The Blazer
Jeans, trench, barbour, tartan… our British friends have long been at the origin of decisive breakthroughs in our world of fashion. Today, in the little book that we dedicate to the legendary clothes of our wardrobe, let's open the page of the Blazer, my favorite piece of a self-respecting wardrobe, the one that dresses up an outfit in all circumstances.
Certainly, Madame Marie Rucki , my admirable mentor from Studio Berçot (a fashion design school in which I learned my skills a long time ago), was right to appreciate this innate sense of creative eccentricity in our neighbors across the Channel, quick to surface in the midst of a very controlled impavidity. That's the style! The Blazer is no exception to this unwritten rule.
At the end of the 18th century, Lord Spencer, Admiral to Her Majesty, decided to name his line of ships after his little dog.
This one was called Blazer, from the verb “to blaze” which means nothing less than “to ignite” or “to blaze”.
Facing the open sea, its perils and any enemy, does not prevent you from having staying power, quite the contrary. The sailors of the Blazer were distinguished by an impeccable outfit, consisting of a blue jacket, fitted and double-breasted, decorated with 6 gold buttons. Soon adopted by most sailors around the world, the Navy Blazer became the standard.
And then, at the risk of repeating myself, as we saw with the Trench , and the Jean , fashion, the Belle Époque, the bursting carelessness between the wars, appropriated the Blazer to offer it a less maritime destiny but no less flamboyant with the trends that come and go. The Beatles in their early days took to the stage strapped into their blazers. The Stones, between two acid trips, wore it on occasion. Gainsbourg rarely left him except to sleep, and did he even sleep? The same goes for Bob Dylan. Andy Warhol immortalized the Blazer - blue jeans mix. The stylists' chakras were opened wide to give free rein to their reinterpretation of the blazer.
Saint-Laurent, who himself wore it with elegance, was obviously one of the greatest interpreters of the blazer in the feminine register.
You have already known Albert and Marcel for a long time, our essentials created and available since October 2018, they were quickly joined by a new kid who won you over, can you guess which one I'm talking about? I wasn't tempted for a single moment to call him Michka, as a nod to Admiral Spencer's little dog Blazer. We cannot honestly title a piece of clothing of marine origin with the name of the only Golden of creation who fears the sea and the waves, no!
Our own Blazer is called Edgar, in homage to the immense Edgar Morin, thinker of complexity and tireless observer of the notion of serendipity which is dear to me
– you know, my tarte Tatin, symbol of an accident transformed into success –
Here is also the confession page. Our blazer has its origins in an intimate founding act. More than ten years ago, I spotted, in my father's wardrobe, a tweed blazer in autumn colors from the Scapa of Scotland brand. Pretending that I had never seen him wear it, I confiscated the object, without opposition, to bring it back to life in another form. After a few touch-ups and adjustments, this Blazer became mine. It suited me, and still suits me, divinely.
Don't look for any Oedipus in this capture of his father's blazer, but you can with certainty see in it an initial act of zero-waste recycling which would become the eco-responsible backbone of Mister K., and above all an essential archive, at the origin of all my avenues of reflection and creation.
Take care of yourself, above all.
CH
