This Is How to Button Your Suit Jacket The Right Way (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule for 3 button suits? ›

As you probably guessed, this rule is primarily for 3 button jackets. You can start by fastening the top button “Sometimes” as a personal preference when the middle button is also fastened. The second or middle button should “Always” be fastened, and the last or bottom button should always remain open.

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.

Vest Buttoning

Similarly to the jacket, when buttoning your vest you should always leave the bottom button undone. Your look will be sleek, and you will be comfortable weather you are sitting or standing without having to make any adjustments.

When wearing a suit, always leave the bottom button open for the waistcoat and jacket. The tradition dates back to King Edward VII from the early 1900s. He unbuttoned the bottom of his waistcoat because he was too fat. He unbuttoned the bottom of his jacket to pay homage to the riding jacket that suits replaced.

With a single-breasted, three-button suit, simply close the middle button, always. The top button is optional and can be buttoned up or left undone. The bottom button, again, should never be buttoned, as it will put a strain on the fabric of the suit jacket and will not look flattering.

Common Questions: What 5 suits should a man own? Everyman should own a black suit, a navy suit, a grey suit, a brown suit and a tan suit with white, powder blue or cream shirts.

The traditional way to button a two-button jacket is to fasten the top button and leave the lower undone. 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.

The shoulders of a suit jacket should feel comfortably snug, with the end of the shoulder seam meeting the tip of your own shoulders. The shoulder should sit flat, without any rumpling, with the top of the sleeve hanging beautifully straight from the shoulder point, with no wrinkling at the top.

Buttoning Rules For Single-Breasted Suit Jackets:

These jackets should ALWAYS be buttoned when standing. Unbutton the jacket when sitting down, so that it doesn't crease. The traditional way to button a two-button jacket is to Always fasten the top button and leave the lower undone.

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.

Are 2 or 3 button suits in style? ›

It seems not many, as the two-button suit jacket is the most popular choice today in menswear. When to Wear it: A two-button jacket is a great option for all occasions and works especially well at events that are less formal, more business casual. It's also a fantastic choice for everyday professional wear.

Buttons appear on different sides of a shirt or jacket depending on which gender it was designed for. Despite the fact that the vast majority of all humans are right-handed, only men's shirts have buttons on the right side. Women's shirts have buttons on the left side.

Because male soldiers also often drew their weapons with their right hand, building their clothes with the buttons on the right side would have made it a lot easier to adjust and unbutton with their free left hand, Garber writes.

The current standard around the world is to have four buttons on the cuffs off any type of jacket. This has long been the standard for English tailors, but now it's the most common number of cuff buttons on Italian and American suits.

As a general rule of formal wear etiquette, a jacket should be buttoned when standing and unbuttoned when seated. Of course, there are additional rules too. On a two-button jacket, only use the top one when it's time to button up.

If you wear a vest underneath, either an odd vest or a three-piece suit, again, leave it unbuttoned at all times.

The lounge suit began to replace traditional riding coats. So they had to be unbuttoned so the jacket draped properly while someone was sitting on a horse. Edward VII decided that the top button should also be undone because it “looked common,” according to Amies, leaving only the middle button done up.

There's no absolute rule as to exactly where this button is placed, but it should be around the waist of the jacket and the wearer's natural waist. This is usually at the navel or an inch or two above it. The position of the navel can vary from person to person, so it's not an ideal point of reference.

Picture a three-button suit jacket, the top button is considered your 'sometimes' button, that you have a personal choice whether you do up or not. Your next button, sitting in the middle, is your 'always' button. This is the button you should always wear done up when standing or walking.

Experts recommend spending around $500 for a quality suit.

The $500 range will give you everything you need in a basic suit: quality stitching, nice fabric, and neutral, versatile colors. It isn't the cheapest suit you can get, but it's definitely not the most expensive, either.

How many times can you wear a suit? ›

Suits, in general we would say every 2-3 wears, but the answer really varies because it depends on the environment in which you wore it, how long you wore it, and if you spilled something on it. For more specifics take a look at our helpful hint on caring for suits. Jackets and blazers, clean every 4-5 wearings.

You can wear a suit as many times as you want, so long that it is still in good condition and fits well. A good tip is to mix and match your suits so you can get more wear out of them, as well as creating a completely different look each time.

The jacket should be tailored and fit in a way that isn't too loose or too tight at the chest. A little tip we follow is to place three fingers perpendicularly between your jacket and stomach. You should be able to slip your hand between your chest and your buttoned jacket, so that it feels snug, but with room to move.

