Once seen as your rigid uncle’s tailoring, the DB is back. Here’s a quick history of the sometimes down but never-fully-out double-breasted suit.
What Makes it a Double Breasted Suit?
The double breasted suit is made of overlapping jacket breasts, decorative buttons, and a peak lapel.
The defining feature of the double-breasted suit is the left jacket breast overlaps the right, covering part of it. The suit jacket has two rows of buttons, most commonly six (three on each side) or four (two on each side); occasionally, you’ll see just two buttons on garments like smoking jackets. Despite having many buttons, the jacket is most commonly closed with two. One is on the exterior, and the other is on the internal, known as an anchor button, making most of the buttons on the jacket ornamental. Lastly, a double-breasted suit usually has peak labels. Where portion where the neck part of the lapel and the chest part of the lapel meet, the chest portion jets out past the neck portion, creating a “peak.”
The Early Days: A Double Breasted Origin Story
This suit was born from British Naval attire and gained popularity through royalty and celebrities.
Like so many things in tailoring, the double-breasted suit comes to us from Great Britain. The first double-breasted jackets were modeled after the peacoat worn by the British Navy and were called “the naval reefer jacket.”
The jacket was originally a sporting jacket worn while participating in or attending sporting events. While a jacket or sports coat at a football game feels stuffy today, the DB was initially seen as very informal and was occasionally looked down upon by traditionalists.
The jacket first garnered attention as international interest in the British Royal Family grew. Prince Edward, the Duke Of Windsor, was a fan, bringing the style into the spotlight. The momentum continued as the jacket gained popularity in Hollywood’s Golden era, with the likes of Burt Lancaster, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, and Gary Cooper all sporting the double-breasted suits in famous movies and in their personal lives.
Between royalty and celebrities, the suit started to garner an elitist association. The trend would continue through the Second World War when fabric shortages and textile costs meant that DBs were unattainable except for the wealthy.
A Second Wind: The Revival of the DB
After going out of fashion for a few decades, the double breasted suit made a comeback as the suit of spies, detectives, and day traders.
And so it disappeared from runways and closest for a few decades until it was in vogue again in
the 1980s. Interest returned as they started to pop up in collections from Armani, becoming a staple on the culturally influential Miami Vice. In the show, Philip Michael Thomas’ character, Ricardo Tubbs, wears a looser, flowing version, often with a tie. While not solely responsible, it helped remove some of the association with the suit’s “stodgy” reputation, renewing interest.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, it became popular on Wall Street and in pop culture, making appearances on the likes of Pierce Brosnan in James Bond and Brad Pitt in Cool World. The 90s saw the suit reach its absurdly baggy and boxy apex.
Once again, popularity waned. Some factors may have contributed beyond the ebbs and flow of fashion trends. First, younger buyers came along and associated the suit with past generations — it was, again, your dad’s suit. However, how suits were made also changed, and true tailoring was fading while mass market production steamrolled forward. More than ever, suits were now made for off-the-rack shopping rather than by a tailor. Double-breasted suits cost more to produce and are more of a challenge to look nice without tailored adjustments. And so, once again, the double-breasted suit began to disappear from store windows and popular culture.
A Classic Is Back: The Double Breasted Jacket Is Back in Action
The jacket has made a comeback with a bit more restraint.
The suit was uncommon — at least in The United States — throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Luckily, it’s been making a comeback as of late. The exact reasons for the reemergence are harder to pin down; it could be the general cycling of trends or renewed interest from sartorial gentlemen who kept the suit alive in their niche communities. Whatever the reason, the current popularity rests in a perfect middle ground: uncommon enough for the wearer to stand out but not so unusual that it feels dated or gauche.
As a company that appreciates sartorial elegance, we have always admired the suits. This fall, we’ve created three variations of our Bedford suit in a bold but not overly provocative design. Made for a warm but breathable 100% merino wool flannel for the iconic Vitale Barberis Canonico mill, the suit is warm enough for winter wear without overheating (a primer on cold weather fabrics here). This particular suit is available in a traditional navy, easy-to-pair grey, and an eye-catching chalkstripe.
Whether you’re looking for a statement piece or finding a modern way to nod to eras past, the DB is an iconic piece that gentlemen have worn for decades. And if you’re ever worried about it going out of style, just remember it always makes a comeback.
Note: The vast majority of Proper Cloth’s single breasted suits can be made into doubles through customization.
