One, Two or Three Button Suit?

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

I now have a 3 piece black suit, and I'm deciding on my second suit. It's a grey 2 piece suit, and I'm trying to decide between 1, 2, or 3 buttons.


The black suit will cover the formal bases, so the grey suit will be for fun. I'm tall and thin, so I can safely break up my height with buttons or not. Seems like there's not hard and fast rules for this.


I was reading on AskMen and was interested in the 1 button suit, but I do want it to be wearable for years to come.

[Ben Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ben]

2 for sure. 3 is acceptable. 1 is for evening wear

[LesserBlackDog Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close LesserBlackDog]

Agree with Ben. 2 is the best all-around choice for 95% of men. 3 is fine if you're tall. 1 button for day wear, though, is pretty faddish - too faddish to be appropriate for any business or professional setting.

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

What they said, only I'd say if it's a 3 button it should be a 3-roll-2 (the lapel should roll to the 2nd button). 3 Button suits are mostly vintage at this point.

[Joe G. Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe G.]

2 is preferred, but I'll go 1 also.


3 buttons I would never wear, unless it rolls completely and you can't tell there is a third button

[ChrisW Member Find all posts View Profile Close ChrisW]

I've got to go with two as well. One button seems a bit of a stretch for only your second suit.

[runner-guy Member Find all posts View Profile Close runner-guy]

Go with 2 button.

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

Two it is! Double vent, notch lapel, brown lining.


And pleated pants, right? ;-)

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

Ummm... You might want to try some jackets on. I don't like double vents myself.


Pleated pants can be okay, especially on a suit. Your suit pants are going to sit higher than regular pants or jeans... Up at your natural waist. Pleats can help make them more comfortable when you sit. I prefer forward pleats (opening toward the zipper) rather than reverse (opening toward the pocket).

[alan Dappered Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close alan]

Ditto on trying the jackets on. While I prefer the look of a single vent on other people, the double vent fits me better because of my body shape (large back side). The jacket just lays better for me with the double vent.


As for the pants, I have flat front pants on my grey suit, but my navy suit pants have a single pleat (and no cuff). I know the flat front is in style, but I've got very big legs in proportion to my torso/waistline, and the pleated pants are very comfortable. As JC said, sitting in flat front pants is the hard part, and even the single pleat makes a big difference. Heck, I'm wearing them right now and they're great!


So bottom line... Don't knock the pleat. ;-)

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

I've got chicken legs! I wish I had quads like a horse, so instead, I'll just knock the pleat. ;-)

[alan Dappered Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close alan]

If you've got chicken legs then you might want to give the single vent another look, too. :-) I don't think there's a right or wrong in that regard, but there's no reason to make up your mind before you try them both on. Happy hunting!

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

I'm watching Mad Men now, and I think the single vent just looks like an extension of the butt crack. =P

[salo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close salo]

You could always go ventless. Makes for a clean silhouette.

[jose_jackson Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jose_jackson]

I think I would like ventless too. Vents seem to ruin the silhouette more than they help functioning. People will tell you that's for evening wear, but that just seems like an arbitrary rule to me.