The London Lounge

Dear Loungers,

Is a two-buttoned DB jacket a serious choice? Would it be an option for LL Windsor POW?

Best,Luis

lgcintra wrote: Is a two-buttoned DB jacket a serious choice?

My first answer would be: NO!
But I have to confess that in Savile Row I´ve seen some well cut RTW 2x1 DB jackets by Oswald Boateng that demanded some respect. In tiny sizes, though.

Why would you consider it, Luis?

To tell you the truth, it caught my attention in an Anthony Hopkins movie, Hannibal, in the scenes Mr. Hopkins is in Florence (a bit earlier than throwing Commendatore Pazzi out of the window...). I considered it very simple yet elegant. No fuss and very light dress. It was a navy 2x1 DB suit. Maybe it was because Mr. Hopkins has a lot of STYLE, as the Loungers call it...

I thought Windsor POW might do well with this design due to the fact that the Duke´s original suit was a somewhat simple suit, with only four buttons and intended -- as I understood of the picures taken while he was High Commissioner in Jamaica -- for warm season usage.

2x1 can be handsome on a dinner jacket, and I think I have seen it used well on a linen sportscoat.

I don't think that it would be my preference for either, and certainly not for anything in between. On the other hand, the 4x2 that you mention below is a perfectly fine idea!

For visualization purposes: Gordon Yao posted a picture of a 4x2 DB of something that looks a lot like the Windsor PoW:

This image comes to mind when you drop the term 2x1 DB.

lgcintra wrote:To tell you the truth, it caught my attention in an Anthony Hopkins movie, Hannibal, in the scenes Mr. Hopkins is in Florence (a bit earlier than throwing Commendatore Pazzi out of the window...). I considered it very simple yet elegant. No fuss and very light dress. It was a navy 2x1 DB suit. Maybe it was because Mr. Hopkins has a lot of STYLE, as the Loungers call it...

(...)

Is it a 1960s mod styling quirk? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt8RSCGfshA

That´s it! 2x1 with hacking pockets. I like that, maybe not for the only DB suit one owns, but it is a wonderful option for a full wardrobe. IMHO.

Thanks, Pssst!

lgcintra wrote:That´s it! 2x1 with hacking pockets. I like that, maybe not for the only DB suit one owns, but it is a wonderful option for a full wardrobe. IMHO.

Thanks, Pssst!

The suit was off the peg by the way.

“Lecter was the height of elegance, no expense spared. He wore mainly Gucci suits and some Armani.”

http://clothesonfilm.com/hannibal-exclu ... ates/7039/

hectorm wrote:

lgcintra wrote: Is a two-buttoned DB jacket a serious choice?

My first answer would be: NO!
But I have to confess that in Savile Row I´ve seen some well cut RTW 2x1 DB jackets by Oswald Boateng that demanded some respect. In tiny sizes, though.

Hectorm, never mind the 2x1 DB, I think the real question would be what you were doing at Oswald Boateng?

IMHO,the examples presented,as nice as they are,would look even better 4x2. And,no risk.

A spot of fun though, I must admit. The balance would be ruined by an extra set of buttons.

marburyvmadison wrote: Hectorm, never mind the 2x1 DB, I think the real question would be what you were doing at Oswald Boateng

Touché.
Maybe it's the ghosts of illustrious former tenants of 30 Savile Row who lure me in everytime I pass by.
Actually, strolling up and down SR is part of my routine when I visit London and Boateng's shop is set as a show room and very friendly to call in. Although I would not wear his clothes, by browsing there I can always get some sense of the new forces influencing tradition on Savile Row.

Lecter's wardrobe in Hannibal may have been deliberately chosen by the costume designer for the slightly odd look of the two-button DB, to reinforce the Lecter character. (Just as when we see him portraying a gangster, Jean Gabin's suits look just a little too loud and a little too tight. How many of the famous film stars of the past we admire, chose their wardrobe themselves and how many owe their sartorial reputation to some anonymous costume designer?)