The London Lounge

Hi all,

This topic may have already been discussed on this forum in the past. But I am considering commissioning a 3 roll 2.5 jacket for my next bespoke project.

Whilst I am very enthusiatic about it, I have 2 concerns:

1. I am 5ft 6 and concerned that this may make me look even shorter.

2. Makes the jacket too hot for summer.

I hope someone can help me with his previous experience(s).

Cheers,
Yasu

My standard answer when someone commissions a jacket of this style is - why do you want a hole in your lapel??

I make them if requested, of course.

Your height has nothing to do with it. basically you'll end up with a button 2 jacket with a button hole in the lapel

Agreed.

A 1 or maximum 2 button SB coat is enough buttons.

Unless you want a more vintage looking coat - 3 buttons -which I think has the unfortunate effect of swaddling you in cloth, closing up the front and not allowing for a beautiful V shape fully revealing shirt and tie.
I have 3 button SBs but prefer 1 button coats now.
Simple, distinctive and getting straight to the point of buttoning up the coat without extraneous , unused show buttons.

Leonard Logsdail wrote:My standard answer when someone commissions a jacket of this style is - why do you want a hole in your lapel??

Why!?!? Do I have to answer that!?!?
Because it´s soooooo useful and it gives you so much flexibility. Particularly in the heavier jackets like my tweeds. Sooner or later I´m going to wear them with a scarf or I´m going to pop up the collar. The third buttom up there helps to keep you warm and everything in place. (a tab collar is not enough). Meanwhile you can just roll down the lapel and have a more elegant longer line.
I love that hole in my lapel.

Surely the point of a thee button roll is that it provides a further buttoning point of it is needed, and it therefore lends itself to heavier cloth.

A linen or fresco in my view should never be more than two button, and, as has already been said, a single fastening makes a real point; waist, snap, lapel length have to be spot on, and when it is, nothing can beat it.

I think it's the difference between much of London and parts of Italy/1950s US. A true English 3-button (or a structured 2-button) will have angles and straight edges to add variety and vigor to the curved surfaces. By contrast, the old-style Ivy League 3-button (or the Italianate 3/roll 2.5) will delight in using its lapels to create a relaxed swoop between buttoniere and ankle.

The Brooks Bros sack that buttons and presses down to the middle button doesn't quite do this, of course, so it keeps its partisans happy with a different collection of charms.

2 buttons is hideous

Concordia wrote: The Brooks Bros sack that buttons and presses down to the middle button doesn't quite do this, of course, so it keeps its partisans happy with a different collection of charms.

Concordia,
I would say that it´s an acquired taste in which British and Italian, drape or dart devotees would never find that "collection of charms". Exhibit one: see this 3 roll 2 sack summer cotton jacket. I can´t argue most of the praises an elegant coat would carry. But I´m fond of it now.
Love it or hate it. No in between.

My motive for this is that it gives the lapel a nice "roll", which imo makes the jacket look more elegant.
Here are some examples:

uppercase wrote: 3 buttons -which I think has the unfortunate effect of swaddling you in cloth, closing up the front and not allowing for a beautiful V shape fully revealing shirt and tie.

This is my concern for 3 roll 2.5 in 3 piece suit.

aston wrote:Surely the point of a thee button roll is that it provides a further buttoning point of it is needed, and it therefore lends itself to heavier cloth.

A linen or fresco in my view should never be more than two button, and, as has already been said, a single fastening makes a real point; waist, snap, lapel length have to be spot on, and when it is, nothing can beat it.

I think I completely agree with this.

My standard answer when someone commissions a jacket of this style is - why do you want a hole in your lapel??

Hurrah.

2 buttons is hideous

Sorry, but nonsense

Love it or hate it. No in between

Agreed, and I'm in the "hate" camp, along with renowned Mr Logsdail and a good number of Savile row tailors I have met (accepting that A&S take a different view, partly in order to accommodate their American following I presume).

My motive for this is that it gives the lapel a nice "roll", which imo makes the jacket look more elegant

A nice roll can be created with button 2, quite why you would need a button hole in the way to achieve this is beyond me. In fact the button hole often has the opposite effect, creating an unsightly buckling of the lapel. This is especially obvious on a new coat when the tailor has set out to achieve the effect, and there are quite a few examples on the LL if you care to look for them, but a button 3 that has naturally rolled over time can look quite elegant.

So yes, views differ!

Yasu,
If I were you, I would take a good look at the one button. View the Huntsman house style for few craft a coat more elegant. IMO this would be the ideal for you. However, in the end so much of style seems to reside in being comfortable in your own esthetic taste. If your heart is set on the 3 roll 2.5, go with that and enjoy it.

Dear Yasu,

if you want to figure out whether this works for you, you just let the tailor do the style but without the third button and the respective button hole in the lapel. The Duke of W did it; I have several sports coats made up this way.

Cheers, David

rodes wrote: If I were you, I would take a good look at the one button. View the Huntsman house style for few craft a coat more elegant.

I still have a couple of Huntsman one button jackets (Mr. Hall) which are 20 plus years old and I agree that -with regards to elegance- they are second to none. But what makes them elegant is not the style built around that only one button but the style built around that only point of closure. You could add a second useless button (and button hole) down below and nothing will be lost in terms of elegant structure and flow of lines. You could even hide a third top bottom behind the right lapel and add the curving slit on the left lapel and nothing will be lost in terms of structure and elegant flow of lines. Well, actually you could argue that you have lost some simplicity adding "superfluous" details, and you would be right, and that is why you must keep the only one button for your dinner jacket. But for lounging suits I wouldn't be afraid of losing Huntsman signature stance by adding that "useless" second button below and -in the case of tweed jackets- the very useful third top button. On the contrary, being very tall, I like to keep the Huntsman style but with the second or the third button added. I found it more grounded and less pretentious. Actually Richard Anderson offers his clients to work around that possibility.

Thank you, everyone for the comments

Despite many of your suggestions, I am not a fan of one-button jacket and certainly not ready to make one any time soon yet.

I will perhaps give it a try on a 2 button jacket with 3 roll 2.5 lapel. I will need to discuss with my tailor whether he would do it or not first but it seems like this is the least risky option.

Yasu