QUIZ

Take the tuxedo test

1.

According to legend (as well as the “Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion”), the tuxedo derives its name from which of the following?

a) The last name of the original designer

b) The Latin words for “formal breastplate”

c) The town in New York where it was first worn

d) An anagram of “Ox Duet,” the Broadway play in which it made its debut.

2.

Who was U.S. president the year the tuxedo made its debut at the Tuxedo Club’s autumn ball?

a) Martin Van Buren

b) Grover Cleveland

c) William Howard Taft

d) Abraham Lincoln

3.

The man widely credited with introducing the tuxedo to the world, Griswold P. Lorillard, came from a well-to-do family that made its fortune in what commodity?

a) Tobacco

b) Furs

c) Lumber

d) Coal

4.

What simple — but sensational — modification did Lorillard and friends make to the prevailing formalwear style at the time to create the tuxedo?

a) Put a satin side stripe down the outside of the trouser leg

b) Add contrasting fabric lapels to the jacket

c) Had the tails cut off a tailcoat

d) All of the above

5.

What is the traditional reason often given in explaining why a pleated cummerbund should be worn with the creases in the pleats facing upward?

a) It makes the jacket lay flat while standing.

b) It makes it easier for the wearer to sit at a dinner table.

c) If caught in the rain, it helps channel the water to each side instead of down the middle of the crotch.

d) Historically, men would tuck theater tickets into the open pleats.

6.

Which of the below accurately describes Sean Connery’s first tuxedo-clad on-screen appearance as James Bond?

a) In “Dr. No,” wearing a shawl collar tuxedo while playing chemin de fer

b) In “From Russia with Love,” stepping out of the surf with a notch lapel tuxedo under a SCUBA suit

c) In “Goldfinger,” wearing a double-breasted, gold-trimmed tuxedo while golfing with Auric Goldfinger

d) In “Thunderball,” skiing down the Alps in a tuxedo ski suit