You Look Great But the Buttons are All Wrong

Thursday, 15 November 2007 14:42

Perhaps one has just come into a spectacular vintage suit, or even a modern off-the-peg that flatters his form. Excited about his acquisition the gentleman then mates it to the perfect shirt and tie and he buttons himself up to step out on the town. Passing a shop window, he catches his reflection and believes himself stunning - even a bit of a dandy - but the world is filled with stylistic know-it-alls, and before his day is through, one of them is bound to say…

You Look Great, But the Buttons are All Wrong!
by Jack Newcastle

Now, how, one may ask, can the simple fastening of jacket buttons be the cause for sartorial censure? How can these circular bits of bone or horn (preferable) or plastic (all too commonplace) cause one take to receipt of sneers from a host of fashionable mountebanks and misinformed popinjays? To learn these answers we must go back to a time when man not only arbitrarily fastened his jacket using one, some, or even all of its buttons, but did so without fear of damnation.

MEN AT WORK

In the 19th Century the frock coat enjoyed a long run as the day dress for the professional gentleman. With its narrow waist, blooming skirt, and striking row (or rows) of buttons, it allowed doctors, lawyers, and layabouts to cut a dash through cobblestone streets and enter their salons with unmitigated grandeur. But for the man who needed to juggle appearance with intermittent doses of manual labor - the shopkeeper, for example - its functionality was limited in workaday use, and in the 1840s there came the void-filling development that is called the sack suit.

First considered to be too informal for the professional man, the loose fitting jacket paired with matching trousers steadily gained appreciation by even the bankers and brokers of the era and in the 1860s tailors began to tweak its seams and adjust its lapels taking cues from both the frock coat and the smoking jacket. The resulting form was the business suit (or the lounge suit, as it is called in Great Britain), and during its infancy it typically came in three, four, and five-button configurations with photographic evidence suggesting that, unlike today, there were no hard and fast rules for governing their closure. Indeed, many men seem to have preferred buttoning only the top button of their jackets while others opted for a neat and completely buttoned-up appearance. We can presume that at the salons and clubs there was no snickering over a man’s fastening choice and no squabbles about right and wrong. Yet all that was about to change with a century of sartorial confusion coming right around the corner.

OF BLOATED KINGS AND LOYAL SUBJECTS

From 1901 to 1910 King Edward VII seemed to rule with an iron stomach. Growing fatter by the hour, the old boy realized his royal tailors were having a hard time keeping up with his girth and so it was for the sake of speedy comfort that he one day, and quite casually, unbuttoned the bottom button of his waistcoat. Being something of a fashion plate for his time it was when Edward the Wide began to publicly appear with this lowest button undone that British gentry followed his lead and within weeks the kingdom saw a rash of waistcoats with all buttons done up save the last. Without dubiety, it was a quirk of the time – a fad like today’s untucked shirt – yet a century later we are still instructed by fashion gurus not only to honor the king and his royal belly but to apply his buttoning method to our jackets as well. And this takes us to the heart of the matter.

NEVER SAY NEVER

‘The bottom button of a jacket is never fastened,’ we are continually warned through the pages of fashion magazines and without fail the story of the corpulent king is related as evidence. This, we must aver, is all poppycock - rumor and lies as big and fat as old Eddie himself. Yes, the king might have started a fad for his time but as already noted men were buttoning up in all sorts of configuration long before his reign and continued to do it long after it as well. Even fashionable business suits of the 1950s followed the basic 19th Century pattern of the three-button straight-cut and as seen in photographs of the time, our atomic forefathers routinely and allowably utilized all buttons.

We must therefore conclude that it is the modern designer that has given in to this fallacy, producing jackets that are designed specifically not to have the bottom button fastened and only because they and the public have been led to believe that it is never to be done at all. Simply put, it’s a case of the horse following the cart, and it’s high time someone turned the whole bloody thing around.

BUT WHY BUTTON IT AT ALL?

Cleaner look. Sharper line. To avoid having one’s jacket idiotically flap about him on a breeze-filled day. And then there’s the unsightly exposure of ones pelvic region on the same. With three or four button models one can even achieve the illusion of greater height, a dimension that seems to be of vast importance to the fairer sex, and as we shall see through experimentation, even one’s hips can be made to appear narrower just by buttoning that bottom button.

