Smoking Jackets Online

[mso489]

My wife was online looking at smoking jackets, I guess just for fun. We're not in the market, so far

as I know. But most of the snazzier versions were vintage, from the 1950's and 60's, and didn't come

in a selection of sizes. We were interested that a number of sewing patterns for smoking jackets are

for sale, some reasonably priced for four or five dollars, but one almost thirty! Smoking jackets and

pipes are for RENT as costumes, and one outfit had smoking slippers for sale, although how smoking

slippers differ from plain slippers was not described. You can buy a bespoken smoking jacket made

to order from UK for about what you'd pay for a custom made shirt. Apparently some wear a smoking

jacket as formal wear in place of a tux, although the few places I wear a tux, that wouldn't look right.

Does anyone own -- but more important -- smoke in a smoking jacket? If I found one at a thrift store

for $20 I might buy it, but I am in no way certain I'd wear it.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I remember my dad had a smoking jacket that I found in the attic from when he was a young man.(1930s) It was burgundy velvet with a shawl collar, and was a size 36, too small for me. I asked when he wore it, and he said that he belonged to a fraternity, but only smoked cigarettes. I never saw him smoke in my life, so I was a little surprised, but I always thought it was cool! Too bad it didn't fit, but then I never smoked back then anyway.

 

[mso489]

What little I know about smoking jackets, it seems to me that you can't wear them and then

act rowdy or you just look like a procurer, a.k.a. a pimp. Also, they have to be somewhat loose,

like a robe. If they draw up tight around your belly, you look like a fat pimp. It helps put them

over if you wear a paisley vest with them, unless the jacket is paisley, and a tie, especially a bow tie

in a complementary color or pattern. The biggest part is being offhanded in wearing them, whether

at home or out, so you don't look self conscious. I'm not sure I could do that. It has to look not

self-conscious.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Everyone wants to be like Hef. I'd rock a smoking jacket just because.
"Are you wearing a smoking jacket?"

"Yeah I'm bringing it back. Deal with it."

 

[mso489]

Poor old Hef. He wouldn't be my role model in smoking jackets, though he did a lot to revive them

in the sixties. My smoking jacket references would mostly be the old black and white movies, made

about the time Hugh was born.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've looked through online vendors for smoking jackets, but like a lot of other vintage clothes that I think are cool, I just don't know when or where I would ever wear them. I look goofy enough in the ordinary things I wear, ha ha. Vintage hats though, that's different. I like a classic hat. But, vintage smoking hats just make me look like I should be riding a go-cart in a parade.

 

[beefeater33]

When I was in college in the mid 1980's my room mate and I went to this thrift shop. Mind you this was before thrift shops were "cool". I came out with a black velvet smoking jacket, white satin lining, for five bucks. He got the only other one there, a purple paisley one. Man, I wanted that one but it was too big for me. I was like 150 pounds back then. Now I've got this old black velvet smoking jacket still in my closet, 30 years later, and I'm 190 pounds! Damn I wish I could have bought that paisley one- It was velvet too!

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

I bet that paisley one kicked ass. Little did you know years later it WOULD be your size.

 

[natenice1]

Yup I have a purple one my grandmother bought me when I was 18 smoking a pipe in college! She was active in the church and ran the "Bargain Basement" I was a hit in the dorm, that bargain basement was good because the widows would bring the "Broken Pipes" humidors, racks and pipes and clothes, NICE FINDS, that's when older gents smoked pipes and were respected. 8)

 

[yaboofive]

I have one and use it during the colder months. I made mine out of some wool fabric that was given to me from a family members trip through Russia. It's green and blue plaid with a quilted lining.... For some reason my better half wont let me wear it out of the house...

 

[misterlowercase]

I've always wanted one, but I can't justify the expense and I don't really know if I'd ever actually wear it.
I like the trippy old psychedelic ones, the examples from the Victorian period are bananaland bonkers OTT and usually extremely well made, but also very pricey.
The groovy thing about the world today is infomania, and whatever esoteric interest you may have can be found at the touch of a button because usually somebody has created a space for it,

this is a good gallery:

http://www.pinterest.com/rlnwht/gentlemen-s-smoking-jackets/
...when I was growing up we had a full shelf of those big encyclopedias and that was the wider world for me.

Mind you this was before thrift shops were "cool"...

Ain't that the truth, I blame the bad economy for people getting hip, but back in the day it was like our bargainland because you could find attic treasures much cheaper than the antique store, I used to buy typewriters all day long for $5 each.

 

[fadingdaylight]

Now you can forget it. All the good stuff never makes it to the shelves, and everything is overpriced. I remember buying these crazy cardigans and old school hats, suit jackets and slacks, old school records, all kinds of stuff. 10 bucks would buy you a half a new wardrobe in the mid 90's. I was an odd teen I guess. These days, 10 bucks will barely get you some stained old jeans. I hardly ever go scouring anymore. Tried looking for something I could repurpose into a pipe rack, found nothing but battered Wal-Mart furniture, priced at just shy of new.
Back to the point, I would love to stumble across an affordable smoking jacket. Some of those Victorian era's are fantastic. I would at least wear it at home, for fun if nothing else.

 

[misterlowercase]

Now you can forget it. All the good stuff never makes it to the shelves, and everything is overpriced...

You're right about that,

the trendy vintage shops even have fulltime employees that go around scouting for stuff all day --- all the cool junk gets picked quick.
There ain't hardly no such thing as a junkshop no more,

that's we always called 'em.

 

[plateauguy]

I can see it now, a satin smoking jacket, a velvet smoking hat with a tassel, and my white socks. Quite the picture isn't it?

 

[fadingdaylight]

You gonna throw some sandals on with those socks? Lol

 

[pylorns]

Isn't there a site sponsor that makes them?

Edit: former sponsor I guess? Smokey Joes: http://www.smokyjoesclothing.com/ I was impressed with their jackets.

 

[macabra11]

My wife told me that her grand idea for a Father's Day gift this year, was a smoking jacket. However, she could not locate one (especially in such a large size), so the plan fell through. I was really disappointed

 

[phred]

Smoky Joe's Clothing - they were an advertiser at one point, and I still have them bookmarked for future reference, as my own attempts to make a smoking hat have been less than successful...
Since I do almost all of my smoking outdoors, my "smoking jacket" is an M-65 Field Jacket during colder weather. :D

 

[mso489]

I think pricing versus quality is tricky with the smoking jackets I saw online. I haven't visited

Smoky Joe's lately, though. When the prices get low enough to consider (without overspending

by my lights) the quality seems to really slip, so the jackets are all cotton like a summer bathrobe.

Whereas, when the jacket looks sharp, with a contrasting lapel and handsome fabric, but not too

heavy for the South where I live, we are already well above a hundred bucks, if not hundreds, for

something I'm not sure I'd wear. So it's not an obvious pick. I'd hate to be given a fine smoking

jacket as a gift and then not wear it much, or at all. The thrift shop is an option, but I think smoking

jackets have become rare, not extinct but rare. I think a young person could develop a business making

these from the patterns offered online, branching out with their own designs once they had the hang of

it. But maybe the demand is too specialized. Fashion is a risky investment.

 

[pylorns]

My original beef with smokey joes was that they didn't have big-boy sizes. They do now though, going up to 4x.