Waistcoat for DB Jacket - SB or DB?

[Happy Stroller]

I understand that a 3-piece SB suit is regarded as more formal than a 2-piece DB suit, which in turn is regarded as more formal than a 2-piece SB suit. But the 3-piece DB suit is regarded as even more formal than the 3-piece SB suit.

For the 3-piece DB suit, should the waistcoat be SB, or should it be DB? And can or should it have lapels? If so, what kind should those be - shawl, peak or notch?

I am assuming the 3-piece DB suit is for use in an informal (i.e., business) setting where the people involved are top businessmen, bankers, professional Brahmins and politicians meeting each other around noon time in a world-class financial city, like New York or London, say.

 

[manton]

SB, no lapels, is traditional. I would not wear any other vest configuration with a DB suit.

 

[Frederick Chook]

I say: wear whatever suits you. Experiment and see which combinations look best with which fabrics. You'll probably want to be wearing the jacket closed, so the waistcoat shouldn't be too bulky - BUT, you might want to be especially daring and wear the jacket open, in which case a waistcoat with lapels (SB or DB, notch or peak) might look more interesting.

(my question: is a 2-piece DB suit more formal than a 3-piece SB suit?)

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Ralph Lauren has made 3-piece DB suits with double-breasted waistcoats (and single-breasted waistcoats with lapels) for both his Polo and Purple Label lines.

Personally, I agree with Manton: a DB waistcoat with a DB suit jacket seems like overkill. (Sadly, I confess that I have one, made by the J. Peterman Company).


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[Happy Stroller]

Ralph Lauren has made 3-piece DB suits with double-breasted waistcoats (and single-breasted waistcoats with lapels) for both his Polo and Purple Label lines.

Personally, I agree with Manton: a DB waistcoat with a DB suit jacket seems like overkill. (Sadly, I confess that I have one, made by the J. Peterman Company).
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Designer clothing is too expensive for me, I'm afraid. Also, their non-conservative styles are not my kind of tea, even if I've the money.

As long as it's not pure black, I wonder whether it's OK to overkill so that I'm one up on the next chap. Who knows, that might help me increase my look of arrogance, a factor supposed to increase one's attractiveness to the fairer sex; but it's a look which I confess I have yet to figure out.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'm with the no-lapel, SB crowd ...

bk

 

[Happy Stroller]

I say: wear whatever suits you. Experiment and see which combinations look best with which fabrics. You'll probably want to be wearing the jacket closed, so the waistcoat shouldn't be too bulky - BUT, you might want to be especially daring and wear the jacket open, in which case a waistcoat with lapels (SB or DB, notch or peak) might look more interesting.

(my question: is a 2-piece DB suit more formal than a 3-piece SB suit?)

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Well, I was hoping to rely on the valuable expertise and past experiences of all of you here so that I could cut some corners. Funds are a bit tight, so I am trying not to have to experiment.

As to your question, I think a 3-piece SB suit is more formal than a 2-piece DB suit of equal color, shade and pattern because the additional piece makes it look more serious.

As to whether the DB jacket can be worn open, perhaps I should have described a little more regarding the envisaged design of my DB jacket. It actually only buttons on the lowest button, so that the lapel can be as long as possible. That should enable me to look even slimmer (but only from the frontal perspective, regretfully) than with an SB jacket.

One would then realized how awkward I would look with that sharp buttonable end of the DB jacket dangling loose.

In fact, I think I might feel uncomfortable knowing it looks awkward with the DB jacket opened, even if I were sitting. Is it OK for a DB jackets be worn buttoned up while sitting? Or, must it be unbuttoned to be regarded as properly dressed?

 

[manton]

Is it OK for a DB jackets be worn buttoned up while sitting? Or, must it be unbuttoned to be regarded as properly dressed?

In my opinion, it is preferable to leave DB coats buttoned when sitting. If they fit properly, they should be perfectly comfortable.

 

[John in Covina]

No Peaking!