SARTORIAL NOTES

Now, we must reiterate that not all jackets can be successfully buttoned in their entirety – again, cutaway jackets are specifically designed to leave the bottom button undone - and even though so few off-the peg jackets have tapered hips these days, if they do, fastening the bottom will cause the material to bunch about the waist. Therefore, we’ve assembled the following guide not only to illustrate the possibilities but to concede to the impossibilities as well. Success will also depend on button stance and gorge*, yet of greater importance is how all these factors relate to one’s physique. Men of Edward VII’s girth might have to continue paying homage to the king, especially if his wardrobe contains nothing but modern suits, but for the average-sized fellow who is willing to break the rules (the final step to creating one’s personal style) new silhouettes and even attitudes can be had through the re-buttoning of his same old suit. This brings us to our first style…

THE SINGLE BUTTON JACKET

Like the flat-front trouser, the single-button jacket enjoyed mid-century popularity, fell out of favor by the 1970s, suffered the taunts of the fashion press from the mid-80s forward and is once again being heralded by the same. We at The Cad have always championed the single button not only for its simple elegance but because it prescinds the entire bottom button argument: with only one button, no one can tell you you’re wrong. Despite the lack of fastening options, we are including it here so that if one is considering its purchase, he should know exactly which model to demand.

HIGH GORGE SINGLE BUTTON	LOW GORGE SINGLE BUTTON

In the 50s and 60sthe button was placed in line with the waist, coming to rest just above the navel. This gives one a symmetrical and slight hourglass shape. Unsightly contours and folds are minimized and natural balance is achieved	Designers of the early 80s revisited the single-button but opted to lower the gorge. Here the button rests slightly below the navel and we can see that this position causes the material to fold about the torso.

Comparing the two styles, we notice the illusion of a longer, leaner torso with the low-gorge jacket. On our model the effect is heightened by the placement of the breast pocket closer to shoulder. For a man of less than average stature, this design may be beneficial, but when considering purchase he must be aware of not only the risk of the unsightly folds but of the fact that the necktie tends to work its way over the lowered gorge, especially when one is bending or walking.

THE TWO-BUTTON JACKET

   Associated primarily with the Kennedy-era and forward, in reality, the two-button had been with us for decades before and it was quite acceptable to button both buttons. The accompanying illustration, taken from the Chicago Woolen Mills Catalogue of 1937, proves that the designers of yesteryear were not concerned with propagating fallacy but with designing proper silhouette. The man in the fore has both buttons done while his coevals opt for the unfastened approach; both methods are obviously correct.

   Of great interest, however, is that Kennedy himself, the man who single-handedly killed the stodgy three-button suit, routinely fastened both buttons of his Brooks Brothers suits. Had he made an error in sartorial judgment? If the modern fashion gurus claim he did, then they must admit that so too did Edward VII, and if wrongness doesn’t preclude us from honoring a long-dead monarch, then it should be the same for the iconic President. Another argument is that, regardless of tradition, the jacket simply hangs better with the bottom button undone, but as we shall illustrate, this is not true for all jackets and physiques.

HIGH GORGE TWO BUTTON
TOP CLOSED LOW GORGE TWO BUTTON
TOP CLOSED

   Like the single-button, the top button of a high gorge two-button should rest in line with the waist and just above the navel. We see in our model the same balance as the single and this is because, in the past, men wore their jackets shorter. From the 1970s forward, however, the style is to wear jackets longer and it is this increase of length that ushered in a confounding problem: the distance from top button to hem is now too great, and with the bottom button undone it causes the jacket to billow in even the mildest of breezes. We all know how embarrassing it is to wrestle with his clothes in public, so in this circumstance, you may want to button it up.
   Unless it’s bespoke or a specially tailored off-the-peg, the low gorge two-button suffers from the same problem as its one button counterpart: folds about the chest seem inherent to the design. Our concern with the low-gorge two-button is that the bottom button is set too close to the hem to be of any service and so we concede that it should be left undone.

HIGH GORGE TWO BUTTON
BOTH CLOSED SUBLIMINAL SUGGESTION

   Here is the Kennedy look, and we should like to ask, ‘Where’s the argument?’ There’s no tugging at the lower closure, and here is where you should check to see if your bottom button can be successfully done. When closed, does the jacket appear to be tight about the hips? Are there any unsightly folds about the lower button and waist? If so, then you should leave the bottom button undone, but if not, then forget the silly tradition and utilize the method that makes you look best.
   Here’s where a man can really break the rules. With a high gorge two-button jacket, leave the top button undone and fasten the lower. You may have to watch out for the runaway tie, but the fastened bottom button usually makes a sufficient trap. Posture and stance is important for success and nonchalantly leaning one’s back against a nearby wall will add weight. The left hand rests in trouser pocket in that it pushes the jacket’s hem into creating a line toward the belt. With the top button undone, a long line is naturally created toward the same.

