Have you
ever
wondered
about
the
story
behind
the
tuxedo?
Or how
this
special
black
and
white
ensemble,
casually
referred
to as a
"tux,"
or even
"penguin
suit,"
became
men's
expected
attire
for
special
occasions?
There
are
several
theories
about
the
"invention"
of the
tuxedo,
but
popular
belief
credits
a man
with a
name as
fancy as
his
creation
--
Pierre
Lorillard
IV.
Pierre
Lorillard
was a
wealthy
tobacco
magnate
of the
19th
century.
He and
his
family
lived 40
miles
northwest
of New
York
City 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,
named
after
the
tribal
chief
and
meaning
"home of
the
bear."
The
town's
founders
kept the
phonetics
of the
name and
christened
the area
Tuxedo
Park.
The
Lorillards
circulated
among
the
highest
social
circles
and
Pierre
Lorillard
helped
establish
Tuxedo
Park as
an elite
hunting
and
fishing
destination.
A large,
Italian
labor
force
comprised
of
skilled
artisans
was used
to
construct
a series
of
elegant
homes
within
the
walled
area
that
remain
part of
a
designated
historical
area.
Tuxedo
Park
thus
became a
high
profile
residence
and
resort
for the
worlds'
rich and
famous.
And, as
would be
expected,
an
extravagant
social
scene
soon
followed.
Tuxedo
Park's
residents
and
regular
guests
even
established
their
own
social
organization
called
the
Tuxedo
Club.
The
Tuxedo
Club's
first
annual
Autumn
Ball was
held in
October
of 1886.
At the
time,
men's
formal
dress
consisted
of long
tailcoat
and
white
tie.
However,
the
assumedly
dashing
Pierre
Lorillard
commissioned
a
modified
"tailless"
black
jacket
to wear
to the
ball.
Some say
Lorillard
was
inspired
by a
dinner
jacket
designed
by
Savile
Row
tailor
Henry
Poole &
Co.,
tailor
to
England's
Prince
of Wales
who
later
became
King
Edward
VII.
Others
claim he
simply
had the
custom-made
jacket
styled
according
to the
shorter
shape of
the red
jackets
then
worn for
formal
foxhunts.
No
matter
the
source
of
inspiration
for the
new
formal
attire,
it was a
small,
but
radical
departure
from the
traditional
long
tailcoat.
Despite
his
intent,
Pierre
Lorillard
did not
go
through
with his
fashion
plans
for the
ball.
However,
his
perhaps
more
rebellious
son
Griswold
Lorillard,
along
with
several
of his
friends,
did wear
the
short
jacket
to the
ball.
Due to
the
lofty
social
status
of the
young
men, the
short
jacket
was
instantly
admired
as a
striking
fashion
statement
rather
than
condemned
as a
fashion
faux
pas.
Pierre
Lorillard's
short
jacket,
donned
by his
son
Griswold,
was
quickly
copied
and when
gentlemen
wearing
tuxedos
were
admitted
to the
Dress
Circle
of New
York's
Metropolitan
Opera in
1889,
the
success
of this
new
fashion
was
confirmed.
The
"tuxedo,"
so
dubbed
after
the town
of its
debut,
thus
went
from
fashionable
trend to
timeless
classic.
The
tuxedo
is a
standard
in
American
formal
attire
and is a
ubiquitous
symbol
of
celebration
and
special
occasion
for men
of any
and all
levels
of
society.
It is
the
quintessential
men's
attire
for
formal
affairs
and an
obvious
choice
for all
but the
most
formal
of
weddings,
galas,
balls,
formals,
and high
school
proms.
Pierre
Lorillard's
fashion
deviation
has
become
the
enduring
standard
for
men's
formal
attire.
Nothing
says
tradition
and
elegance
like the
tuxedo.
Tying a
perfect
bow tie
does not
have to
be
complicated
and
difficult.
With
these
instructions
and a
little
practice,
you can
graduate
to a new
level of
elegance
with
your own
hand-tied
bow tie.
Step 1
Start with the tie around your neck, with one end about one and a half inches longer than the other. Cross the long end over the short end and pull it through the center. Keep this snug against your neck.
Step 2
Form a single loop with the short end, centering it where the knot will be. Make sure the end of the loop is the widest part, to ensure your bow will have the proper shape.
Step 3
Bring the long end over the looped short end. Now you can begin to see how the bow will take shape.
Step 4
Form a loop with the long end, again making sure the end of the loop is the widest part. Push this loop through the knot behind the previous (front) loop.
Step 5
Tighten the knot by pulling on the loops and adjust the ends carefully. Remember, practice makes perfect!
To tie
the
Windsor
Knot,
select a
necktie
of your
choice
and
stand in
front of
a
mirror.
Then
simply
follow
the
steps
below:
1) Start with the wide end ("W") of your necktie on the right, extending about 12 inches below the narrow end ("N") on the left.
2) Then cross the wide end over the narrow end.
3) Bring the wide end up through the loop between the collar and your tie.
4) Then bring the wide end back down.
5) Pull the wide end underneath the narrow end and to the right, back through the loop and to the right again so that the wide end is inside out.
6) Bring the wide end across the front from right to left.
7) Then pull the wide end up through the loop again.
8) Bring the wide end down through the knot in front.
9) And -- using both hands -- tighten the knot carefully and draw it up to the collar.
Congratulations,
you did
it! You
see, it
is not
rocket
science
after
all.
Simply
keep
practicing
the
Windsor
Knot a
few more
times
until
you can
tie this
necktie
knot
within
less
than two
minutes.
