People love to dress up for different events and always have. And not only women. Men are no exception. The history of men’s jackets and suits is also exciting and varied.
The autumn and winter months have now and previously dictated the fashion for suits—classic dinner jacket black tie and less formal ones. They also influenced the fabrics and styles of costumes. Some cold-season trends have won their permanent place in the wardrobes of fashionistas and lovers of social life.
This article will focus on just such items of clothing – a smoking jacket and a dinner jacket.
Smoking Jacket
AÂ smoking jacket is an informal men’s jacket originally intended for smoking tobacco. The traditional smoking jacket was developed in the 1850s. This type of jacket had a shawl collar, turn-up cuffs, and button closures. Usually, men tied them at the waist. To sew a smoking jacket, tailors used velvet or silk. The smoking jacket resembled a short men’s robe with a print and a padded lining.
Later, the dinner jacket evolved from the smoking jacket. In 1865, Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) gave impetus to this fashion. However, the smoking jacket remained the same, and gentlemen preferred to wear it when smoking pipes or cigars.
Smoking jackets were designed to be thigh-length, which was supposed to protect the trousers from ash and smoke. Heavy velvet fabric absorbed the tobacco odour. They might have looked similar to the tuxedos worn today, but with one key difference: they couldn’t be worn outside the home.
These jackets were a separate part of the wardrobe, while dinner jackets were usually worn as part of an evening suit, including trousers and vests.
These days, the smoking jacket has not disappeared but has become a one-piece garment that can be worn with contrasting trousers. Thus, it is useful to think of a dinner jacket as part of a suit and a smoking jacket as a separate thing.
But keep in mind that velvet smoking jackets are less formal than dinner jackets and can’t work for black tie dress code events. Dinner jackets would be a better option for such occasions.
Dinner Jacket
As we have already mentioned, the dinner jacket originated as a modification of the smoking jacket, and the founder of the fashion was the future King Edward VIII. Thanks to this, the dinner jacket soon won triumph on both sides of the Atlantic, replacing trousers and tailcoats. At the same time, it was codified as a suit that was sewn from:
- wool
- a mixture of wool and mohair
Real gentlemen considered these colours acceptable for a dinner jacket:
- black
- navy blue
In general, this type of suit has become the dinner jacket that is popular these days.
Smoking jacket vs. Dinner jacket
It’s easy to confuse the two. Here’s a quick way to tell them apart:
- A smoking jacket is a British term for wearing a suit informally. It also applies to a blazer in a contrasting colour, which men could wear with dinner jacket pants to create a different look. Smoking jackets are usually white, burgundy, bottle green, or any other dark colour. They are made from barathea wool or velvet.
- Dinner jackets come in two different styles and are usually made of wool. They work best with complementary or creative black ties and often use non-button closures like toggles and have sleeve cuffs.
Nowadays, these wardrobe parts are similar in many ways, but men should wear them for different occasions.
When to wear a smoking jacket for and a dinner jacketÂ
Below is a list of situations in which it is best to wear a smoking jacket:
- Semi-formal dinners at home (yours or someone else’s)
- Any additional or creative black tie event
If you have a robe-style tuxedo, it’s best to keep it within the confines of your home.
Dinner jacket suitable for:
- Most black-tie events
- any formal meetings and receptions
- ceremonial events
Our short guide will help you to distinguish between these two classic pieces of men’s wardrobe.Â
If you want to buy any of these jackets you should consider a reputable shop, which has a long history and accepts various types of payments, including bank transfers and crypto currency.
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