Suit Buttoning Rules With a Vest

When you're seated, definitely unbutton it. Sitting with your jacket buttoned puts unnecessary stress on the button closure, which in turn can lead to potential garment disasters.

It's not rude to keep the jacket - after all you have a right to be warm as well. But it's a truly noble gesture to offer it to someone else. You'd have to decide but you wouldn't be considered rude if you kept your own coat.

There's Room for Your Hand to Slide Under the Jacket

You should have just enough room for your hand to go in between your jacket and your shirt. If you have more room – like enough to make a fist under the jacket – the jacket is too loose. It will need to be taken in a bit to best complement your body.

You should never have your Suit Jacket on when driving, and the main reason would be the Seatbelt. Seatbelts will put pressure on your jackets, causing wrinkles.

Blazers are less formal than jackets. Because it can't be as formal as a jacket, a blazer typically doesn't have padding or lining, and the lapels aren't edge-stitched. Due to its light weight, the jacket can be worn easily over many different outfits.

The 3-button suit is still worn by many stylish men around the world, and it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. It is also a versatile style that can be worn in a variety of settings, from the office to a wedding to a night out on the town.

Three-button suits go in and out of style every few years, so right now they're out and he's going to have a very hard time finding one on most off-the-rack manufacturers. Best of luck and I'll see you guys in the next article on how to match sports jacket with jeans.

Is it better to wear a one button or two button suit? ›

If your height falls between 5ft7 and 6ft2 [average for most men], you could go for either a one-button or two-button suit depending on the occasion and the dress code as explained above. If you are tall, over 6ft2 but less than 6ft5. A two-button suit should always be considered over the other types.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, they were prevalent. But coinciding with the advent of slimmer fits, the three-button jacket has almost vanished. You could chalk this up to the fickleness of fashion, and that may be true.

3-BUTTON SUITS. 3-button jackets were created at the end of the 19th century. Of Edwardian inspiration, they were first omnipresent in England and worn in France by the dandies of the Third Republic.

Buttoning Rules For Single-Breasted Suit Jackets:

These jackets should ALWAYS be buttoned when standing. Unbutton the jacket when sitting down, so that it doesn't crease. The traditional way to button a two-button jacket is to Always fasten the top button and leave the lower undone.

There's no absolute rule as to exactly where this button is placed, but it should be around the waist of the jacket and the wearer's natural waist. This is usually at the navel or an inch or two above it. The position of the navel can vary from person to person, so it's not an ideal point of reference.

As a general rule of formal wear etiquette, a jacket should be buttoned when standing and unbuttoned when seated. Of course, there are additional rules too. On a two-button jacket, only use the top one when it's time to button up.

With a single-breasted, three-button suit, simply close the middle button, always. The top button is optional and can be buttoned up or left undone. The bottom button, again, should never be buttoned, as it will put a strain on the fabric of the suit jacket and will not look flattering.

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 shoulders of a suit jacket should feel comfortably snug, with the end of the shoulder seam meeting the tip of your own shoulders. The shoulder should sit flat, without any rumpling, with the top of the sleeve hanging beautifully straight from the shoulder point, with no wrinkling at the top.

Once again, stand up straight and allow your arms to dangle by your sides. Ideally, you should see about half an inch of linen from your shirt exposed, separating your hands and the jacket sleeve. If the jacket sleeves go beyond this length and cover up all of your shirt linen, it's probably too big.

How much cuff should show on a suit? ›

Many menswear guides claim that the proper amount of cuff to show falls between between 1/2″ (1.25 cm) to 1″ (2.5cm). Most guides, us included, agree that anything more than 1.25″ (4cm) is too much cuff to show; it makes the junction of your two sleeves look like you haven't considered how they will go together.

The traditional etiquette states that you should keep your jacket on when sitting down for a meal. You shouldn't remove your jacket unless you absolutely have to, and when you're wearing it, you'll want to make sure it's unbuttoned when you're sitting.

Back in the days, you needed real sleeve buttonholes to be able to roll up your sleeves for work, hence the name work and surgeon sleeves. This has changed, and now a day it's more about style than anything else. Some stylists say you should, as with the suit jacket, leave one button unbuttoned.

But in the interests of giving a definitive answer to a direct question, the answer is: two. Undoing just the top button on a dress shirt when going tieless often looks uptight, not terribly relaxed. This is particularly the case if you can see any strain on the fabric around the second button. It wants to be undone.