A Black Tie Affair Trivia Quiz

Answer: Poodle Skirt

Poodle skirts were all the rage in the 1950s. Teenage girls would wear them with bobby socks and saddle shoes and then it was off to the sock hop. The skirts were comfortable to dance in because they were wide and full and made out of soft felt. You could appliqué anything other than dogs onto them but they were still called poodle skirts.

The skirt was created by a 25 year old American singer and actress named Juli Lynne Charlot in 1947. It's an interesting story that would take up too much room here, so do google/research her name if you would like to learn more.

Poodle skirts enjoyed a brief fashion trend resurgence in 2009 and 2010.

Answer: Jodhpurs

While we HAVE seen modern day models walk down the runway wearing these pants, in Europe they were adapted from traditional garb in India for the purpose of horseback riding in the 1890s. Women started wearing them in the late 1920s. Once Coco Chanel was seen in jodhpurs well, everybody had to have them.

The original riding pant was flared at the hips and thighs and very narrow from the knee down so they wouldn't bunch up in boots. These days, riding pants are tight-fitting things made out of stretchy material (quite similar to leggings) but lots of people still call them jodhpurs anyway.

As an aside, the word is pronounced "jawedpurrs" not "jawedfurs". I had it wrong for years.

Answer: One Piece Pajamas

One piece pajamas can be really short (like a bodysuit), or above the knee (like rompers) or full length (like longjohns). Personally, I don't like any of them because of inconvenience, but at least one piece longjohns sometimes have a trapdoor opening. In North America, one piece jammies for small children are usually called sleepers or footies.

Answer: Gold Cufflinks

Properly, cufflinks is one word, not two, but lots of people add a space for some reason. They are pieces of jewelry that fasten cuffs on shirts in place of buttons. They can be of any design and made out of any material. They are often inscribed or monogrammed. Every sharp dressed man needs a pair of cufflinks in his wardrobe repertoire. Just ask ZZ Top.

Answer: Ballet Slippers

Formal ballet slippers or ballet shoes have soft soles and a reinforced toe for point dancing. Ballet slippers manufactured for nonprofessional dancing folks have the same soft sole but no hard blocks in the toe area. They are ridiculously comfortable, can be worn with formal fashions and the strap(s) made of ribbon, cloth or leather keep them from falling off one's feet.

Answer: Coat and Tails

Tailcoats started out being very long in the back with a cutaway front, originally meant for horseback riding (think Beau Brummell). Later they evolved to lose the cutaway front. Fred Astaire wore coat and tails several times in his movies.

Suit jackets with tails are rarely seen these days and that's a bit of a shame because a little dapper'll do ya. Oh wait, that's a different line for a different commercial.

Answer: Diamond Necklace

Diamonds never go out of style. According to a song sung by Marilyn Monroe, they're a girl's best friend. For guys too, apparently. In 2003 over 100 million dollars worth of diamonds and other valuables were stolen from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in Belgium.

Some people went to jail but most of the diamonds were never recovered. The whole heist was like a page out of "Mission Impossible" or "Ocean's 11" and makes for a fascinating read.

Answer: Haute Couture

The term means expensive designer clothing. "Haute" is the French feminine form of the adjective "high" and "couture" means "the act of sewing". Haute couture is one of those frenchisms that have "stuck" to the English language, similar to "tête-à-tête" and "je ne sais quoi". Perhaps these types of phrases should be named phrenchisms instead?

Answer: Nehru Jacket

Nehru jackets were named for Jawaharlal Nehru who was the Indian Prime Minister until 1964. His garb fell below the knees. Once shortened a little, they became a "mod" fashion hit and were worn by both women and men. The jackets were popularized by the Beatles and the Monkees (see the album cover for "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" for highly embellished jackets). Sean Connery also wore stylized Nehru jackets in a couple of his "James Bond" movies. Characters who were "bad guys" sometimes wore them in movies of the 60s and 70s.

Answer: Button Down Shirt

A button down shirt is the same as a button up shirt, except that it has additional buttons that hold the collar in place. Button down shirts came onto the scene in England around 1870. Polo players found that the collars of traditional shirts would flap in their faces and obscure vision.

After watching a polo match, American designer John E. Brooks took the idea home and first marketed them under the name "polo collar shirts".