The Navy Blazer Redux

Think it's too stuffy for you? Get ready to change your perspective.

- NICK SULLIVAN

THERE ARE FEW GARMENTS IN THE PANTHEON of the classic wardrobe more storied than the navy-blue, gold-button blazer. A proper blazer (only in America does blazer mean just any orphaned jacket) says you belong somewhere. Or it used to. All of which might make it tricky to wear in a modern context. Unless, of course, you take your cues from these two pages.

But first, the background. The blazer originates, according to one of many legends, with a British ship called the HMS Blazer in 1837. The captain, convinced that his scrofulous crew were in no fit state to welcome Queen Victoria onboard for an impending visit, fitted them out at his own expense with short blue-and-white-striped "reefer" jackets with gold anchor buttons. The blazer as we understand it has been a familiar part of Royal Navy uniforms ever since.