Double Breasted - Part II
After last week’s post on the double-breasted jacket, I thought it would be good to post a picture of one that we have just made for a customer from a grey hopsack by Harrisons.
As alluded to last week, proportion is everything when it comes to a double-breasted jacket. First, the proportions of the body: a high armhole with a nicely curved waist ensures that the jacket looks slimming and a natural shoulder line keeps the shoulders in proportion with the waist and avoids the jacket looking too boxy. All too often a double-breasted jacket is cut with wide shoulders and a pinched in waist giving a real hourglass figure, we try to have some shape in the waist but with skirt flare minimised to keep the silhouette natural and flattering.
Secondly, button position really affects the initial impression of a DB – this includes the distance from the hem to the bottom pair of buttons, the distance between buttons (both horizontally and vertically) and the first button position. This is where a tailor’s eye and skill comes into it and if you trust your tailor, this is where it will pay off.
A nice little detail is the buttonhole on each lapel; the symmetry complements the style of the DB. Given the current fashion of single-breasted jackets with peaked lapels, we were amused to find several pictures from the 1930s and 1940s showing the last time this was in fashion. The best of the bunch is this picture of screen legend George Raft (most notable for his role in the original (and best)Scarface)!
