Embrace The Double-Breasted Suit Because It's Never Going Out of Style

5 How To Wear Double-Breasted Suits Like A Street Style Icon

Double-breasted suits. Perhaps you’ve seen them in Tommy Ton’s pictures from Pitti Uomo or on some stylish guy featured on The Sartorialist and thought, “those are cool but can I pull that look off?”Or perhaps you’ve seen a poorly fitting one and thought, “is it possible to get one that doesn’t look all boxy?”

Well, we answered the second question a while back when we first introduced Black Lapel made-to-measure double-breasted suits. To answer the first question, scroll down…

Are you ready for a double-breasted suit?

We love our double-breasted suits here at Black Lapel, but we know their place. If we were going to be stranded on a particularly stylish desert island and could only pick one suit to keep, it wouldn’t be double-breasted.

Double-breasted suits are not first suits. We don’t recommend them as starter suits. The foundation of your wardrobe is still the tried and true single-breasted suit that can go from a job interview to a funeral to just about any other situation where a suit is necessary. But you don’t have to dig too deep into our closets to find some double-breasted suits. A single-breasted suit may have been fine for the interview, but we love a double-breasted once you’ve got the job. A single-breasted suit might have been appropriate for a funeral, but for attending, say, a wedding, a double-breasted suit can be a stylish alternative.

Double-breasted suits Dos and Don’ts

Do wear it to a wedding. Unless it’s an ultra-business-ey pinstripe, a double-breasted suit is a smart move for attending a wedding. It’ll make you look as suave and sophisticated as the groom without being confused for him (very few men get married in a double-breasted suit).
Don’t wear it to a job interview. During an interview, you want the emphasis to be on you, not your style. Keep your look straightforward with a single-breasted suit.

One of the key ways to know if you’re a double-breasted suit guy is understanding your tolerance for being unique. There are different levels of uniqueness from one double-breasted suit to another, but even the most conservative suit is given a special twist when made as a double-breasted. Even in a navy blue double-breasted you’re unlikely to be walking down the street and see somebody else rocking the same thing. Still, if you wear it well, you will get lots of the right kind of attention when you’re walking down said street. Here’s how.

Choosing the right fabric for your double-breasted suit

Double-breasted suits come in just about any color and pattern combination you can imagine. (For example, any Black Lapel custom suit or blazer can be made with double-breasted.) A double-breasted suit is a strong look no matter what fabric you choose. So when considering a double-breasted suit, you can bunch fabrics into three main categories:

Strong

Double-breasted suits in these fabrics would be appropriate for most business formal settings.
Navy Blue Custom Suit, Charcoal Gray Custom Suit, Midnight Navy Pinstripe Custom Suit

Navy Blue Custom Suit

Charcoal Gray Custom Suit

Midnight Navy Pinstripe Custom Suit

Stronger

Double-breasted suits in these fabrics would be appropriate for more creative business settings.

Brown Custom Suit, Light Blue Gray Sharkskin Custom Suit, Gramercy Gray Birdseye Custom Suit

Strongest

Double-breasted suits in these fabrics are for wearing outside the office or outside the box office guys.

Gray Windowpane Shadow Check Custom Suit, Flatiron Blue Fine Check Custom Suit, Brownstone Brown Glen Plaid Custom Suit

Double-breasted suits Dos and Don’ts

Do leave it buttoned even when you’re sitting. Unlike with your single-button suits, a well-fitting double-breasted jacket will you room to sit comfortably with the jacket buttoned without putting too much strain on the buttons. The seated look is much cleaner than opening the buttons and having your suit panels jutting out in front of you while you’re sitting down.
Don’t wear it with a bulky layer underneath. Yes, it should have enough room for you to sit with the jacket buttoned, but a heavy sweater can add too much bulk to your frame and make it difficult to get comfortable in a double-breasted jacket. The extra layer of fabric helps to keep you warm so you’ll only want a thin layer underneath anyway.

Unexpected awesome
the casually styled double-breasted suit

Double-breasted suits may sound “dressed up” but they are a smart choice for a when you want a more casual vibe. Drop the tie, possibly even the dress shirt, and the double-breasted suit goes from being a dressy business suit to being a surprisingly relaxed look. There’s a rational reason this works. We mean that literally, it has to do with ratios. The two layers in the front of double-breasted suits mean that there is more suit than shirt showing when you wear them. With less space to work with, a tie can really stand out. Dropping the tie lets the shirt play a starring role.

Editor’s Picks

So, if we’ve inspired you to dip your toes into the double-breasted suits waters, then we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t also provide you with some recommendations on how to customize your double-breasted suit.

Rivington Dusk Blue Custom Double-Breasted Suit

Pictured here: The Rivington Dusk Blue Custom Double-Breasted Suit by Black Lapel

Slim fit – Double-breasted suits look best when they follow the contours of your body and avoid the boxy fits of yesteryear.

6×2 button configuration – Do you need all those buttons on a double-breasted suit? No. But we love that little bit of contrast on the front of your suit that the buttons provide.

Full lapels – You probably know that a notch lapel on a double-breasted suit is a tailoring no-no, but did you know that a slim lapel on a double-breasted suit is considered a fashion faux-pas? Stick with a more substantial lapel to keep everything proportional.
Side vents – We love side vents on just about all of our jackets, but with a double-breasted suit we consider them pretty much mandatory. Single vents on a double-breasted suit are another fashion faux-pas and, while some like to go ventless, we prefer to give ourselves some maneuverability with side vents on a double-breasted jacket.

Straight pockets – The pockets can be piped, as they are here, or flapped. They can even, on more casual suits, be patch pockets. But the pockets ought to be straight to counterbalance the sweeping angles of the double-breasted jacket.

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