Man's Smoking Jacket Gallery Front View

This fanciful jacket is made of cigar bands—silk ribbons printed with trademark names that were used by importers to tie bundles of cigars together before the later practice of boxing them became standard. Collecting the colorful strips became a fad among wives and daughters who cleverly constructed bedspreads, wall pockets, and—perhaps most relevant—smoking jackets from them. Through the dynamic placement of the shaded yellow, red, and green silks, the elegant smoker became a walking advertisement for his favorite brands, such as: “Owl,” “Lone Star,” and “Santa Rosa.”