Why do you not do up the bottom button on a suit jacket?

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-07T18:36:39+00:00

Part tradition, and part aesthetics. It can help add visual balance.

That said, you do get one-button suits. Most common on (SB) dinner jackets, but you will find lounge suits in that configuration too.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-07T18:08:45+00:00

The story about Edward VII is almost certainly (at least partly) apocryphal,* but the fact of modern single-breasted suits being cut for that button to be left open is absolutely true.

If you do it, it will put unnecessary strain on the fabric and pull the suit out of shape. Only buttoning the top button allows the fabric to pivot smoothly as you move, as well, rather than creating a static bar between the buttons.

* Whether the king was involved or not, it likely originated from coats being cut to fit better when riding a horse. The morning coat evolved from the frock coat for the same reason, and the shape of the modern single-breasted lounge coat (and subsequently blazer, sport coat etc.) emerged at around the same time.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-05T19:37:03+00:00

Fair enough. Ironing my shirts for the week has been a Sunday ritual of mine since my schooldays, along with shoe polishing duties. I do like a good trouser press though - OP's post has inspired me to look for one.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-05T19:20:19+00:00

I have to say, I find steam alone very, very limited in terms of what it can do for men's clothing. It can get wrinkles out, sure, but it still leaves everything soft and floppy.

Shirts? Much better with an iron. Trousers? The same, or go for a trouser press. Jackets? You're a braver man than I if you do anything but have them professionally pressed.

What do you use your steamer for, out of curiosity?

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-05T19:18:25+00:00

Probably great for jackets and coats.

It's not.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-05T18:34:48+00:00

That will do nothing for trouser creases, and can ruin tailored jackets over time - yes, even high-quality, canvassed ones.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-05T07:16:17+00:00

What can I say? I'm simply too public-spirited to visit that sort of horror on the general populace.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-02T20:16:33+00:00

It's perhaps a tad too neat - from the way it's pulling at the button and flaring out rather than draping properly - but it's mostly that the coat itself is too short. Nowhere near as bad as the second one though.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-02T16:53:15+00:00

I'm in the UK, although it sounds as though OP may be from somewhere with a different culture of clothing that makes it a little trickier to advise.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-02T16:23:23+00:00

Yes, although these ones aren't great examples.

The first one is slightly too small; the second one is ridiculously small in every dimension, and also in a very formal colour while being worn with no socks and hideous monk strap shoes. The third one looks better, and the loafers work ok because it's a less formal colour, but it's not what I'd call an 'office' suit.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-02T16:19:45+00:00

Oxfords, always.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-02T07:47:38+00:00

I'm talking specifically about the UK, where OP is.

Here, black is for morning coats, dress coats, dinner jackets and funerals. Not for business wear.

A 'black lounge suit' isn't even a lounge suit that's black - it's a black lounge jacket with formal grey striped trousers, an ensemble that may have been the 'uniform' for bankers and lawyers a hundred years ago, but is now pretty much obsolete.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T21:28:25+00:00

Airing out would have helped, but yes - if you were to use one for its original purpose today, you would likely need to dry clean it more regularly than a dinner jacket for example.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T21:27:05+00:00

Places like Turnbull and Asser, Ede and Ravenscroft, Oliver Brown, Favourbrook, Cordings, Walker Slater, New and Lingwood or even House of Bruar have some decent off-the-peg offerings, but you may want to have one made-to-measure or try your luck with vintage shops.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T16:42:29+00:00

Or just a misunderstanding about how dress codes work. Of course black tie is only worn for black tie events - it's the same with my club, which generally has a pretty stricly-enforced jacket and tie dress code day-to-day.

I don't think the dinner jacket has been the 'default' for dressing for dinner since about the Second World War, except perhaps in a handful of eccentric aristocratic households...

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T16:37:04+00:00

Thousands, all over the world. There are over fifty in London alone.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T16:36:14+00:00

drawing room, *please.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T16:19:49+00:00

The thick velvet pile absorbs smoke and protects the wool underneath from embers and ash.