   Goal accomplished? First, it’s going to draw the observer’s eye (your ladyfriend’s, for instance?) toward the beltline creating a subtle suggestion of power and virility. Second, it creates an aura of dichotomy. The unconventional buttoning suggests an air of devil-may-care raffishness, while the suit itself represents security. If this isn’t the sort of man every woman is looking for, we don’t know what is.

THE THREE-BUTTON JACKET

   How queer the history of the three-button jacket! Before Kennedy and his two-button hysteria it was the prevalent style of the single-breasted suit, but because his republican predecessor, Eisenhower, wore the three-button throughout his two terms, upon Kennedy’s inauguration it came to be thought of as the suit antipodal to the new administration’s Young America; by the summer of ’61 anyone caught in a three-button had to be either be a stale advertising executive or withered financier.

   But that conception somehow changed during the long three-decade reign of the two-button, and when the three-button was formally reintroduced on the 90s runways, the so-called fashion experts claimed it to be nothing other than a young man’s suit! And not only that, they routinely suggested that older gentlemen should perhaps stay away from the three-button as it will make them appear foolish! Ahem. Yes. And these are the same people we should listen to when it comes to fastening our buttons. Here, The Cad sets the record straight.

   In 1950, Pierre Cardin left Christian Dior to create his Montparanasse, St. Tropez, and Toile line of suits. Too bad the modern fashion gurus weren't there to tell him not to button the bottom button; under their guidance, we suspect he might have made a name for himself.

THREE-BUTTON
TOP TWO BUTTONS FASTENED THREE BUTTON
TOP BUTTON FASTENED THREE BUTTON
ALL BUTTONS FASTENED

   The normal configuration and never wrong except for jackets that are bit tight about the chest. Slip your wallet, notepad, telephone, what have you, in the breast pocket and check for unsightly bulges. If present, unfasten the top button. If the jacket wears normal about the chest, one may or may not choose to fasten the top button, but if the cut is loose (an inherent problem with modern low-armhole jackets) with the top button undone an unflattering wide diamond aperture is created by the fastened middle button. A second factor, noticeable in our model at left, is that the length from bottom button to hem is rather long. Therefore, the hips tend to flair when the bottom button is undone making the gentleman appear wider than he desires. Conversely, with the bottom buttoned on jackets specifically designed not to be buttoned, the material will bind and the same unwanted result will be achieved. The best advice we can give here is to check your mirror.    We’ve come across fashionistas that claim this – this – is acceptable while the bottom button closure isn’t. Oh, we’re not saying it’s wrong - some may like it for its 19th Century charm - but unless one plans to be cadding abut with the women of Hooterville (look out, Mrs. Ziffel!), he should never find himself in a three-button with only the top button fastened. The line from button to hem is far too long, and, additionally, too much of the waist is left exposed. Again, it may be a style for someone – just not the cad    Here we have the same jacket with all buttons done. No longer subject to flair, the hips now appear narrow, and the frame, leaner. It’s a neat and striking appearance, and can even give the illusion of added height. One must, however, be aware of his posture with this configuration. The shoulders must be thrown back and the hips brought forward. A forward pitch creates unsightly folds and bulges about the waist.

DEVELOPING YOUR EYE

We’ve given the basics here to get the reader started. As with every stylistic detail, one must learn how each buttoning configuration relates to his physique, posture, and demeanor. Beware of unsightly contour lines. Understand that not all jackets are identically cut. Consider the spatial relationship of gorge and stance. If in doubt, ask a friend, but if you should get the off-handed dismissal of ‘never bottom the bottom button,’ please do the sartorial world a favor by telling him The Cad already exploded that myth.

* A note on gorge and button stance. Currently, there is a clash over the definition of these terms. Modern tailors define the gorge as the location of the lapel notches - the higher the notch, the wider the gorge - and define button stance as the location of the top button. Vintage aficionados and purists prefer the former definitions with gorge referring to the confluence of the lapels (such as in our illustrations) and button stance to the distance between the buttons.