suit button question

[chucklehead]

why do suites come in 1 button, 2 button, 3 button, 6 button. ad infinitum
& what button # number hide my somewhat protruding abdominal region?


Buttons, Button Whose got the Button?

 

[Orgetorix]

Single-breasted suits commonly have 2 or 3 buttons; less commonly, 1 button. SB suits with 4 or more buttons are for NBA players and should be avoided by ordinary mortals.

Double-breasted suits usually have four or six buttons, of which one or two fasten.

There's no one button configuration that is best or worst for a man with a gut. Any of them can look great if the jacket as a whole is well-tailored, and any of them can make you look horrid if they don't fit. The trick is to understand what to look for in the fit of a suit, and then find a competent tailor who can make it look great on you.

 

[Undertow]

Wow, how weird, I was just going to post a thread about buttons. I guess I'll ask the question here instead.

I recently purchased a black worsted wool suit on the bay. It's not the greatest quality but I'm more interested in owning a black suit for funerals (as some of you may recall, the one I previously bought is too small).

I received the jacket well enough but there is only ONE button on the sleeve. When I purchased the suit, I assumed the jacket was used for formal events, such as weddings and parties, but I didn't realize who made it before dropping the hammer (AfterSix :eusa_doh: ) The suit is...well, okay, but it's not great by any means. In other words, I got what I paid for ($40).

Anyway, is it common to have only one button on the arm of a formal suit? And regardless, would it be wrong to ask my tailor to replace the button with three smaller buttons so it might look "normal"?

 

[chucklehead]

Wow, how weird, I was just going to post a thread about buttons. I guess I'll ask the question here instead.

its not wierd it's Synchronicity

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

It also makes a difference how high the buttons are, and there's the two-n-a-half button jacket, rolled.

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's all up to you ... what do you want and what looks best

 

[Orgetorix]

Anyway, is it common to have only one button on the arm of a formal suit? And regardless, would it be wrong to ask my tailor to replace the button with three smaller buttons so it might look "normal"?

I'm not sure what a formal suit is. That just looks like a suit to me.

At any rate, three or four buttons on the sleeve is most common. And recommended. I'd say yes--have your tailor replace the sleeve buttons, or buy a few and do it yourself.

 

[Flitcraft]

Sort of looks like a suit masquerading as a tuxedo. It may be what some folks are wearing for formalwear. I just finished helping a bunch of high school kids pick out prom wear and a lot of the rental tuxes look more like typical suits than they do classic tuxedos, so I'd have to guess that that is what you bought. The one button at the cuff has become pretty standard on those, by the way.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

But isn't the definition of a tuxedo: a regular suit with an aubergine-coloured cummerbund, and you flip up your collar and your nose?

 

[Marty M.]

Formal Suit?

I agree with Orgetorix, what's a formal suit? [huh] I've noticed a trend in my in stock catalogs from formal wear companies that their stocking formal suits. A black suit is a black suit. And a Tux is a Tux. I would put four smaller buttons on each sleeve. Although you'll probally need to change out the three front buttons also so as to match them. Good luck buddy.
Marty

 

[griffer]

On the origianl question; yes, tailoring is key, but think in terms of the overall dimensions of the suit.

A high buttoned suit, regardless of the number of buttons will make your mid section look like a great expanse of material, accentuated by buttons.

The lower and longer the 'v', the more elongating the line of the suit will be and the bottom of the v, the tie, and the shirt will all conspire, like any good woven cabal, to distract from the true dimensions of you mid section.

Then, do what we all do, put a ridiculous, out-of-date hat on your head. Everyone will be so busy making Dick Tracy, Bogart and mobster comments to notice that you are really more of a Jackie Gleason.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I wouldn't worry about the cuff buttons . . . just a piece of frippery anyhow (unless it's functional). I've seen quite a few golden era British jackets with just the one cuff button, but they were all tweeds, not "business" suits. Suit jackets tend to have 3 or 4 or 5 these days.

I think the companies are using "formal" to differentiate between these jackets and the more common (for younger men) sportscoats that tend to have hacking pockets, multiple extra pockets etc. I agree that the terminology simply acts to confuse since there is such a rich tradition of formal men's wear.

If you're going to change out the buttons, you might as well go for high quality ones. You will not find them at WalMart. online may be the only resource, but with a simple black horn button you can't go wrong. I can't imagine them being more than $3-4 each for the big ones, and less for the cuff buttons.

bk

 

[griffer]

BK- I have been meaning to re-button one of my several blazers.

I want to take off the faux-naval, faux-antique brass buttons and replace them with a lapis and silver button, but I haven't had any luck finding the buttons.

I have no excuse as I work in mid-town Manhattan I should just go down to the garment district to one of the famous findings shops, but I never seem to make the time.

Do you have an on-line resource for button-y-goodness?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I don't (I use The Button Queen in London) but i'll bet Tomasso knows a good button shop in your neck of the woods.

bk

 

[Tomasso]

I don't (I use The Button Queen in London) but i'll bet Tomasso knows a good button shop in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for the intro, Baron. Griffer, if you have the time and are so inclined you could peruse the garment district, 39th or 40th between 7-8th aves. or 6th ave around 36-38th street as there are a myriad of button purveyors. Personally, I'd cut to the chase and visit Tender Buttons, 143 E 62nd St (212) 758-7004.

 

[griffer]

Tomasso-

Thanks for the tip! Exaclty the kind of guidance I was looking for. There is just too much in the garment district to sort through.

Tender Buttons it is.

Plus, i like the double entendre.

 

[chucklehead]

But isn't the definition of a tuxedo: a regular suit with an aubergine-coloured cummerbund, and you flip up your collar and your nose?

who would want to use an aubergine for a cummerbund ?
Blucka lol

 

[Baron Kurtz]

fftopic: The cartoon galaxy high (CBS, 1986) featured a character who was an aubergine (right):

ON TOPIC:

Re: your first question, I heard that SB jackets started out with one button at the waist, moved to two (one at waist, one below), then three (one on waist, one above, one below) to complete the standard menswear configurations. The now, of course we have, 4, 5 etc etc etc.

I have no idea how accurate this story is. (I strongly suspect it's in Major - or was it Field Marshall? - Portly Pinkerton territory)

bk

 

[Edward]

I have long favoured a three button look, though recently suits I've wanted are more two button. I gather from the guy I've bought bunch of suits from over the years that the two-button is making a come back - i guess after fashions for afour buttons and a higher neckline, fewer was the new direction to go in....

I've seen a bunch of one-button jackets in the last year or so, and they have a good look - one button with a notched lapel looks great, I'm tempted to have a plain black blazer run up like that.... the long, low V created by the jacket that way has a slimming effect. What really is slimming, though, is a well-cut double breasted jacket. Ever see any British politicians on the television? There's a reason they all wear DB - apparently it is considered to narrow the body of the wearer, and what with the camera adding ten pounds....

 

[Aloysius]

Actually, double-breasted jackets make one look broader. For a slimming look, try a navy pinstriped three-piece cut with an English (preferably Anderson & Sheppard-style) silhouette