The Importance Of Blazers In Women's Fashion

A look at women’s blazers, then and now.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wears a pink blazer

A signature piece of sartorial layering, most women today have at one point or another incorporated a blazer in their day-to-day style, however this wasn’t always the case. Although women’s history with blazers is a fairly short one in comparison to our male counterparts, it offers rich insight into the socio-political female experience through the decades and the importance of fashion in our ever-changing culture. Join us as we take a brief look at key origins of the contemporary women’s blazer and how it’s evolved into our closets today.

Katherine Hepburn by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1938, The LIFE Picture Collection

Marlene Dietrich via Getty Images

Prior to the Second World War, women wearing blazers was considered “cross-dressing” by the majority of western society. German actress and singer, Marlene Dietrich was seen as quite the rebel for her wearing of suits and men’s tailoring. A famous scandal of hers being a 1933 trip to Paris where Dietrich donned a (frankly, stunning) white suit and was met with threats of arrest by the police chief for “impersonating a man”, as it was in fact illegal for women to wear trousers in Paris up until 2013. With the exception of certain upper-class circles and a few daring Hollywood starlets such as Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn, the women’s blazer as we know it today was an arcane concept until everything changed in the 1940s.

Marlene Dietrich via Getty Images

As war broke out in 1939 and men became soldiers, women were enlisted into the workforce at home in a way they’d never been before. Their fashion promptly reflected this shift as we began to see female adaptations of masculine clothing become mainstream, most recognisably the structured blazer. With strong shoulders and dynamic lines, the contemporary blazer we love today symbolised women breaking away from the more demure silhouettes they’d been limited to. This era’s effortlessly elegant tailoring met with utilitarian military influence is echoed in the best of women’s fashion today.

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John and Jackie Kennedy 1963 via Getty Images

Cut to the 1950s and society was determined to reset after the devastation of World War II. The pressure was on for women to return to rigid gender roles in order to achieve the “nuclear family” and the hyper re-feminisation of women’s apparel swiftly followed. The days of boxy cuts and liberating fits were replaced with a more “womanly” hourglass silhouette to compliment the full skirts and fit-and-flare dresses of the decade. Coined by Christian Dior as “the new look”, this era offered a new take on blazers and evening jackets with impeccably fitted tailoring and nipped-in waists that, however beautiful, signified a return to domesticity for women of the time. We saw these silhouettes soften as time progressed and by the early 60s more relaxed tailoring had returned in line with second wave feminism, Jackie Kennedy’s Chanel co-ord suits being a beloved example.

Mick & Bianca Jagger on their wedding day in St Tropez 1971, via Getty Images

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The feminist movement boomed in the 1970s and with women once again breaking into the workforce came the return of the woman’s suit. Although female blazers and work trousers still garnered much criticism, liberated career women donned new renditions of the classic pantsuit with exaggerated collars and belted waists finished in an array of vibrant colours, prints and materials that we’re still obsessed with today.

Princess Diana via Getty Images

Grace Jones via Getty Images

By the 1980s “Power Dressing” was fully formed and when it came to blazers, bigger was BETTER. Much like they had in World War II, women adapted masculine suiting and silhouettes to further assert dominance in the workplace. Trailblazed by female icons like Grace Jones, Princess Diana, Madonna and more, the trend of oversized blazers continued throughout the 90s and has remained in vogue ever since.

Decades later and blazers are a staple piece of the modern woman’s wardrobe with different cuts styled with everything from jeans and crop tops to matching trousers. After years of reflecting women’s evolving position in society, it’s always worth taking a look back to pay homage to this iconic garment’s stylings throughout history. Blazers finally have carved a permanent position in contemporary women’s fashion and we know we’ll be loving them for years to come.