Chic, Clean, and Single-Breasted.
The
double-breasted style, with a few tweaks, can transform from a
Mod look to an Edwardian look. And from the dress of a poet, to that of
a banker.
The single-breasted style needs no such introduction, of course. It
doesn’t require an explanation the way that a double-breasted jacket
does.
As the single-breasted style is the most standard jacket style, it is
more flexible. The hem can be shaped from crisp and straight to
youthful and cut away.
No doubt most customers will always prefer a single breasted jacket
simply because it is less remarkable. Particularly so long as the age
is one that values function and clean lines.
A double-breasted
custom made suits stands opposed to puritanism and Protestant
simplicity. Throughout history, the double-breasted jacket has served
to symbolize the aristocrat, the decadent artist, the well-off gentleman
and the “greed is good” Wall Street banker.
Double-Breasted Tailcoat with Covered Buttons
Classic Peak Lapels on a Double-Breasted Houndstooth Suit
A secondary use of the double-breasted style is that of bringing to mind military dress.
Much military clothing over the last several centuries has been
double-breasted, partially, no doubt, because of the desire to stay warm
in the elements, and partially because a double-breasted style is ideal
for showing off extra rows of brass buttons, braid, and medals.
Double-breasted styles go in and out of fashion depending on the
spirit of the age. The more austere and modern the prevailing spirit,
the more the double-breasted style seems conservative, wasteful,
unnecessary. But the more decadent the spirit, the more that the style
charms, feeling more luxuriant, rich, and manly.
