Victor Peñasco, a wealthy Spanish gentleman of independent means, was 24 when he lost his life on the Titanic. He was something of a dandy and one item of his wardrobe, a silk smoking jacket, was kept by his family after his death giving some idea of his exquisite taste. It was not with him when he boarded the Titanic which explains its survival in pristine condition.
Photographs of him from before his last voyage show an elegant young man in natty day wear. He paired a black morning coat with a light coloured double breasted waistcoat with wide lapels, a plain dark tie and a discreet pocket square. Less formal was a three piece blue lounge suit that would not look out of place today. Three piece suits would have been de rigour for the well dressed man of 1912. Victor Peñasco had a single breasted waistcoat without lapels with his blue lounge suit but what makes it different from a modern waistcoat is that he has a slip attached, a small white strip of stiff cotton, often marcella, that buttons into the neckline of the waistcoat to give the impression of a second vest. A white handkerchief is tucked into his top jacket pocket. His shirt collar is rounded and he wears a plain blue knitted tie. Cufflinks peak out from his shirt sleeves. His other accessories were a derby hat, gloves and cane. A gentleman would always wear a hat when outdoors. Victor Peñasco was obviously a dapper young man keen to follow the latest fashion and an aficionado of fine tailoring. It was said that he had perfected his English on visits to his London tailors.
Accounts of his last hours on Titanic depict him wearing a fashionable tuxedo suit. He had worn this to dinner on the last evening and was unbuttoning the jacket at the time of the collision only to put his dinner jacket back on to go to find out what was happening and then escort his wife and her maid to a lifeboat. His body was never recovered but he was last seen wearing his immaculate tuxedo. He and his wife were noted by some of the other passengers for their particularly elegant appearance.
The one piece of his wardrobe to have survived was a pristine silk smoking suit which he had had tailored for him in Paris. This would have been worn in the evening in private or in company with friends. The idea was that the jacket would have protected his evening clothes from the smell of tobacco, which would be absorbed by the fabric, when he was smoking. In French the word for tuxedo le smoking, and in Spanish esmoquin, is the same as for smoking jacket. Peñasco‘s suit was made of silk in tuxedo style with gold facings and a gold shawl collar. The stripes on the trousers were similarly of gold. The whole ensemble is striking, but would have felt not only very luxurious but comfortable.
No claim was ever made for Victor Penasco’s lost possessions so we do not know exactly what clothes were in his luggage, but other claims from young men of similar age, such as Lucian Smith and John Snyder, would suggest that he would have travelled with at least seven or eight lounge suits, evening dress, tuxedos, dozens of shirts, ties, underclothes, overcoats for day and evening wear and accessories. As an athlete in his younger days, Victor may have also had clothes suitable for sport and the gymnasium with him, though other photographs from liners of the tie show young men on mechanical horses wearing their suits.
Perhaps this particular young man was more fastidious about his appearance than many of his contemporaries and had the wealth to enjoy the best and indulge his taste, but he does give some idea of what a fashionable young man in his 20s would have worn or aspired to wear at the time.
