Love this article! I remember reading that Marlene Dietrich referred to them as her “tails." Apparently it wasn’t an uncommon outfit in Weimar Berlin, at least on stage and in the clubs.
Hi Giulia, I think the key is to have the jacket fit well (not oversized) with a bit of a nip at the waist, wear something sexy underneath like a silk camisole trimmed in lace and add a great pair of heels, preferably stilettos. I know you could rock it!
I love le smoking! It’s such a classic, and looks so good on. As a curvy woman, I have to watch the cut of my blazers, but a perfect tux jacket is always welcome.💕
Hi Sheila, I also love how a woman in le smoking stands out at a party! As a curvy woman you can play that up by having a tailor tweak the jacket with a nip in at the waist, emphasizing your curves and making it all the more feminine! Thanks for commenting I love hearing from you!
Thanks for an interesting read. As a UK reader it's noticeable that the term tuxedo is now becoming more commonplace here. When I was a teenager in late 60s early '70s it was always called a dinner jacket. To be honest us youngsters then didn't consider it a very groovy thing to wear as it was way too formal. But if you did have to go to a dinner dance where formal wear was a requisite most young men would hire the suit and refer to it as a DJ (dinner jacket). Perhaps it made it sound a bit trendier. I like the term tuxedo it's a great word but I also like to keep the differences between US and UK culture and language. That's not judgmental more like, " You say potato and I say potato....."!
Hi Jan, It's interesting you bring up the tuxedo and dinner jacket which refer to the same thing. While researching for this post I came across the origins of calling a dinner jacket a tuxedo, and was going to include it in the post but thought I was getting too off subject so didn't. Short version Prince Edward VII had a dinner jacket made as a less formal alternative to tails. When the wealthy American, James Potter and his wife Cora were invited for a weekend with the Prince in Sandringham he was instructed to have a dinner jacket made as that is what the men would be wearing. He brought it back to America, wore it to the Autumn Ball in Tuxedo Park NY where it caught on, eventually spread and became known as the Tuxedo jacket. So yes the dinner jacket/tuxedo originated in England we just call it a tuxedo! Thanks for commenting!
I never felt better than while I wore a tuxedo, working as a dealer in Las Vegas. It was my uniform. Not for all the years, but for many. After work we'd go out for drinks and though I took off the coat and tie, the shirt (with cufflinks) remained on.
It's been really hard for me to shop to find clothes for dress due to the many years of dressing this way for a living. It's easy for me to shop for formal occasions. I know this sounds weird, but there something psychologically off for me when I shop for casual or "date night."
Luckily because I'm older I rarely go to formal occasions, if ever.
I miss how I felt while wearing a tuxedo with stilletos.
Hi Patti, Great story! Get a tuxedo jacket and get that great feeling again. I think it's a great look for women. I think older women particularly look very distinguished in a tux, daring and modern! The Real Real had many more than I even included, not a bad thing to have in your wardrobe, and so many ways you could wear it! Always nice to hear from you!!
Jolain, I'm going to get a tuxedo coat to wear over the holiday season. I love the idea of reliving "that feel good" - and I'm splurging on a pair of stilettos while I'm at it... as long as I don't have to walk far in them I'll be fine, haha, especially in the dead of winter with a few feet of snow on the ground. :) Thank you for the post and the suggestion, as I frequently mention, I love your work!
Love this article! I remember reading that Marlene Dietrich referred to them as her “tails." Apparently it wasn’t an uncommon outfit in Weimar Berlin, at least on stage and in the clubs.
I would love to wear a smoking but everytime a tried one in I felt like I was hiding a bit my femininity. Maybe I need to find the right one for me?
Hi Giulia, I think the key is to have the jacket fit well (not oversized) with a bit of a nip at the waist, wear something sexy underneath like a silk camisole trimmed in lace and add a great pair of heels, preferably stilettos. I know you could rock it!
I’ll definitely give it a go Jolain! Thank you for the tips as usual <3
I love le smoking! It’s such a classic, and looks so good on. As a curvy woman, I have to watch the cut of my blazers, but a perfect tux jacket is always welcome.💕
Hi Sheila, I also love how a woman in le smoking stands out at a party! As a curvy woman you can play that up by having a tailor tweak the jacket with a nip in at the waist, emphasizing your curves and making it all the more feminine! Thanks for commenting I love hearing from you!
Thanks for an interesting read. As a UK reader it's noticeable that the term tuxedo is now becoming more commonplace here. When I was a teenager in late 60s early '70s it was always called a dinner jacket. To be honest us youngsters then didn't consider it a very groovy thing to wear as it was way too formal. But if you did have to go to a dinner dance where formal wear was a requisite most young men would hire the suit and refer to it as a DJ (dinner jacket). Perhaps it made it sound a bit trendier. I like the term tuxedo it's a great word but I also like to keep the differences between US and UK culture and language. That's not judgmental more like, " You say potato and I say potato....."!
Hi Jan, It's interesting you bring up the tuxedo and dinner jacket which refer to the same thing. While researching for this post I came across the origins of calling a dinner jacket a tuxedo, and was going to include it in the post but thought I was getting too off subject so didn't. Short version Prince Edward VII had a dinner jacket made as a less formal alternative to tails. When the wealthy American, James Potter and his wife Cora were invited for a weekend with the Prince in Sandringham he was instructed to have a dinner jacket made as that is what the men would be wearing. He brought it back to America, wore it to the Autumn Ball in Tuxedo Park NY where it caught on, eventually spread and became known as the Tuxedo jacket. So yes the dinner jacket/tuxedo originated in England we just call it a tuxedo! Thanks for commenting!
I never felt better than while I wore a tuxedo, working as a dealer in Las Vegas. It was my uniform. Not for all the years, but for many. After work we'd go out for drinks and though I took off the coat and tie, the shirt (with cufflinks) remained on.
It's been really hard for me to shop to find clothes for dress due to the many years of dressing this way for a living. It's easy for me to shop for formal occasions. I know this sounds weird, but there something psychologically off for me when I shop for casual or "date night."
Luckily because I'm older I rarely go to formal occasions, if ever.
I miss how I felt while wearing a tuxedo with stilletos.
Hi Patti, Great story! Get a tuxedo jacket and get that great feeling again. I think it's a great look for women. I think older women particularly look very distinguished in a tux, daring and modern! The Real Real had many more than I even included, not a bad thing to have in your wardrobe, and so many ways you could wear it! Always nice to hear from you!!
Jolain, I'm going to get a tuxedo coat to wear over the holiday season. I love the idea of reliving "that feel good" - and I'm splurging on a pair of stilettos while I'm at it... as long as I don't have to walk far in them I'll be fine, haha, especially in the dead of winter with a few feet of snow on the ground. :) Thank you for the post and the suggestion, as I frequently mention, I love your work!
Thanks Patti! So glad you're going for it!!!
Me too! It helps me look forward to the holiday season, I’ll be dressed to the nines. :)