band·box
Most commonly heard in the phrase, “S/he looks like s/he just stepped out of a bandbox.”
Merriam-Webster:
noun
: a usually cylindrical box of cardboard or thin wood for holding light articles of attire
Wiki Answers:
A band box is what they used to call a hat box. One for particularly delicate hats and accessories. So anything that came straight out of a “band box” was fresh and perfect and brand new. Over time the phrase morphed into meaning a very snappy, meticulous dresser. So it means you’re wearing a complete outfit that looks just perfect, as if the outfit were fresh from the “band box” from the store.
Morris Dictionary of Word Phrase Origins:
The bands in question here are entirely unmusical. They were clerical bands – the little square linen tippet worn around the neck by ministers, especially those of the Presbyterian faith. So the ‘bandbox’ was a box in which clergymen kept their vestments, which were invariably spotless and neatly pressed. And a person looking as if he had just stepped out of a bandbox was neat, spruce and spotless.
