Smoking

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Dress: Anthea Crawford crepe

"Smoking" Jacket: Vintage, Oriental silk (from China)

Booties: Corelli @ Williams suede & neoprene

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier

Bag: Novo patent

Necklace: Lovisa glass beads, diamante & tassel

Bangles: Gift, gold, silver & beaded (from India)

Sunglasses: Witchery

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Rocking my version of a vintage men's "smoking jacket" in a vibrant royal blue, red & gold Oriental print silk for a day of shopping in the River City. Rather than wearing it Yves Saint Laurent style - what we commonly think of as "Le Smoking" - with a matching pair of tuxedo pants & tie, I stayed true to my trademark & donned a stunning lipstick-red crepe dress from Anthea Crawford, with draped neckline & pleated waist detail. 

The traditional "smoking jacket," with its shawl collar, turned up cuff, breast pocket detail & toggles or tie fastenings (I took the tie fastening off this one to decrease bulk & make it more streamlined for a woman's silhouette) was popular in 17th century England, when goods flowing from India & Asia brought spices, tobacco, coffee & silk to the continent. Suddenly, it became the "done thing" for upper-class gentlemen to be depicted wearing their decadent silk robe de chambre to denote prosperity & opulence. 

Short smoking jackets soon evolved when the popularity of cigars & alcohol skyrocketed after the Crimean War & gentlemen retreated to smoking rooms or dens after dinner to imbibe, donning the jacket to absorb the smoke & protect their clothing from falling ash. Then Hollywood became involved, with matinee idol Cary Grant favouring the style, Fred Astaire being buried (!) in his & Rat Pack members Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra carousing in them during some of their famed Las Vegas shows.

Declining in popularity from the 1950s due to a marked decline in European gentry & the fact that smoking was no longer de rigeur, the smoking jacket is now seen as a curiosity from another age or even an eccentric English alternative to formal wear... & as you may have already realised, worn by stylish women inspired by designer YSL's game-changing androgynous juggernaut...

As usual, the intense colour of my dress & jacket was "anchored" by the addition of a pair of black suede & neoprene heeled booties from Corelli, matte 40 denier Razzamatazz tights & boxy, patent handbag from Novo. Jewellery was minimal yet striking - a trio of sparkly, gold & silver beaded bangles from India & a long, glass bead necklace with a diamante ball pendant & hanging tassel from Lovisa.

Finishing off this outre look was a pair of oversized tortoiseshell sunglasses from Witchery, just the ticket with my blunt fringe & red lips...

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