A smoking jacket is a thoroughly Victorian commodity. In the past it was the appropriate garment for any gentleman of standing and those who wanted to fall into that category to don whenever retiring to smoke. The smoking jacket - house coat, oriental robe, or embroidered throw – was specifically tailored to go over the gentleman’s clothing, such as the suit jacket, and it would be worn only on the occasion of smoking. Smoking jackets were used for a two fold purpose: first and foremost was the notion that the gentleman’s finely tailored clothes should be protected from ashes, glowing embers, and dropped cigar butts that were part and parcel of smoking tobacco in the Victorian era; the second reason was that for a man of standing it was imperative to not offend a wife or sister, usually a woman of gentle upbringing, by the smells the smoke left behind on the man’s person via the clothing. Some smoking jackets came also with a special smoking cap that was to take care of the smoky smell the hair would pick up while the gentleman was indulging his tobacco habit.

The materials of these smoking jackets varied slightly, but generally speaking the most commonly seen was the silk smoking jacket which rich ornamentation. Men’s smoking jackets were often colored in deep tones, such a dark wine red or a hunter green, while others may have displayed a royal blue or even a somewhat more uncharacteristically gold. The smoking jacket silk was specially hand watered to ensure the kind of quality that would last for a lifetime, and it is true that smoking jackets were often tailored to last for the lifetime of the gentleman using it.

While today it is indeed a rarity to find smoking jackets for sale, there is a market for men’s vintage smoking jackets. Considering the care with which these garments were crafted, it is not surprising that many have survived the gentlemen for which they were sewn, and there is now quite a market for the men's smoking jacket not only for collectors of vintage smoking jackets, but also for those who are looking for a smoking jacket for sale with the idea of actually using it. It is interesting to note that those smoking Dunhill products are most likely to seek out a smoking jacket for their ensemble while those enjoying Marlboro were least likely to do so.

No matter what brand you smoke, if you are looking for vintage smoking jacket, the Internet will be a wonderful place to find what you are looking for. A men’s smoking jacket may be found either on the sites of private collectors or via the big auction sites that will even depict men wearing smoking jackets so as to help you understand how you might look in this garb.