There’s a basic rule when it comes to buttoning up a suit jacket: “Sometimes, Always, Never” — if you have a three-buttoned jacket, sometimes button the top one, always button the middle one, and never button the bottom one. In a two-buttoned suit, you should always button the top button and never the second.
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Given that the primary purpose of an overcoat is to keep you warm and dry, it is perfectly reasonable and acceptable to do up all the buttons to keep out the elements.
The top button is all you need. The two-button jacket should never have both buttons fastened. The three-button suit comes with a simple rule: “sometimes, always, never.” It means you should sometimes fasten the top button (if you feel like it), always fasten the middle button, and never button the third.
The traditional way to button a two-button jacket is to Always fasten the top button and leave the lower undone.
The answer goes back to a very fat king: King Edward VII.
As fashion blogs and magazines will tell you, there’s a story that King Edward VII, back when he was the Prince of Wales and suits were becoming in vogue, got too fat for his waistcoat so he stopped buttoning the bottom button to make it fit better.
You don’t have to button it or unbutton it any time, but it usually looks better and helps to slim your silhouette to have it buttoned when you’re standing. Button the top button only, if there are multiple buttons on the jacket.
Legend goes that Britain’s Edward VII ― a king with several famous appetites ― grew too large for his suit and had to stop using the second button as a result. Not wanting to embarrass him, others followed. The tradition stuck.
The top button on these jackets should ALWAYS be buttoned when standing. Unbutton the jacket only when sitting down to avoid creases. Fasten it again as soon as you stand up from your seat. NEVER button the bottom button.
Usually, you have all the buttons buttoned simply because it’s supposed to keep you warm. Yes, you have the option to leave the bottom button undone because that creates a little more range of movement and it allows a little more air in when it’s not so cold outside.
Just like a suit, a cardigan looks infinitely cooler when you leave a button undone at the bottom. If you’re feeling bold leave a couple undone. Whatever you do, avoid buttoning only the middle button. It’s the quickest way to add unnecessary pounds to your frame.
If you have a single button suit or jacket, you should wear it fastened when standing or walking and leave it open when sitting so you don’t pull the fabric. A bonus of wearing your jacket unbuttoned when sitting is that you’ll be more comfortable and look like a gentleman who knows his style.
How to wear a 3 piece suit? Jacket can be worn buttoned or unbuttoned. The waistcoat must always be worn buttoned all the way up, leaving the bottom button open. In the past the open bottom button prevented the waistcoat from riding-up when on horseback.
The two-button jacket should never be buttoned completely. The three-button suit, like others, comes with a simple rule: “sometimes, always, never.” This means you should sometimes fasten the top button (if you want to), always fasten the middle button, and never fasten the bottom.
Do you take your sport coat off at dinner?
Verdict. Taking off your suit jacket at dinner is considered a faux pas for formal dressing. If you’re out on a date or a one-on-one situation, keep it on. If you’re at an event, party or wedding, keep it on.
What is the difference between a blazer and a sport coat?
A sport coat is a patterned jacket that coordinates with trousers that are not made of the same fabric or have the same pattern. A blazer is a solid color jacket with contrasting (often metal) buttons.
Leave the top button undone if your jacket’s slightly too small for you, if the button’s higher than mid-chest and/or if the event’s quite casual. If you’re going somewhere formal and your jacket fits well, do up the top button—it’ll help your suit look sharper.”
Most vests are going to have 5 buttons down the front, but if you’re over 6’2″ or so, or have an otherwise longer torso, I think a 6 button front would be a good option for you. This would keep the buttons from “stretching out”, but then again, that can be a style preference.
How do you wear a sports coat?
5 Ways to Wear a Sport Coat
- Accessorize with a sweater or pocket square. Consider wearing a cashmere sweater between your coat and buttondown for a more academic look in the colder months.
- Choose formal pants.
- Incorporate patterns and textures with your shirt and tie.
- Experiment with fabric.
- Try it with jeans.
Secondly, that there was a time when young dandies would sport two waistcoats at the same time so left the top waistcoat’s bottom button undone so that you could see the one underneath. Thirdly, that it is all to do with comfort while in the saddle and to stop the waistcoat rising up the chest while riding.
Never button the top button.
According to British GQ, the buttoning the top button debate has been running rampant in the fashion world for the last few years. It used to be a definite no-no, especially in the days of suit-and-tie rigidity, but it has emerged as a serious trend.
The bottom button is never buttoned. Unbutton your jacket when you sit down. Make sure about a quarter inch of shirt cuff is showing.