The Tower of Babel – Shop of the Day No. 50
Savile Row today and to the shop that has been in the same family for 5 generations, originally specialising in military uniforms including The Battle of Waterloo, made suits for Winston Churchill who bought his first suit from them over 100 years ago but also invented the Tuxedo.
In 1860, Henry Poole made a short evening or smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales to wear at informal dinner parties at Sandringham. In 1886, a Mr. James Potter of Tuxedo Park, New York visited London and subsequently was invited by the Prince to spend a weekend at Sandringham House. He was also advised that he could have a smoking jacket made by the Prince’s tailors, Henry Poole & Co.
When the Potters returned to New York, Mr. Potter proudly wore his new smoking jacket at the Tuxedo Club and fellow members soon started having copies made for themselves which they adopted as their informal uniform for club “stag” dinners. As a result, the dinner jacket became known as a Tuxedo or Tux in America.
©Barnaby Barford 2014