Tuesday, 23 June 2009

The Blazer Question

In a comment under The Toughest Game, Mark coins a wonderfully expressive phrase for the kind of officious twerps who run Wimbledon (among other things) - 'blazer-drones'. This got me thinking - what is it about blazers that makes them so loathesome, so suspect, so fundamentally wrong? (I exclude of course those worn by war veterans - and by blazer I mean the double-breasted, metal-buttoned pseudo-military job.) I leave this burning question of our times for you to mull over, as I shall be out and about and offline today.
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10 comments:

  1. Brit23 June 2009 at 10:36

    what is it about blazers that makes them so loathesome, so suspect, so fundamentally wrong?

    It's tempting to respond with a glib "What's inside them" - but I think it's because the blazer is less formal yet more officious than a suit; relaxed but tense; clubby but bossy; casual but priggish.

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  2. worm23 June 2009 at 11:51

    they may also have a matching embroidered tie and blazer badge combination pack.

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  3. dearieme23 June 2009 at 15:00

    I rather like them. Hands thrust in trouser pockets, blazer open and held back between forearms and trunk; whistling or humming, thinking about rugby, cricket, calculus or girls.... carefree days.

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  4. Gareth Williams23 June 2009 at 15:36

    I'm afraid I can't think ill of the be-blazered: they do very little harm and often a lot of good.

    Blazers and club ties remind me of the old alickadoos down the rugby club who would give up evenings and weekends to coach, run raffles, paint lines, and generally give a lot of young potential hooligans a chance to channel their energies in directions that wouldn't be of interest to the police.

    Where would we be without the people in charge of the little platoons? I was going to say, 'someone has to do it'. But the point is, I think, they don't.

    Now, if only Roger Scruton would pop his head around the door...

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  5. Nige24 June 2009 at 09:32

    O yes I'm sure there are fine and useful people wearing blazers. Maybe I'm getting carried away by my irrational loathing of double-breastedness (in jackets, I hasten to add)... Think of the Prince of Wales - aaargh!

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  6. Brit24 June 2009 at 09:39

    No Nige, stick to your guns, don't be bullied by Gaw's rugger-buggers and raffling alickadoos. Blazers are the devil's own togs.

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  7. Nige24 June 2009 at 09:54

    Actually, what is an alickadoo?

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  8. Brit24 June 2009 at 10:26

    These, Nige. Check out the "See also" references, v amusing.

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  9. Gareth Williams24 June 2009 at 11:01

    From Brit's link:

    Blazer: (slang, US) One who smokes cannabis; a stoner.

    See? It's wrong to pigeonhole them.

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  10. Frank Wilson25 June 2009 at 14:43

    I have one dark blue blazer. I think just about every adult American male does. We use them as a way of "dressing up" when we really don't feel like it, since you can wear them with just about anything (usually khakis over here).

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