Unusual tailcoat with velvet shawl collar?

[Fastuni]

What on earth is this about?

A tailcoat with velvet shawl collar... Appears to be 1930's.
I can't think of a purpose for this garment other than maybe a stage costume (a magician?).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vtg-30s-Bla...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item3ceec4a2db

 

[F. J.]

Actually, it's not that bad . . .

What on earth is this about?

A tailcoat with velvet shawl collar... Appears to be 1930's.
I can't think of a purpose for this garment other than maybe a stage costume (a magician?).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vtg-30s-Bla...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item3ceec4a2db

At the time, shawl-collared tailcoats were considered a suitable alternative to the peak-lapelled ones.
From The Black Tie Guide:

Connoisseurs of vintage formal attire may occasionally stumble across a shawl-collared tailcoat from the interwar years and wish to adopt the style. If so, they should view it in context of an era when full dress was worn so frequently that gentlemen naturally sought an alternative take on the classic. Unless one’s social calendar is chock full of white-tie events, it is best to leave the shawl collar to the sartorial history books.

The tailcoat in question actually looks pretty sharp to me. It's having velvet facings is a bit unusual, but I think it looks better than satin (although grosgrain is ideal).
At one time, tailcoats sometimes had velvet collars: why not facings?

For a good example of shawl-collared tails, look to the dress suit worn by Edward Everett Horton in 1935's Top Hat.

 

[Fastuni]

I didn't want to suggest that it is horrible - just unususal.
Shawl-collar/lapel tailcoats I know... but not with velvet. That's what I find intrigueing.

 

[Edward]

I've seen pictures of Dietrich in one, and, if memory serves, Glenn Miller. I've long had the impression they were very much a deviation from the norm, perhaps moreso than, say, midnight blue instead of black, but very nice. The velvet facings with the shawl lapel could make it a nice white-tie version of the host wearing a smoking jacket in a black tie setting. [huh] I rather like it - a few sizes bigger, and I'd have been bidding....

 

[Guttersnipe]

Maybe some sort of livery wear, perhaps for an estate or household in mourning?

 

[Two Types]

Without the tails, it would make me think of a Spanish/Mexican style bolero jacket: very nipped waist and shawl collar. Thus, my immediate thought was it could be from a stage outfit for a Mexican dance band. A mix of the traditional (bolero jacket) and what might have been expected for a dance band (tails). No idea if it's likely, but it's my gut reaction.