The London Lounge

My question is this. Side vents, rear vent, or no vent? Is it a matter of personal preference or should certain aspects of the suit be taken into consideration when making the decision?

A little more info on my situation. Sometimes in the next month I shall be commissioning a suit. I will be wearing it for my wedding and it will be the first suit I have ever owned. It is not unlikely that in the next 5 years I will have fewer than half a dozen occasions on which to wear this suit. In any of these scenarios something less than a suit would be perfectly acceptable. With that in mind I have decided to purchase what I want and focus less on what will be most utilitarian.

At the moment my suit of choice a SB, 2B, notch lapel with slanted pockets. I am leaning towards a charcoal herringbone material. I have been spending quite a bit of time reading LL and shaping my opinion since I stumbled on it a week ago. Any opinions, suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Nathan

NRSPDX, since slanted pockets derive from equestrian jackets, it would be stylistically consistent to combine them with a high center vent, nipped waist, and slightly longer skirts. This can be a dashing look on a tweed hacking jacket, especially when well worn-in—witness Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon on the 1970s series "All Creatures Great and Small," set in the 1930s.

Center vents were also traditional in the New England "Ivy League" sack jacket of the 1950s-early 1960s, and are still observed by stalwarts like J. Press and the Andover shop. These jackets, unlike equestrian gear, are/were quite boxy in cut and the center vents very short and often "hooked."

However, I would myself not select this style for a suit, especially one for a wedding. I would go with side vents. You will see the usual argument here and elsewhere that side vents allow you to put your hands in your trouser pockets without leaving your seat exposed, and so forth. I'm not sure how crucial that is, though it's certainly true. But side vents do help visually define the shaping of the coat from the back, emphasizing as they do the lower parts of the two main seams that carry the line from shoulders to waist to skirt. I also find it easier to keep side vent flaps from getting rucked and creased when sitting than center vent flaps. This is especially true if you are sitting on the skirt when seated at a table—something that as a byproduct helps keep the back collar from riding up on a jacket made of substantial cloth.

On a SB jacket I don't see a good argument for ventless, though it's not infrequently done. It always reminds me of loose Armani jackets from the late 80s—a looseness that was not only "casual" but improved the somewhat restricted freedom of movement that more closely cut ventless jackets suffer from. And while DBs and many kinds of semi-formal jackets are properly ventless, ventless jackets are also less expensive to make and so a lot of cheap RTW goods were (and are) styled this way once the Italian designers made them fashionable for a while.

These are highly subjective impressions and ultimately you should choose what you look and feel best in. Hopefully, however, these notes will stimulate your own thinking and perhaps stir some discussion.

I subscribe to couch's choice. I would also suggest straightening those pocket flaps on a dark gray town suit, so you wouldn't be tempted by the otherwise sound single vent logic
You needn't expect particular occasions to present themselves so you may wear a dark gray suit, if it comes out nicely you'll love wearing it and you'll create your own occasions. It's not like turning up in white tie to a barbecue, a SB dark gray suit is one of the most versatile pieces in a man's wardrobe. Allow yourself to grow fond of it, starting to wear suits is just as big a step in life as getting married

Nathan, My advice follows the above. Straight pockets for sure. Side vents would be my preference. No vents would be satisfactory. The best to you.

Thank you for your opinions. I foresee side vents in my future. Originally I was leaning that direction but recently I had become less sure. I will stick with my first feeling on the matter.

Also, thank you for the history of vents. I find this kind of information as entertaining as it is insightful.