History of the smoking

The "smoking" is an invention that dates from 1860. It was developed by tailor Henry Poole in London on behalf of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII son of Queen Victoria. In the 19th century, European men used to lock themselves in smoking rooms after dinners in society. The Prince of Wales therefore wanted to wear a short jacket he could smoke with, to prevent his other jackets from taking the smell of smoke, which disturbed ladies.

For that reason, they dressed themselves in special suits called in England ''Smoking Suit'', the same word was adopted in France to designate the "smoker suit". From 1910, tuxedos became a chic evening outfit adopted by the dandys.

The tuxedo is generally black and white, it comes with a butterfly knot and a pocket square. It consists of a slightly straight short jacket or crossed with satin lapel and a black trousers with silk braid. The tuxedo is worn with a white shirt having a wing collar. The bow tie is the essential piece of the tuxedo. You don't normally wear a tie with a tuxedo.