Men's Suits Single Breasted

Men Suits Discount Single Breasted

There are two main types of suits, classified by the jacket – we will use the proper tailoring term coat – The Single-Breasted suit and the Double-Breasted suit.

I will only describe bespeaking of suits suitable for business wear. In bespeaking a suit, one will begin with the silhouette, select the model, and define the details. I will leave the silhouette for a later article, as it is more advanced and requires understanding of the elements described in this article. In this article I will begin with the Single-Breasted Suit, and describe the various models.

The Single-Breasted coat is constructed such that the front panels overlap minimally only to provide space for the buttons to button. In contrast, the Double-Breasted suit has a layer of overlapping fabric, where in a man’s coat, the left panel covers the right panel by several inches.

To bespeak a Single-Breasted coat, the parameters to be defined are as follows:

A Single-Breasted coat can be fastened by means of 1, 2, or 3 buttons. Anything more than 4 buttons on a coat are fashion statements and not within the consideration of an elegant man’s clothing for few men are sufficiently tall to be able to wear one and still look well balanced.

The 3-button variety can be further divided into true 3-buttons, faux 3-buttons, 2-button roll to 3, and 2.5-buttons.

In the true 3-button, the coat is designed for the top 2 buttons to be fastened normally.

The 2.5-button is constructed almost like a 2-button, but with the top button and accompanying buttonhole hidden behind the lapel.
In both 2-roll to 3 and 2.5-button coats, the bottom button is meant to be left unbuttoned. Indeed, many elegant men bespeak the coat such that the front panels are cut to open up, showing the trousers, and prevent the last button from being fastened.

For a true 3-button coat, the last button is also to be left unfastened, and one only fastens the top two. However, buttoning up the top two buttons will shorten the lapel line and consequently make the wearer look shorter. Because most men will benefit from a tall, slim silhouette, as such the true 3-button coat should only be the choice for the few men who are tall and thin enough to wear it elegantly.
On a 2-button coat, you would only fasten the top button, and in the 1-button version, keep the button fastened. Always keep the middle button of your coat buttoned. Although many men leave their coats completely unbuttoned, and this creates a nonchalant air, it is to me sloppy. A gentleman should never take his jacket off, and so as to create an elegant look, should always button his coat. The slight nip in the waist and the button point creates a fulcrum for the coat, gives definition, and provides the coat with both shape and silhouette.

This brings us to the matter of button stance. In either the single-, 2-, 2.5-, 2 roll to 3, or 3-button coat, the buttoning point must be designed so as to create a balance between the top part where the swell of the chest is, and the bottom part where the panels are. In almost all men, this balance point is best suited at almost the mid-point of the coat. The traditional placement of this button point is half an inch below the natural waist. The natural waist is defined as the narrowest part of the waist – the part where the circumference measurement is smallest. For most men, except for the unusually portly, this would be an inch or two above the navel, and be roughly mid-point of the coat.

For a single-button coat, the buttoning point must be where the single button is placed. Based on the principle of the buttoning point as the pivot, this would end up the same position for any model coat.

For the 2-button coat, the top button defines the pivot. The bottom button is placed where it is pleasing to the eye, and typically about 3 to 4 inches below.

For a 3-button coat – either true, 2 roll to 3, or 2.5, the middle button is placed at this buttoning point, and the other buttons are placed as it pleases the eye, and usually about 3 or 4 inches above and below this point.

A coat designed as such will give ease of movement, as the buttoning point, always fastened if you remember, will provide the fulcrum to allow fluidity of the top half and the bottom half.

Next we must consider the height of the notch. The notch provides a break in the lapel and occurs at the point where the lapel joins the collar.

As it is beneficial for most men to want to look taller, it is advisable for the notch to be placed as high as possible on the coat, giving a lapel which is long and sweeping and creating the added illusion of length. The typical Saville Row suit has the notch fairly high, almost at the clavicle. Many Italian masters have the notch even higher, almost riding at the shoulders. This will be covered in more detail in the later part of this series, where we talk in detail about the Silhouette.
The shape of the notch should be roughly a 90-degree right angle, and should be angled such that the line bisecting the notch should point upwards to the shoulder. This bisecting line, if pointing downwards, will give the illusion of a sad and droopy coat, and should be avoided.