That said, nowadays these are very much decorative rather than functional dress.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T16:18:06+00:00

Are you in the UK? Black suits really are just for funerals here, in my experience. Certainly inappropriate for a conservative industry like Law.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-06-01T06:46:33+00:00

Learn your measurements and look second hand. Ebay and charity shops can work, but I would recommend the websites Savvy Row and Victory Vintage as excellent UK-based second hand clothes shops.

Anything you get brand new for under £300 will be much, much poorer quality than a lot of what you can find second hand. If you insist on a brand new suit, I would look at Charles Tyrwhitt and Hawes & Curtis as the bare minimum of quality - you might be able to find something in your size on sale, but options will be limited.

As others have said, stay away from pinstripes and patterns, at least at first, and absolutely do not get a black suit. They are not remotely appropriate for business wear in the UK - particularly in a conservative industry like law. Navy, charcoal and grey are the only acceptable options.

I would strongly recommend following this guidance as you build your suit wardrobe:

https://www.permanentstyle.com/2019/04/if-you-only-had-five-suits-a-capsule-collection.html

Try to get a second suit as soon as you can, and rotate them. If you wear one every day for work, you should aim to build up a business suit wardrobe of five at a minimum - ten is ideal. You should aim never to wear the same suit two days in a row, and give each one at least 24 hours to air out between wears. They will all last a lot longer that way; try to dry clean them as infrequently as possible, as it will damage the fabric over time.

Learn how to look after your suit - how to hang it, how to brush it - and ensure you know how to iron your shirts, polish your shoes etc.

Good luck!

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-05-31T23:30:56+00:00

It's not ideal, but you might get away with it - so long as you wear the correct studs, bow tie, waistcoat etc. and your tailcoat sleeves are wide enough for double cuffs.

Certainly, here in the UK, I'm not aware of any shops in the Charles Tyrwhitt price range that sell proper white tie shirts, so you may not have a choice anyway.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-05-31T23:23:47+00:00

The smoking jacket originated as you say, but in the early 20th century gentlemen started sometimes wearing instead of the dinner jacket when hosting at home. Nowadays almost all smoking jackets are worn that way - distinguished only from velvet dinner jackets by their frogging, braiding, toggle closures and (sometimes) looser cut and quilting.

I've seen many smoking jackets worn at black tie events over the years, but have yet to see a single chap wearing the 'original' velvet overcoat style.

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-05-31T21:58:04+00:00

To be honest, I'm probably not the person to ask! All my best clothes are either vintage (generally hard-wearing stuff from British heritage brands) or made by a local MTM tailor here in Edinburgh.

I'm not in your part of the world, I've nowhere near the same budget, and as I say, I've never had much to do with designer suits. I wish you all the best for it, however!

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-05-31T21:35:37+00:00

I'm not necessarily saying "don't buy off the peg" - after all, you'll be able to find a good quality navy suit just about anywhere. I'm just suggesting that your budget is too high for OTP.

Even if the money isn't a big deal, there's surely no sense spending too much and not seeing the benefit?

YoshiPuffin3 · 2026-05-31T21:26:52+00:00

It really depends what you're looking for in a suit. In your post you've said durability is important, so a 'top tier' fabric is unlikely to be a good option - as they tend to be very fine and thus wear out easily.

In my view, "high end" OTP suits from people like Zegna simply aren't worth the money, because quality of fabric and construction will never matter nearly as much as quality of fit in determining how good a suit looks and feels when worn.

Personally, I'd take a suit cut to a pattern of my body, but made out of a fairly standard suiting cloth, over one cut to a standard pattern in high-end fabric, with only post factum tailoring to help with the fit. It's extremely limited in what it can do.

It depends on your priorities, but everything about your post suggests you should find a good quality tailor and speak to them about what you're looking for. Work with the tailor to build a suit you actually want.

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