How to pull off a double breasted suit

With origins dating back to the beginning of the 19th century and heavily ingrained in nautical applications, the double breasted suit has some pretty heavy baggage. After the second world war, it was seen as eccentric and arrogant. In the 70s, we saw some button play, with military style rows of multiple buttons running down the front.

Since then, the DB has been reserve to the stereotypical mob bosses or maitre D’s. Don’t let this fool you though, sleekly cut and styled double breasted suits are making their own comeback and we’re all for it!

Because the double breasted suit has an elusive air of superiority, it’s normal that you might be a little intimidated by it. Make no mistake though, the DB suit is the kind of power outfit you’ll want in your wardrobe and we’ll show you exactly how to wear it!

Match your shirt

If you’re going to go the extra mile to wear a double-breasted suit, then you better make sure you have a  premium shirt to match. You’ll want to go with a heavier fabric than your usual shirts. Make sure it’s a high thread count with good stitching - you shouldn’t see any loose threads on any seam. If you really want to honor the suit, get some french cuffs to tie it all together.

The beauty about the DB’s comeback is that it’s begging for attention. For this purpose, we figured we might as well help you choose a shirt: try this crisp  wide spread white premium shirt (made with Dandy & Sons’s highest quality 100% cotton) or make a stronger statement with the  extreme cutaway collar white premium shirt with french cuffs.

Button it right

Most double breasted suits out there have the famous 6x2 button formation. That means there are six buttons in total - 3 rows of two buttons - where you can only button two of them. The buttons on your left side can’t be buttoned up anyways, so you just need to button the middle one on the right side. That’s right: out of 6 buttons, only 2 can be fastened and of those two, you only fasten one of them. I know.

There’s a second, slightly less popular button formation called the 4x2 - it’s the same concept as the 6x2, but can only button one of them (and should do so). Youcould leave your suit jacket unbuttoned… But it’s not recommended. Normally, double-breasted suits are worn at black tie functions in which case your jacket shouldn’t be unbuttoned anyways as it’s too casual.

Go big or go home

You’re already daring enough to wear a double-breasted suit. Perhaps you’ve even gone the extra mile by adding an  extreme cutaway collar dress shirt to your outfit. What more can you want? I’ll tell you what: bold colors and bold patterns! You have to balance the whole outfit, you see, so opting for a bland tie is just going to make you blend in. You will have done all this work for nothing! So top it all off with a sweet necktie and maybe even a pocket square. You’ll be turning heads, I promise.

While a double breasted suit might seem a little intimidating at first, you have it in you to pull it off, I’m sure. Don’t be afraid to go all out, that sleek and dapper double breasted suit will thank you five ways from Sunday!

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