Dunhill: Dress (5101F) (2022) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

Dunhill's "01" is the archetypal Apple shape, an outline whose most distinguished feature is its plump, curvaceous bowl. This particular iteration of the shape is a Group 5 piece with a good deal more robustness about its build than is average, though it still maintains a handy, convenient size to make it an ideal companion at all times. The transition is wide here and leaves plenty of room to drape a digit, giving way to a straight, cylindrical shank met by a sleekly tapering stem of jet-black acrylic. A defined forward cant lends the bowl a sense of dynamism while accentuating its contours, the added substance of the pipe's Group size giving the stummel more room to showcase the glossy, inky stain and silver accent of the Dress finish.

One of the most fashionable finishes in all of pipe making and one that inspired an entire aesthetic, Dunhill's Dress finish was first introduced in 1973 as the Black Briar — renamed "Dress" in 1979 with the addition of silver — and is meant to elegantly complement a tuxedo or similar formal wear, perfect for a night on the town. Characterized by its glossy, jet-black stain and sterling silver accent band, the Dress finish exudes class and imbues each pipe it adorns with a sense of refinement and sophistication. It's the progenitor of the term "dress pipe," now used to reference any black-and-silver pipe, and is one of the most distinctive finishes in all of pipedom.