| Ah, the smoking jacket: a fashion that has | | | | before a man lit a pipe or a cigar, he would |
| gone away, fallen into the clothing abyss | | | | put on a smoking jacket, trapping the odors |
| with leg warmers, hoop skirts, and beloved | | | | in that jacket instead of his everyday |
| parachute pants. On occasion, you might | | | | clothing. The jacket also served as |
| glimpse a smoking jacket, seeing one in an | | | | protection for the underclothing from ash and |
| old movie or an oil panting hanging over a | | | | tobacco burns. |
| fireplace mantel. But, chances are, you don't | | | | |
| come into contact with these types of jackets | | | | Smoking jackets are typically expensive, |
| very often. Truth be told, they are a thing | | | | which helps make them almost nonexistent in |
| of yore: the concept of the smoking jacket | | | | today's society. Their high expense is due to |
| has been smoked out. | | | | the high priced nature of the materials use. |
| | | | However, in defense of the smoking jacket, |
| Still, like the past of many things, the | | | | the expense may be worth it: they usually |
| history of the smoking jacket is interesting. | | | | last a lifetime. |
| Though you wouldn't know it now, they were | | | | |
| once very popular, almost like the jean | | | | Sometimes a smoking jacket is accompanied by |
| jacket of the 1980's, the Disco jacket of the | | | | a smoking cap, at least for people who aim to |
| 1970's, or the straight jacket of the 1960's. | | | | wear the entire smoking outfit. The smoking |
| Originally developed for people to wear | | | | cap, though also prevalent during Victorian |
| during times of smoking pipes and cigars (and | | | | times, was never quite as popular as its |
| occasionally cigarettes) smoking jackets are | | | | jacketed counterpart. It did, however, serve |
| waist length and typically made of expensive | | | | a similar aim: like the smoking jacket, the |
| material, namely velvet or silk. The jackets | | | | smoking cap purposed to appease women by |
| include turn up cuffs, fastenings, and a high | | | | keeping the odor of tobacco smoke out of the |
| collar. | | | | hair of men. For this reason, many smoking |
| | | | caps were made by wives or given as gifts to |
| While they can be any color, the ones of the | | | | tobacco indulging husbands. |
| past were usually made of hues that knew how | | | | |
| to be anything but subtle. Burgundy, forest | | | | Today, smoking caps and smoking jackets are |
| green, and dark red were common colors used. | | | | hard to find, though some are available |
| | | | online or in vintage clothing stores. The |
| During Victorian times, the smoking jacket | | | | demise in their popularity could be from many |
| was among the most popular of clothing items. | | | | things. They might be too expensive, and they |
| Its development is believed to have been | | | | might be too pretentious, but it's most |
| perpetuated by the belief that females were | | | | likely that it turns out women don't really |
| sensitive to the odor of tobacco. Thus, | | | | dislike the smell of tobacco smoke after all. |