Double Breasted Jacket

Men's suits are available either single or double breasted. A double breasted jacket will have a very wide overlapping front lapel with the addition of two rows of buttons. One of these rows is usually simply for decoration and it's the outer row which is used to fasten both sides of the jacket together. Contrastingly the single breasted jacket only has one row of buttons.

Double-breasted suits were at the hight of fashion in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Nowadays however, it is the single breasted suit which accounts for 95% of sales worldwide yet there are still some who consider the double breasted suit to be a timeless classic.

The reason for the apparent disappearance of the double-breasted suit probably has a lot to do with the emergence of modern designer men's suits. The young and business folk alike are wearing stylish modern designer suits which might possibly be because they have no knowledge of how to actually wear a double-breasted suit.

Unless you are small or short, the double-breasted will look great, and when made-to-measure, superb. The jacket must be cut to a perfect fit at the waist. By doing so the shoulders are exaggerated. This can obviously be advantageous to smaller wearers, possibly even sought-after. If your waist is rather larger than you could prefer the double-breasted, for it will hide it.

The style of a double-breasted suit will always remain popular with some, however it has always been considered the product of a bygone era. If you have ever watched some of the Humphrey Bogart movies you'll see a fine display of double-breasted suits in probably each one.

The style will always look fashionable throughout the winter months and even spring. The fabric of choice is more often than not wool and the most popular colors are Navy blue and black.

Once the only type of suit worn businessmen, these days fewer and fewer are spotted in the office environment. Of these, the pinstripe double-breasted suit is probably the most popular.

Whereas with a single breasted suit various styles of trousers can be worn, a double-breasted requires trousers to have a large cuff at the ankle. The jacket itself will appear too heavy on the eye without this or pleats at the waistline. If buying from a reputable bespoke tailor he will advise you on the correct combination of suit and jacket.