Keyhole buttonholes on lapel

[Marc Chevalier]

(Though, only issue I have with Browne is that he keyholes the lapels rather than a straight one.)

Jovan has pointed this out before. Did y'all know that it has a pedigree?


German suits have had keyhole buttonholes on their lapels (both single and double-breasted) since at least the 1930s. I know, because I've seen them again and again on '30s German suits and tuxedos. So often, in fact, that I began to think that it was a distinctly German practice.


When I told my tailor -- who worked in Hamburg for years -- about this, he laughed and said "Of course! Hugo Boss really popularized it, and Boss suits made in Germany still have it!" Well, that made sense. Hugo Boss's company was around in the '30s, making military uniforms. My tailor explained that back in the day, keyhole buttonholes were more difficult and time-consuming to make by hand than bar tack ones, and so German custom tailors would do them to show off the quality of their work ... even on the lapel(s). Apparently, the impression of quality stuck.


I hope that this little explanation has helped to shed light on a peculiar tailoring detail. True, Thom Browne isn't German, but he seems to have adopted at least one "Germanism."

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[Hemingway Jones]

An illustrative photo would help the uninitiated.

Great information.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Here you go, Hem! Look closely at the buttonholes on the lapels of this 1930s German suit. Notice how they look a little bit like old fashioned keyholes?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Jovan's going to love this thread!

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[Hemingway Jones]

Thank you, My Good Man. I figured from the context that it was something like this, but a photo makes the point.

 

[iammatt]

Jovan's going to love this thread!

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It is a strange fetish of his that has been going on for awhile. There are many non German suitmakers who use keyhole lapel buttonholes including many who do much finer work that what you will find on Savile Row.

While RTW "Neapolitan" jackets generally have straight lapel buttonholes, all of the bespoke jackets from that fair city have keyholes. Also, some of the NY bespoke tailors do keyholes as well.

Just to add to the pictures, here is the lapel on a jacket I had made recently in Naples from vintage cloth from the 60s.

Jacket:

Close-up:

This is one fetish that I would pay absolutely no mind to as there is no correlation between hole shape and quality whatsoever.

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

My reasonably-priced British suit has this feature.

 

[Jovan]

Straight ones look sleeker, and hence better. Plus, on RTW suits, it's often because they don't want to spend more time making a different hole because it's cheaper to do them all the same. This is why I prefer the former kind.

 

[Tomasso]

Straight ones look sleeker, and hence better.

Not if you actually want to put a flower in your lapel.[huh]

 

[Jovan]

...

Tomasso, I've put flowers in straight lapel holes many a time, and they work fine.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

keyhole buttonholes were more difficult and time-consuming to make by hand than bar tack ones, and so German custom tailors would do them to show off the quality of their work ... even on the lapel(s).

So this is a bit like a subtler version of those silly people who go around with one of their working cuff buttonholes unbuttoned? Or those far sillier people who leave the branding (that little piece of silk they tack at the cuff with the makers name) on the jacket sleeve.

Interesting that not all bespoke German jackets had keyhole lapel buttonholes. I have one example without. But then, the customer would have ultimate control over this if he cared to be bothered about it.

bk

 

[neyus]

I think if it was handmade I would have no problems with it. But then that might be a little bit showy. Someone made the comparison to working cuffs.

With machine made I prefer a straight tacked buttonhole on the lapel. I think the major problem with this is the fact it is on the lapel on display it needs to be slightly more discreet. However, I have an oxxford suit from the 80s that has a huge lapel buttonhole in a very different angle than most of my other suits. I think it makes it look quite conspicuous.

Whats your opinion on Oxxford lapel buttonholes?

 

[Jovan]

Personally, I find straight lapel holes that are handmade to be quite nice - much less dull than a machine made one, since it isn't just a straight slit, but slightly rounded at the ends. Look at some Brioni suits for a really good example.

 

[Feraud]

From an aesthetic viewpoint, I like the keyhole buttonhole.

 

[neyus]

I love the buttonholes in brioni suits. not a fan on the overall cut.

 

[Dagwood]

keyhole buttonholes were more difficult and time-consuming to make by hand than bar tack ones, and so German custom tailors would do them to show off the quality of their work ...

Very Interesting! Were the Germans the only ones to make their keyhole buttonholes by hand? Were they handstitched on both sides? Do you know if they were longer than straight buttonholes?

Before this thread, it was my understanding that all keyhole buttonholes were made only by machine. I am very excited to find out otherwise. Did this change because of the war?

 

[iammatt]

Very Interesting! Were the Germans the only ones to make their keyhole buttonholes by hand? Were they handstitched on both sides? Do you know if they were longer than straight buttonholes?

Before this thread, it was my understanding that all keyhole buttonholes were made only by machine. I am very excited to find out otherwise. Did this change because of the war?

No, a lot of keyholes are made by hand. It is usually only the people who are accustomed to cheap suits who fear a keyhole for this reason. Both straight and keyhole can be made by hand or machine.

 

[Jovan]

I don't fear a keyhole because of that, matt, I simply don't think it looks good on the lapel.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

From an aesthetic viewpoint, I like the keyhole buttonhole.

Agreed, and that is the bottom line; personal aesthetics.

 

[slicedbread]

I'd have to vote on Jovan's side this time...I like the look of a straight cut...This could of course change at a moment's notice as my tastes are still in their early stages