A blazer is a type of jacket with large metal buttons that usually comes in navy blue. While blazers used to be part of sport dress for yacht or cricket, they are not the same thing as a sports coat.
Original blazers were single-breasted jackets with colorful stripes that had school or club emblems. There are many stories about where the term came from. One of the stories is that the name came from a rowing club in Cambridge, who were red jackets which looked like a blazing fire on the river. Another story says that a ship called the HMS Blazer created new uniforms that were navy jackets with brass buttons. Blazers became an important part of school outfits for boys, especially at schools like Eton. Blazers also became popular in America, but they were less formal.
Contemporary blazers are double-breasted. There are two ways to wear blazers. One is the more formal way, with trousers, and a shirt and tie. A less formal way to wear a blazer is with chinos or jeans.
