The New York Times’ Sunday story on tuxedo jackets for women (“Half a Tux Is Perfect”) brought back memories of my first (and only!) tux.
Remember Willi Smith? The delightful designer of WilliWear and brother of the terrific model Toukie Smith? In the late 1980s I bought a women’s tuxedo suit from his line. The jacket was very long, black (natch), and double-breasted with tortoise shell-colored buttons. It nipped in dramatically at the waist, so you knew you weren’t wearing your boyfriend’s jacket. The tux came with a pair of high-waist, wide, wide-legged trousers and I’d wear them with high, high heels.
As I contemplated the resurgence of le smoking for women, my mind drifted toward formal occasions where men typically wear tuxedos—gala events documented in the NYT pages, say, or weddings. While I respect the institution of marriage, I’m really not a fan of weddings. For one, I don’t like the clothes that brides are expected to wear—the long white dress, no matter how exquisitely made, how beautiful the fit—seems to impose its personality on the wearer.
So when my then-beau and I decided to get married, my wedding clothes were a real issue for me. As a graduate student in the Middle West, my options were few. I scoured catalogues from gracious New York women’s stores to no avail (this was, of course, before the Internet revolutionized shopping). I took a day trip to a store in a near-ish big-ish city and found a perfect Chanel midnight blue cocktail dress, but it was well beyond my budget.
What to do? With my wedding approaching rapidly, I turned to my tuxedo. In an unplanned homage to Nan Kempner (who famously doffed her tux-suit trousers at a French restaurant to meet the establishment’s dress code), I wore my tuxedo jacket as a dress down the aisle, accessorized by pearl studs and a happy smile. The groom wore a Brooks Brothers navy suit.
And unlike some white lace dresses, which perhaps should be left at home after the wedding, my “dress” can be worn again and again.
Do you (ladies and gents) wear a tuxedo anywhere?
Remember Willi Smith? The delightful designer of WilliWear and brother of the terrific model Toukie Smith? In the late 1980s I bought a women’s tuxedo suit from his line. The jacket was very long, black (natch), and double-breasted with tortoise shell-colored buttons. It nipped in dramatically at the waist, so you knew you weren’t wearing your boyfriend’s jacket. The tux came with a pair of high-waist, wide, wide-legged trousers and I’d wear them with high, high heels.
As I contemplated the resurgence of le smoking for women, my mind drifted toward formal occasions where men typically wear tuxedos—gala events documented in the NYT pages, say, or weddings. While I respect the institution of marriage, I’m really not a fan of weddings. For one, I don’t like the clothes that brides are expected to wear—the long white dress, no matter how exquisitely made, how beautiful the fit—seems to impose its personality on the wearer.
So when my then-beau and I decided to get married, my wedding clothes were a real issue for me. As a graduate student in the Middle West, my options were few. I scoured catalogues from gracious New York women’s stores to no avail (this was, of course, before the Internet revolutionized shopping). I took a day trip to a store in a near-ish big-ish city and found a perfect Chanel midnight blue cocktail dress, but it was well beyond my budget.
What to do? With my wedding approaching rapidly, I turned to my tuxedo. In an unplanned homage to Nan Kempner (who famously doffed her tux-suit trousers at a French restaurant to meet the establishment’s dress code), I wore my tuxedo jacket as a dress down the aisle, accessorized by pearl studs and a happy smile. The groom wore a Brooks Brothers navy suit.
And unlike some white lace dresses, which perhaps should be left at home after the wedding, my “dress” can be worn again and again.
Do you (ladies and gents) wear a tuxedo anywhere?
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