An update on the traditional: Maison Margiela’s black wool double-breasted tuxedo jacket with satin lapels is paired with a white shirt, cropped pants and booties. $1,995, barneys.com.
J Crew single-breasted jacket with satin lapels has a fun polka-dot lining. After the holidays, wear it with denim. $260, netaporter.com.
Wear Racil’s burgundy Orion tailored velvet jacket with tassel waist belt atop slim black trousers. $905, matchesfashion.com.
Kate Spade’s velvet-backed hematite and cubic zirconia brooch will dress up your silk blouse or your handbag. $278, katespade.com.
This Diane von Furstenberg velvet jumpsuit is back-ordered at Neiman Marcus. Matches Fashion (matchesfashion.com) carries a similar one (with long sleeves) for $552.
Go low with Shoes of Prey’s smoking slipper with contrast trim and tassels. $179.95, nordstrom.com.
Pair Vince’s pleated satin wide-leg pants with a black silk blouse for relaxed elegance. $345, netaporter.com.
Topshop riffs on the traditional tuxedo jacket in jade crinkle velvet. $125, us.topshop.com.
THERE’S SOMETHING, well, really a lot of things about the holiday season that make me yearn for simple solutions. And, what could be a simpler solution for dressing up than Yves Saint Laurent’s androgynous and armor-like classic, “Le Smoking” (so named because the silk lapels from 19th-century men’s smoking jackets were designed to allow ashes falling from after-dinner cigars or cigarettes to slide off, keeping the jacket pristine.) Saint Laurent introduced the iconic look in 1966 and reinvented it in every collection thereafter.
Designers at every price point continue to refresh the traditional black evening jacket and satin-striped pants with different fabrics, cuts, colors and ideas on how to wear them. Maison Margiela pairs a classic jacket with a plain white shirt, cropped pants and booties; for Tibi’s Amy Smilovic all-white looks right, as does a jacket with a tie flourish at the sleeve. Diane von Furstenberg translates the formalwear staple into a velvet jumpsuit and Topshop tweaks the tuxedo jacket in a crinkly velvet — in jade.
For cues on how to style the borrowed-from-the-boys look, see Angelia Jolie, who, pre-Pitt divorce, paired her le smoking with an unbuttoned white shirt and an untied bow tie draped at the collar. For more photos of celebs rocking the tuxedo, see this BuzzFeed story.
Bottom line: A thumbs-up for the tuxedo suit. It is a no-brainer for looking polished and chic.
— Janet Kelly Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. She recently posted on cozying up to plaid.
