As much as we love dressing up for outdoor summer events, the autumn and winter months are some of our favourites because they open the door to the world of classic black tie. As evenings become ever longer, our wardrobes shift from lightweight and bright fabrics to altogether darker tones and rich tactile cloths. Velvet was of course the choice fabric for the smoking jacket, primarily because the short but dense pile was very handy at absorbing the smell of after-dinner cigars and cigarettes.
During the Crimean War, cheap Turkish tobacco made its way to English shores where it was met with open arms and pursed lips. Smoking jackets back then were certainly less ceremonial than they are now, and were more likely to be longer in order to keep the wearer warm, should the lady of the house kick the gents outside for a smoke. As smoking proliferated however, a heavy velvet coat became somewhat surplus to requirements, and so the smoking jacket eventually evolved to become the garment that we know today, replete with ceremonial frogging and such other details.
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Navy Velvet Shawl |
Sapphire Blue Velvet Shawl |
The dinner jacket reputedly came into being because Edward VII was tired of wearing tails to dinner and wanted something altogether more comfortable, while no less smart, to sit in. Today's velvet dinner jackets then, while sharing the fabric of their tobacco-scented godfathers, bear much closer resemblance to the modern dinner jacket. Indeed, they are for all intents and purposes, dinner jackets cut from velvet and should be worn as such. You could certainly argue that the velvet jacket is less formal than the classic black dinner jacket and you wouldn't be wrong. We would never suggest wearing a velvet jacket to the most formal of black tie events, but for everything else, velvet is an excellent option.
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Olive Velvet Single-Breasted |
Racing Green Velvet Single-Breasted |
Burgundy Velvet Single-Breasted |
At Favourbrook this season, we have a number of fantastic velvet dinner jacket styles that will elevate your occasionwear no end. Foremost among them are our shawl lapel dinner jackets, featuring perfectly proportioned sweeping silk grosgrain lapels.
Our single-breasted Grosvenor smoking jacket also provides a wonderful sense of nostalgic sartorialism, delivered in a modern slim silhouette. We have crafted it in four tones: burgundy, navy, olive green, and racing green, each one boasting its own unique character.
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Navy Velvet Double-Breasted |
Burgundy Velvet Double-Breasted |
The more formal version of this is a double-breasted style with twice the frogging details at the front. The classic smoking jacket would be more suitable for less formal black tie events, or for smart evenings when you want to project a relaxed refinement. This style comes in navy and burgundy options.
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Navy Velvet Cotton |
Racing Green Velvet |
Our peak lapel velvet dinner jackets are the height of refinement, cut beautifully with a modern silhouette. Both the navy and racing green styles feature contrasting black silk grosgrain peak lapels and buttons. The jackets feature a welted breast pocket and slanted flapped side pockets, as well as four button working cuffs. Inside, the jacket is lined in Favourbrook midnight paisley with three internal pockets. Both colours are excellent options for most black tie events, bringing a healthy dose of tone and texture to your formal ensemble.
