Even by the standards of Cambridge University, the influence of St. John’s College on modern society is eye-watering. At last count, St. John’s alumni include 12 Nobel Prize winners, seven prime ministers, three saints, two poet laureates, and the current Prince of Wales. However, it could be argued that the college’s greatest and most universal contribution to the modern world came not from the classroom, but from the boathouse.
The college’s Lady Margaret Boat Club, established over two centuries ago, was the university’s first rowing club, and was known, aesthetically, for the bold vermilion jackets worn by its rowers. These jackets – the tracksuit of their time, worn out of the boat during warm-ups, and then eventually as insouciant party apparel – were at some point given the nickname “blazers”, and that’s how the tailored jacket in your wardrobe got its moniker.
“The blazer has always been a fundamental element of our outfits, as it has the ability to instantly make a look more refined”
According to contemporary preppy clothing brand Rowing Blazers, founded by former cox of the US National Rowing Team Jack Carlson, those first blazers were unlined, with no padding in the shoulders or darts or vents in the back. They had patch pockets at the hip, and often featured a “three-roll-two” fastening, which hid the top of three buttons under the lapel. Such a jacket is surprisingly hard to find off the peg today (although Rowing Blazers is dedicated to the cause).
Two hundred years since the word emerged, the term “blazer” now broadly refers to any tailored jacket sold without matching trousers. “Anything that’s a standalone jacket, we refer to as a blazer here,” says Simon Holloway, creative director of heritage British menswear brand Dunhill. That might be double-breasted, peak-lapelled, single-vented, cut from wool, tweed, linen…
Holloway has been at the helm at Dunhill for just two years of the brand’s 133 years, but has long been aware of the place the blazer holds in the company’s legend – “by the late 20th century, Dunhill was the destination in London to buy a blazer,” he says – and in turn has made it central to his vision at the brand, one of timelessness and old-school English elegance. “Dunhill was not born on Savile Row,” Holloway explains, “but as a sports tailor.”
In turn, the blazer has featured heavily in seasonal collections and represents the “tip of the spear” in terms of tailoring sales, says Holloway. Within Dunhill’s spring/summer ’26 collection, based loosely on the “carefree spirit” and sartorial elan of rock icons such as Bryan Ferry, one blazered look appears almost to have been lifted from a Roxy Music video. An unlined, double-breasted blazer in pale, gun club checked wool worn with pleated navy slacks, a club tie, suede loafers, and with the jacket’s cuff turned back to reveal a vintage watch. “That’s a great way to do the English blazer in a modern way.”
Further tailoring modernity comes courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli, the monolithic luxury brand based out of Solomeo, the company’s own village in the central Italian region of Umbria. For the summer, the brand proposes a number of blazers. One, in an airy blend of délavé silk and linen, features the gold buttons so associated with naval tailoring (and the dark blue shade to match), while another is realized in chalk-striped white linen, replete with a characteristically soft “Solomeo Shoulder.”
“The blazer has always been a fundamental element of our outfits,” explains a member of Cucinelli’s style team, “as it has the ability to instantly make a look more refi ned and elegant. For this reason, we have always enjoyed pairing it with more informal pieces such as denim or cargo trousers, without the need to complete the look with a full suit.”
However, the notion of informality has been somewhat stress-tested at Brunello Cucinelli this season, with the introduction of a blazer cut from chocolate-shaded calfskin. Beyond its leather composition, the jacket is relatively straightforward, and in line with the brand’s design codes: peak lapels, a double-vented back, cuff buttons, and welt pockets at the hip. But the leather, matte and buttery as it may be, gives the blazer an ambiguity rarely found in the sphere of men’s tailoring. Which leads me to wonder, is it a coat or a jacket? To which the answer is, “yes.”
Brunello Cucinelli has also introduced a new tailoring block to the collection for spring 2026, with a slightly wider shoulder and longer overall shape which, the style team say, “enhances the body’s natural lines.” These new proportions are lifted directly from the designer’s own wardrobe, and he always looks impeccable, so they may be on to something. (Mr. Cucinelli’s rowing credentials are, however, as yet unclear.)
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