's great court,
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#1732775602126372-429: A wide variety of clothes, ranging from a dress shirt and necktie to an open-necked polo shirt, or even just a plain t-shirt . They are seen with trousers of all colours and fabrics, from the classic white cotton or linen , to grey flannel , to brown or beige chinos , and also jeans . A fitted, classically cut, double-breasted navy blue blazer with navy-style buttons is a popular design and sometimes referred to as
403-541: A writer to the London Daily News (22 August 1889) commented that "In your article of to-day … you speak of 'a striped red and black blazer', 'the blazer', also of 'the pale toned' ones … A blazer is the red flannel boating jacket worn by the Lady Margaret, St. John's College, Cambridge, Boat Club. When I was at Cambridge it meant that and nothing else. It seems from your article that a blazer now means
434-425: Is a type of sport coat worn, as the name suggests, originally while participating in the sports of shooting or hunting. It usually comes with a leather patch on the front shoulder to prevent recoil wear from the butt of a shotgun or rifle, and frequently has matching leather patches on the elbows. A hacking jacket is a wool sports coat for casual horseback riding , often of tweed and traditionally 3 buttoned with
465-514: Is also worn by some boat clubs, such as those in Cambridge or Oxford , with the piped version used only on special occasions such as a boat club dinner. In this case, the piping is in college colours , and college buttons are worn. This traditional style can be seen in many feature films set in the Edwardian era , such as Kind Hearts and Coronets . Where the blazer is part of the dress of
496-666: Is considered customary for the captain to wear a blazer with the team's logo or national coat of arms on the breast pocket — at least during the coin toss at the beginning of the match. Two sporting events where blazers signify victory are the Congressional Cup Regatta , at the Long Beach Yacht Club, California , and the Masters golf tournament , held in Augusta , Georgia . The former event awards
527-496: Is traditionally strong in the Lent and May CUCBC Bumps race . Due to its affiliation with St John's College, the club always fields many, often very successful, boats with first-time rowers during the first university term. Club members also often go to row with university lightweight and heavyweight crews to compete against Oxford. The club motto has been " Si je puis " ("If I can") since 1825. The boat club song, Viva laeta , has
558-653: The Grand at Henley Royal Regatta and had five members of the successful Cambridge crew, which also defeated Harvard and Yale in the United States. Between 1975 and 1981, Lady Margaret were Head of the Lent Bumps for 26 consecutive days of racing, the longest continuous defence of the Lent Headship. LMBC took the men's May Headship on day 4 of the 2016 races (bumping Caius), the first time they had held
589-567: The Men's Intercollegiate fixture at the Henley Boat Races against Oriel College, Oxford . Lady Margaret won with a verdict of 4 lengths. Members of the club are well known for their scarlet jackets, which gave rise to the modern term blazer . Members with "First May Colours" are entitled to wear trim and gold buttons on their blazer, while "First Lent" or "Second May Colours" are entitled to wear silver buttons on their blazer. The club
620-468: The standardization of uniform in the Royal Navy , the crew of HMS Blazer wore "striped blue and white jackets", apparently in response to the sailors of HMS Harlequin being turned out in harlequin suits. As late as 1837 the gig's crew of HMS Blazer were dressed by their Captain in jackets of blue and white stripes and it is from this that the word blazer , meaning a striped jacket, has entered
651-658: The "Headship of the River", won the "Colquhoun Sculls", and stroked Cambridge four times. The Goldie Boathouse , used by the university crews, commemorates his services to Cambridge rowing as does the name of the university second VIII, officially known as the Goldie Crew (or Boat) and competes annually against Isis just before the University Boat Race. Another important name in LMBC history is LHK Bushe-Fox who had
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#1732775602126682-545: The Blue Flames , The Animals , The Yardbirds , the Moody Blues and The Troggs – had band members wearing striped blazers/boating jackets, or later, brightly coloured blazers with wide white or other light edging. These later blazers often had non-metal buttons, sometimes in the same colour as the edging. The earlier style of striped blazers can be seen in the film Quadrophenia . The later, bright, style of blazer
713-589: The Commonwealth, many regimental associations wear "regimental blazers" which also sport a similar badge on the breast pocket, usually in the form of a wire badge, and sometimes also regimental blazer buttons. In the British Army , officers do not normally wear badges on their blazers (or boating jackets). Two regimental blazers will rarely be the same, as they are sourced from different civilian suppliers and are not issued by any authority. This results from
744-621: The Headship since 1989. LMBC retained the Mays headship in 2017 and 2018. In Lent Bumps 2017, LMBC took the men's Lents Headship on day 3 (bumping Downing), the first time they had held the Headship since 1990. LMBC retained the Lents headship in 2018, lost it in 2019, but regained it in 2020 and held it in 2022. In March 2017, Lady Margaret's men's first boat represented the Cambridge colleges in
775-724: The early 1960s, and again during the Mod revival of the late 1970s – particularly in three-colour thick/thin stripe combinations, with three-button single-breasted front, five- or six-inch side or centre vents, and cuffs with multiple buttons. Various photos from 1964 and 1965 show London mods in boating blazers. Photos of mod icons The Who from 1964 (as the High Numbers ) variously show Pete Townshend , Keith Moon and John Entwistle wearing boating blazers. Another mod band, Small Faces , and other bands liked by mods – such as The Rolling Stones , The Beatles , The Kinks , Georgie Fame and
806-550: The fact that the members of the association are no longer serving personnel, but civilians, though still retaining the bond that the badge represents. The standard colour is navy blue, although in some associations different colours are worn, such as rifle green for the associations of rifle regiments. Blazers, once commonly worn playing or attending traditional "gentlemen's sports", persist in only some games now, such as occasional use by tennis players, or in cricket, where in professional matches, such as international test matches, it
837-462: The fifth-generation weaver Mulhern at Triona Design in the town of Ardara . Lady Margaret Boat Club The Lady Margaret Boat Club (abbreviated to "LMBC" and known as "Maggie") is the rowing club for members of St John's College, Cambridge , England . The club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort , founder of the College. LMBC was founded in 1825 by twelve members of the College as
868-546: The first college boat club in Cambridge. In its original rules, the Club was to "consist of eighteen contributing members, besides honorary ones", and all members had to be able to row. An early member was Patrick Colquhoun who in 1837 instigated the Colquhoun Sculls, in the year in which he won the Wingfield Sculls . The greatest influence in the 1860s and 1870s was J. H. D. Goldie , who raised LMBC to
899-507: The language. The reefer jacket of naval origin, described the short double-breasted jacket worn by sailors in harsh weather, while performing duties such as reefing the sails. It is the descendants of these jackets that are now commonly referred by the term blazer . Originally featuring black horn buttons, these jackets evolved into the modern dark blazer, now available in both single and double-breasted styles, often with metallic buttons. Striped blazers became popular among British Mods in
930-426: The women's changing rooms. The boathouse was extended further in 2000 to create more indoor training space. A shed is now being built to house the club's fours, which are currently racked outside. The Club's heyday was in the late 1940s and 1950s. LMBC won the "Ladies Plate" in 1949 with a new course record. In 1950, they made 4 bumps to go "Head of the Mays", and stayed "Head" for five years. In 1951, Lady Margaret won
961-608: Was affectionately adopted by Austin Powers as part of his Swinging-London look. By the late 2000s the blazer had been adopted as a popular fashion trend amongst women, often having shorter lengths, rolled-up sleeves, various lapels and bright colours. Sport coat Originally, sports coats were worn as appropriate attire for participating in certain outdoor sports. With time, they were adopted by those attending such events, and came to be used on more formal occasions, sometimes being used in school uniforms . A shooting jacket