The lapel width is also an important consideration. Fashion dictates a large lapel or a small one, with the current fashion leaning toward thin lapels. An elegant man, however, should select his lapel to suit his build and not the fashion, for he knows that fashion is only so for but a season, after which he will look out of fashion. An elegantly selected lapel, however, is evergreen.

The top of the left lapel, about an inch or so below the notch, should carry a buttonhole for the gentleman to wear a flower. This buttonhole should preferably be hand-stitched, and be a plain slit, instead of the keyhole-style ones used for the coat’s buttons. This kind of buttonhole is a carry-over from the historical beginnings of the Single-Breasted coat – which came from the Ghillie. The collar was later folded backwards – hence the term revers (reverse) being used for the part of the lapel which is folded back. So folded, the lapel still carries the buttonhole and corresponding button (now hidden behind the right lapel).

This will become clearer when we discuss the double breasted suit in subsequent instalments of this series.

The vent is the opening made at the back of the coat. Coats can be single-vented, double-vented, or unvented. The single-vented style is the traditional arrangement, and shows the heritage of the Single-Breasted suit from its equestrian origins – it allows the tail panel of the coat to splay elegantly as one rides on the horse, each panel falling on either side of the horse’s back. Many elegant men do not prefer this, except for when actually horse riding, because when one puts one’s hands in the pocket of the trousers, the vent opens to reveal one’s backside.

The dual vent is the typical Saville Row arrangement, where two vents are slit, one on each side. When you put your hands in your pocket, the rear panel remains in place keeping one’s modesty. The unvented coat is simply designed without a vent.

The business suit always carries three pockets on the outside – one breast pocket to display a pocket-handkerchief, and two at the waist. Elegance rules require that you always display a pocket square in the breast pocket. The purpose of the breast pocket is to display a handkerchief, and it thus looks incomplete if left empty.

Another interesting feature of some coats is the hacking pocket, which are cut at an angle to horizontal. The origins of the hacking pocket are equestrian, as when seated on a horse, it is easier to reach into your hacking pocket than if it were horizontal. Another feature is the ticket pocket, which is a smaller pocket, only proper if there is one, and appearing above the right outside bottom pocket of a coat. Traditionally, this was meant for a tube ticket.

The coat should be of proper length to look elegant. It should be long enough to cover the seat of the trousers, and not longer. It should visually divide the man into two halves. There are several methods to determine correct length. One method to determine this is to hang your hands by your side. The side of the coat should fall roughly at the point where your thumb meets the forefinger.

Or, when viewed from behind, the coat should cover roughly half the distance from the collar to the ends of the trousers. Another way is to make sure the rear of the coat covers your seat. The best method to determine is to use all three during the first fitting, and make small compromises by adjusting to ensure a pleasing look in subsequent fittings.

The sleeve length is another point where many gentlemen get it wrong. In many of the ready-to-wear suits, the sleeves are cut much too long. The proper length is to show half an inch of sleeve when standing with arms on your side. The shirtsleeve should be about half an inch to one inch below the wrist bone.
When bespeaking a suit, you should make sure that the coat is cut such that the armhole is as high as possible. Many men feel that a high armhole is uncomfortable as it restricts movement of the arms, but the contrary is true. A high armhole will allow the coat to hug your body, and ensure that whatever you do, the sleeves never ride up. See Fred Astaire in motion, dancing – you will note that never will you see his sleeves run up and expose more shirt when he is moving his arms than when he has his arms by his side.

The armhole should be as high as it could possibly be, no more than an inch below your armpit. This would also, by extension, require shirts which are also cut with a correspondingly high armhole in order not to bunch up under the coat.

Men's Suits Pinstripe Men's Suits Solid Color Suits Tapered Flat Front Suits 2-Button Men's Suit 3-Button Men's Suit 4-Button Men's Suit Business Suit Vested Men's Suits Double Breasted Suits Online Tailor Tuxedos Dress Shirt White Mens Suits "Grab It" Deals! "Clearance" $69 & UP Wedding Deals Wholesale Purchases Loriano High Quality Men Suits Winter Collection AHFASHION Firado Rizzoli Palasso Men Suits