The Smoking Archive Is the New Online Vintage Site Dedicated to Timeless Jackets

When it comes to one-and-done dressing, nothing works harder than a well-tailored jacket. Be it a cropped bolero, a chic chasseur, a sexy le smoking, or a boxy blazer borrowed from menswear, a well-cut coat instantly elevates any outfit. “It’s all about juxtaposing feminine nonchalance with a masculine edge,” says stylist Nausheen Shah who—in between bookings in Paris, London, Milan, and New York—has spent years collecting one-of-a-kind pieces ranging from the 1960s to the 1990s. Now Shah, whose clients include Kit Harington, Winston Duke, and Benedict Wong, is launching The Smoking Archive, a curated offering of vintage women’s and men’s tailoring from designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Mugler, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Issey Miyake, and Gianni Versace. 

Shah named her platform after the aforementioned le smoking (Yves Saint Laurent’s signature 1966 tuxedo that was itself inspired by a photograph of Marlene Dietrich wearing men’s clothes). “I have always loved wearing oversized mens jackets and all mens clothing for that matter. These are all pieces that can cross over and be worn by a man or a woman,” she says. Launching this week, the site will sell everything from traditional tuxedo and elegant evening jackets to power blazers from the ’80s and ’90s. “There is something about the tailoring of a men’s designer blazer from that era…the structured, oversized fit, the pronounced shoulders, the cinched waists,” she says. Also in the mix are plenty of her current favorites: matador-inspired boleros. 

While there is certainly no shortage of newer versions of these classics out there (think of all the supersized blazers dominating the runways of late or the bolero Bar jacket from the Dior cruise 2023 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri) Shah asks, “Why not buy the original?” Wearing vintage is more sustainable, sets you apart from the crowd, and has an element of romanticism. Plus, it’s a piece of fashion history. “I love imagining what impeccable event these pieces may have been worn at in years gone by when I put them on,” she says. That said, vintage does have its downside: the sizes tend to be limited and smaller. So Shah, who studied fashion design at Polimoda Institute in Italy with a tailoring specialization, will be offering private appointments for custom fittings by request.