Smoking, Dinner Jacket, Tuxedo: One Outfit, Many Names

The same black evening outfit is a dinner jacket to the British, a tuxedo to Americans and a smoking to the French, Italians and Germans. If you receive an invitation or shop abroad without knowing this, it is easy to be confused. This article matches the names to each country, and to the words Vietnamese speakers use.

Britain: dinner jacket and dinner suit

In Britain the jacket is called a dinner jacket, shortened to DJ in everyday speech, and the full outfit of jacket and trousers is a dinner suit. The phrase "black tie", which you see on invitations, names a level of dress rather than a garment. Ireland, Australia and many countries once under British influence use the same terms.

The name is tied to the evening meal, true to its origin as a short coat replacing the tailcoat at informal dinners. You can read more in Henry Poole and the first dinner jacket.

America and Canada: tuxedo

Americans say tuxedo, often shortened to "tux". The name comes from Tuxedo Park, the site of a club where many say the jacket and the name first joined (the full story is in why it is called a tuxedo). Canada generally uses the word too.

One point causes confusion: in America, "dinner jacket" often means only a light or differently coloured jacket, such as ivory, worn with black trousers, especially in summer. When you meet the term on an invitation or in a shop, ask what is meant.

France, Italy, Germany: smoking

French, Italian and German all use the word "smoking" for this outfit. It was borrowed from the English "smoking jacket", the coat worn in the smoking room, but in these languages it became the name of the entire evening suit. Spanish writes it "esmoquin", and Japanese renders the sound of tuxedo as "takishīdo".

For an English speaker this is a trap: "smoking" in English refers to smoking tobacco. Tell an English-speaking shop assistant you need "a smoking" and they may not follow you, whereas in Paris or Milan everyone understands at once.

A chart by country

Place	Name for the jacket or outfit	How invitations usually put it
Britain, Ireland, Australia	dinner jacket, dinner suit, DJ	Black tie
United States, Canada	tuxedo, tux	Black tie, formal
France	smoking	Tenue de soirée
Italy	smoking	Smoking, abito da sera
Germany	Smoking	Smoking
Spain	esmoquin	De etiqueta
Japan	タキシード (takishīdo)	Formal

The wording on invitations is only a guide, since each place has its own phrasing. When you need to be sure, ask the host.

How Vietnamese speakers say it

In Vietnam several names for the outfit sit side by side:

• Lễ phục, the general term, broader than tuxedo because it covers other formal outfits too.
• Vest dạ tiệc or vest lễ phục, closer to tailors' speech, stressing that it is still a suit but made for the evening.
• Tuxedo, borrowed from America and now the most common word in shops and advertising.
• Smoking, less common but still used among tailors and people who have travelled in Europe.

In the workroom, tailors tell them apart by detail: satin-faced lapels, a trouser stripe, covered buttons. Some dark suits are just called a "black suit" even though they look similar, while a true tuxedo has its own details (see how a tuxedo differs from a suit).

Reading invitations and shopping abroad

• An invitation saying black tie or dinner jacket: wear the black evening suit, white shirt, black bow tie and patent shoes.
• An invitation saying tuxedo (American): also black tie, the same spirit.
• An invitation saying white tie: a higher level of formality that calls for a tailcoat, not a tuxedo.
• An invitation saying black tie optional or creative black tie: there is more room for a dark suit or a personal take.

You can see how each level is read on the dress code page and in the article on English invitations and their dress codes.

A tip when talking to a tailor

The names differ, but any tailor who knows the trade will recognise what you need if you give three things: the occasion (wedding, gala, event), the dress code on the invitation, and the colour or lapel you like. Those are also the questions a Mon Amie consultant will ask when you book a visit to a showroom.