thePULSEFrom Rebellion to Refinement
By Eric Sanderson
Today the tuxedo is synonymous with male elegance (even though we guys lovingly refer to it as a “penguin suit” or “prison” sometimes), but ever wonder where the fancy suit actual came from and got its name?
Well, seems like the fancy threads were “invented” by a guy with a fancy name, too ~ Pierre Lorillard IV. Lorillard was a wealthy 19th century tobacco magnate who lived 40 miles out of NYC in a residential colony called Tuxedo Park, founded on land acquired from the Algonquin Indian tribe. The land was originally called P’tauk-seet-tough after the tribal chief who lived there ~ the name meant “Home of the Bear.” The town’s founders kept the phonetics of the name and came up with Tuxedo Park.
Pierre Lorillard moved in the highest social circles around and helped establish Tuxedo Park as an elite hunting (guess because it was, after all, home of the bear) and fishing destination ~ and also the site of many enormous, elegant Italian-styled homes. Tuxedo Park became a sought-after destination for the world’s elite and an extravagant social scene was born, centering around a social organization called the Tuxedo Club.
The Club’s 1st Annual Autumn Ball was held in October of 1886. Until then, men’s formal dress had consisted of a long tailcoat and white tie (fellow men, now THAT would be something to complain about). For this event, though, Lorillard, already well-known for being a brash trend-setter, commissioned a modified ‘tailless” black jacket to wear to the event ~ speculation is that this might have been in homage either to the shorter red jackets worn for formal fox hunts or to a dinner jacket that England’s Prince of Wales (who later became Kind Edward VII) had, courtesy of Savile Row tailor Henry Poole & Co. But regardless, this minor departure from the traditional would have been considered radical on his part…
…”Would have” because it actually wasn’t Lorillard who went through with his brazen fashion plans ~ it was his rebellious son Griswold, along with a couple of friends, who bucked convention and wore the shorter jackets. As is still the case, any trend started by someone young ,wealthy, and influential catches on like wildfire ~ and once respected gentlemen sporting the new look were allowed into the Dress Circle of New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1889, it was official: the tuxedo was here to stay…and remains the quintessential symbol of sophistication and occasion.