I just love the look of the DB vest with peak lapels though.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

In the '30s (as in all eras), there were exceptions to the rule. Here's a '30s jacket and its matching waistcoat:

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[Tomasso]

A notch lapel vest with peak lapel jacket?:eusa_doh: That said, a DB vest worn over DB jacket results in a lot of material over the old tummy.

 

[Happy Stroller]

Interesting DB jacket/DB waistcoat combination, Marc. Thank you for the wonderful images.

Can all 6 buttons of a 6-button DB jacket or waistcoat be buttonable?

 

[manton]

Interesting DB jacket/DB waistcoat combination, Marc. Thank you for the wonderful images.

Can all 6 buttons of a 6-button DB jacket or waistcoat be buttonable?

DB waistcoats are cut so that three of six are meant to fastened (or four of eight, though this is more rare). Most DB coats are cut so that two of six fasten, and traditional usage is that only one of those two is buttoned. A six button DB coat on which three actually button is a rarity in the civilian world, but common on naval uniforms.

 

[Happy Stroller]

Thanks, Manton, for your highly valued comments.

I've been examining some military dress uniforms and noticed they looked pretty smart, contrary to the advice that a 6-button DB with a long rolling lapel and only one functional button will help a portly genleman look much slimmer than even a SB jacket.

Then I realized having 2 straight long vertical lines of buttons should make a portly gentleman look just as good on a 6 (or, even an 8) button DB jacket, even if the lapels were no longer as long as on a 6x1 DB jacket.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Can all 6 buttons of a 6-button DB jacket or waistcoat be buttonable?

Yes -- though as Manton points out, it was and is rare. Below is an example from 1941. The style was more popular in the mid to late 1960s.

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[Happy Stroller]

In the '30s (as in all eras), there were exceptions to the rule. Here's a '30s jacket and its matching waistcoat:

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Marc, was the midnight blue 3-piece DB jacket/DB waistcoat suit you displayed that J. Peterman Company suit owned by you? It's impressive.

And you're quite a sly one, Marc, leaving a pictorial hint that there can be 6 functional buttons in a 6-button DB jacket or waistcoat. First, you deliberately buttoned up the DB jacket in female mode (right side over left). Second, you deliberately juxtaposed the waistcoat with its left side over its right next to the jacket so as to increase the chance of someone spotting something was wrong. But thanks, anyway. I enjoyed your trick.

 

[Happy Stroller]

DB waistcoats are cut so that three of six are meant to fastened (or four of eight, though this is more rare). Most DB coats are cut so that two of six fasten, and traditional usage is that only one of those two is buttoned. A six button DB coat on which three actually button is a rarity in the civilian world, but common on naval uniforms.

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Manton, you're quite right about naval uniform. In fact, I managed to dragged out of an old locker one of the heaviest outerwear coats, at least for its length, which was as short as a lounge suit's jacket. It's brand is called Golden Fleece and has very large black anchor logo buttons. It caught my interest because it's 6-button 3x2 double-breasted. Then I noticed on each side, there was a vertical column of button holes corresponding to the 3 buttons on the other side. There was also a button-hole on each lapel. Corresponding to each lapel, there was a functional button behind the other lapel.

I thought the functional lapel button-holes were useful in a very cold and stormy naval environment, but that couldn't account for the unisex nature of the old coat which was at least 2 decades old. But when I examined several photos showing Cary Grant in DB suits, both lapels had button-holes!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Marc, was the midnight blue 3-piece DB jacket/DB waistcoat suit you displayed that J. Peterman Company suit owned by you?

The blue jacket and waistcoat in the photos above are not owned by me. They're from the 1930s.


My J. Peterman suit is a deep chocolate brown with pinstripes. It was made (as a sample) in the late 1990s for J. Peterman's "Movie Legends" apparel line. I have no idea which movie inspired it.

First, you deliberately buttoned up the DB jacket in female mode (right side over left) ... I enjoyed your trick.

Actually, I don't own this jacket and waistcoat, nor did I take the photos. These pieces were sold on eBay by another seller. He (or most probably, she) buttoned the jacket from right to left, and took the photo that way.


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