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Browsing All posts tagged under »tuxedo / dinner jacket«
Correct Details of Evening Clothes
Here’s an interesting look back at the “correct details” of evening clothes circa 1940 courtesy of Esquire magazine. While some of the advice is specific to that particular period the vast majority of it remains pertinent to this day. (Click on the images for larger versions.)
Vienna Balls Dress Codes
February 7, 2013
While writing a recent post on Vienna’s famous balls I stumbled across a remarkable booklet called DRESSCODES that is devoted entirely to the dress etiquette for these affairs. I say “remarkable” because in an age where vulgarity and slovenliness is increasingly fashionable, Vienna’s social leaders have the audacity to suggest that people hold themselves to […]
1907 Formal Wear II: The Tuxedo
August 7, 2012
We continue our trip back in time to Edwardian America courtesy of The Blue Book of Men’s Tailoring with a look at the relatively new form of evening wear, the tuxedo. (So new, in fact, that the invention was capitalized in reference to the town after which it was named.) The dinner coat, or Tuxedo, […]
Spotlight: The Tartan Dinner Jacket
June 21, 2012
Tartan dinner jackets hit the spotlight in 1949 when Tailor and Cutter, the bible of London’s menswear industry, blasted Americans for starting the “deplorable” fad. “Not even Scots would dare to follow this trend” it proclaimed. Imagine the editors’ mortification when it was reported the following year that King George VI owned two of the […]
All the Trimmings
June 18, 2012
Most people are familiar with the use of lapel facings to add flair to a tuxedo but likely few are aware that the jacket’s collar and cuffs can be used for this purpose as well. The history of formalwear trimmings can be traced back to the first evening tailcoats produced during the English Regency. They […]
Rewriting History: Dinner Jacket Origins
March 8, 2012
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It appears that Henry Poole & Co has rewritten history. For years the web site of these preeminent tailors proudly proclaimed that they created the original dinner jacket for Edward, Prince of Wales in 1860. The London College of Fashion appears to have accepted this claim at face value when they partnered with the Savile […]
Formal Motifs in The Artist
March 4, 2012
(Spoiler Alert!) I finally got around to seeing The Artist this weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly both as a classic film buff and as modern movie-goer who’s grown weary of roller-coaster camera moves, rapid-fire edits, and computer-generated artificiality. As anyone who’s seen it knows, formal wear is very prevalent in the film as befitting a […]
Sale: Jos. A. Bank Formal Wear 50-70% Off
February 29, 2012
Jos. A. Bank is offering 50% off all merchandise purchased online until March 4. Even better, selected items are discounted by up to 70% including numerous styles of tuxedos and formal accessories. I’m taking advantage of this opportunity to finally purchase a white dinner jacket. (Even with shipping to Canada and duty and taxes, the […]
Royal Refinement
February 6, 2012
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, an exciting and historic moment for me as a Canadian and a monarchist. To mark the occasion I thought I would pay tribute to the men in her family who demonstrate regularly how conventional formal wear continues to be the height […]
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