Smoking jacket
Encyclopedia
A smoking jacket is an overgarment designed to be worn while smoking tobacco
, usually in the form of pipes and cigar
s, or for domestic leisure.
smoking jacket is a mid thigh-length jacket made from velvet
or silk
, or both. It has a shawl collar and turn-up cuffs and toggle
or button
fastenings, or may simply be closed with a tie belt.
In the 1850s, the Gentlemen's Magazine of London defined the smoking jacket as a "kind of short robe de chambre, of velvet, cashmere, plush, merino or printed flannel, lined with bright colours, ornamented with brandenbourgs, olives or large buttons."
from the Americas
, bringing in spice
s, tobacco
, coffee
and silk
s. It became fashionable to be depicted in one's portrait wearing a silk robe de chambre, or dressing gown. One of the earliest mentions of this garment comes from Samuel Pepys
, who desired to be depicted in his portrait in a silk gown but could not afford one, and so rented one:
The short smoking jacket soon evolved from these silk garments. When the Crimean War
during the 1850s popularised Turkish tobacco
in England
, smoking gained in popularity. After dinner, a gentleman might put on a smoking jacket and retreat to a den
or smoking room
. The jacket was intended to absorb the smoke from his cigar or pipe and protect his clothing from falling ash.
The smoking jacket remained a popular accessory into the 20th century. An editorial in the Washington Post in 1902 gave the opinion that the smoking jacket was "synonymous with comfort", while a Pennsylvania newspaper opined in 1908 that it would be "putting it mildly to say that a new House Coat or Smoking Jacket will give any man reason for elation."
In the 1950s
, famous wearers included Cary Grant
, Fred Astaire
(who was buried in a smoking jacket), Frank Sinatra
and Dean Martin
.
mogul Hugh Hefner
being a notable example. In its Jan/Feb 1999 issue, Cigar Aficionado
stated that it was time the smoking jacket be brought back, perhaps as an "alternative type of formalwear
".
A modern versatile version of a smoking jacket has been created by the San Francisco-based Betabrand clothing company. Their "Reversible Smoking Jacket" was initially a quirky joke when they discovered that their corduroy jacket could be turned inside out to show off the ornately patterned lining, but they've embraced the concept and now provide pockets and "a decorative auto-hankie from the left breast pocket."
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, usually in the form of pipes and cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s, or for domestic leisure.
Design
The classicClassic
The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective or a noun . It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts...
smoking jacket is a mid thigh-length jacket made from velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
or silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
, or both. It has a shawl collar and turn-up cuffs and toggle
Toggle
Toggle may refer to:*Toggle mechanism*Toggle switch*Toggling harpoon*A type of textile closure, like an elongated button*Toggle , a character in the comic strip Doonesbury...
or button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
fastenings, or may simply be closed with a tie belt.
In the 1850s, the Gentlemen's Magazine of London defined the smoking jacket as a "kind of short robe de chambre, of velvet, cashmere, plush, merino or printed flannel, lined with bright colours, ornamented with brandenbourgs, olives or large buttons."
History
In the 17th century, goods began flowing into EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, bringing in spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
s. It became fashionable to be depicted in one's portrait wearing a silk robe de chambre, or dressing gown. One of the earliest mentions of this garment comes from Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, who desired to be depicted in his portrait in a silk gown but could not afford one, and so rented one:
"Thence home and eat one mouthful, and so to Hale's and there sat till almost quite dark upon working my gowne, which I hired to be drawn (in) it—an Indian gown, and I do see all the reason to expect a most excellent picture of it." —Diary, 30 March 1666
The short smoking jacket soon evolved from these silk garments. When the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
during the 1850s popularised Turkish tobacco
Turkish tobacco
Turkish tobacco or Oriental tobacco is a highly aromatic, small-leafed variety of tobacco which is sun-cured. Historically, it was cultivated primarily in Thrace and Macedonia, now divided among Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey, but it is now also grown on the Black Sea...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, smoking gained in popularity. After dinner, a gentleman might put on a smoking jacket and retreat to a den
Den (room)
A den is a comfortable, usually secluded room in a house. In the United States, the type of rooms described by the term den varies considerably by region...
or smoking room
Smoking room
A Smoking room is a room which is specifically provided and furnished for smoking, generally in buildings where smoking is otherwise prohibited....
. The jacket was intended to absorb the smoke from his cigar or pipe and protect his clothing from falling ash.
The smoking jacket remained a popular accessory into the 20th century. An editorial in the Washington Post in 1902 gave the opinion that the smoking jacket was "synonymous with comfort", while a Pennsylvania newspaper opined in 1908 that it would be "putting it mildly to say that a new House Coat or Smoking Jacket will give any man reason for elation."
In the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, famous wearers included Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
(who was buried in a smoking jacket), Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
.
Modern smoking jacket
Smoking jackets have declined in popularity since the 1950s, though a minority of wearers still exists, PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
mogul Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
being a notable example. In its Jan/Feb 1999 issue, Cigar Aficionado
Cigar Aficionado
Cigar Aficionado is an American magazine that is dedicated to the world of cigars. Published since September 1992, the magazine is known for its articles about different brands of cigars worldwide, and for the celebrities that have appeared on its cover. It is also noted for its opposition to the...
stated that it was time the smoking jacket be brought back, perhaps as an "alternative type of formalwear
Formal wear
Formal wear and formal dress are the general terms for clothing suitable for formal social events, such as a wedding, formal garden party or dinner, débutante cotillion, dance, or race...
".
A modern versatile version of a smoking jacket has been created by the San Francisco-based Betabrand clothing company. Their "Reversible Smoking Jacket" was initially a quirky joke when they discovered that their corduroy jacket could be turned inside out to show off the ornately patterned lining, but they've embraced the concept and now provide pockets and "a decorative auto-hankie from the left breast pocket."
See also
- Dressing gown
- Smoking capSmoking capSmoking caps are caps worn by men while smoking to stop the hair from smelling of smoke. They also kept the head warm. They were popular in the period 1840-1880, usually worn by gentlemen in the privacy of their home. They are similar to the smoking jacket, though their use, even in Victorian...
- Smoking roomSmoking roomA Smoking room is a room which is specifically provided and furnished for smoking, generally in buildings where smoking is otherwise prohibited....
- French (and German): http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking (dress)