While the smoking jacket has evolved over the years, it was originally seen as high-taste, luxurious loungewear. Traditionally made from softer materials like silk and velvet, the smoking jacket represented comfort and elegance.
In the seventeenth century, silk was one of the goods imported to Europe from Asia, India, and North America. It became trendy for wealthy men to have their portrait painted while wearing their silk robes. While remarkable in its sophistication, the smoking jacket would also provide warmth, as most homes throughout the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries did not have proper heating and insulation.
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