Before blue jean - on - denim wasa certified way trend , mate a jean jacket or shirt with your favorite pair of blue jeans was deal a sartorial faux papa . Nicknamed the “ Canadian Tuxedo , ” the facial expression quickly became the hindquarters of many pop civilization jokes after it wasmade infamousby the movieSuper state trooper . ( In the film , a cavalryman asks his sergeant , " How ’s it go Denim Dan ? You look like the president , chairman , and CEO of Levi Strauss . Hey , where ’d you get the Canadian dinner jacket ? " )
However , Boing Boing report that the idiom might have been coin far before the 2001 comedy hit theater . According to Levi ’s Vintage Clothing , fabled singer Bing Crosbywas denied entranceinto a Canadian hotel in 1951 because he and his companion were clad in head - to - toe dungaree . Management soon understand that Crosby was a celebrity and let him in . However , tales of the incident spread , and designers at Levi Strauss and Co. eventually caught twist and contrive Crosby a customs duty jean tuxedo jacket . That way , his jean would be dressed up enough for the swankiest of establishment .
fashion from the same denim LS&Co used for their original 501 Jeans , the jacket was dressed up with a corsage made of the branded Red Tabs , affix to the lapel with copper rivets . Inside , a leather patch was emblazoned with a “ Notice to All Hotel Men , ” informing hospitality managers that denim is “ a perfectly appropriate cloth and anyone wear out it should be allowed entrance into the fine hotels . ”
LS&Co gave the jacket crown to Crosby at the 1951 Silver State Stampede in Elko , Nev. , where he was honorary mayor , and Crosby even wear upon it in press appearances for his new picture show , Here Comes the Groom . Now , more than 50 age later , stylish retailerssell similar ensemble — proving that any flavour , even the " Canadian Tuxedo , " can become trendy if you just give it sentence .
[ h / tBoing Boing ]
