How to Button a Jacket
With all the variety of men’s wardrobe, the seemingly simple question of how to button up a jacket can cause questions. The Fashiongton Post today will dispel all doubts and tell you when and how many buttons to fasten in your jacket or blazer.
The most common type is single-breasted jacket (with one vertical row of buttons), so we’ll start with it.
How to button a jacket with two buttons
Two-button jacket is the most popular these days. Here you just need to know one simple rule — do not fasten the bottom button. The origin of this interesting rule is attributed to Edward VII, the English king who ruled in the 19th century. It was he who, after a hearty meal, left the bottom button of his jacket unbuttoned. People from his inner circle, out of a sense of tact, repeated the careless gesture of the monarch. In the future, ordinary people adopted that elegant tradition, which eventually became ubiquitous and took on the status of an unshakable rule of men’s etiquette.
How to button a jacket with one button
This type of jacket is less common than a two-button one. Basically, this is usually part of a suit for solemn occasions, but there are also casual jackets of this type. Here everything’s also quite simple, and easy to remember: one button should always be fastened.
How to button a three-button jacket
It should be noted here that there are two types of three-button jackets: the traditional three-button jacket and the so-called three-roll-two. How to distinguish them?
Traditional three-button jacket
In a traditional three-button jacket, the lapels begin immediately after the top button. The bottom button — never fastened, the middle button — always fastened, and the upper button — depending on the situation, should be buttoned for the formal occasion, and can be left unbuttoned for a more casual occasion.
Three-roll-two jacket
The top button is sewn in the place where the lapels already start, and the lapels themselves are not pressed but only rounded. In such a jacket, we fasten only the middle button. As you have noticed, in all the listed types of single-breasted jackets, we always fasten the so-called waist button.
How to fasten a vest
If this is a casual style, then the bottom button should not be fastened. If the suit is sufficiently strict, then it is better to fasten the vest with all buttons.
Double-breasted jackets
Double-breasted jackets have two vertical rows of buttons, with two or three buttons in each row. There can be even more buttons, but rather rarely. Traditionally, all double-breasted jackets are fastened with all buttons.
Sometimes the question arises when it can be appropriate to completely unbutton a jacket, and in what cases you better don’t. There are no strict rules here, though it is advises to follow this single rule of etiquette: a single-breasted jacket can be unbuttoned when you are sitting, but while standing or walking it is better to keep it buttoned up.