The London Lounge

I'm thinking of switching over one of my old navy hopsack jackets to gold buttons.

Question is - how common is it to see 3 roll 2 blazers with gold buttons? Or should I stick to exclusively 2 buttons if doing this?

I have a 3 roll 2 bespoke blazer with gold Buttons and patch pockets. Never had any doubts whatsoever....

Just took delivery on one of those. Bronze, really, but same idea.

Great new. Now I just need to find a good source for gold buttons!

John Kent told me in 1984 that "plain gilt is always correct" on a blazer. I had that one made 3 buttons front, 3 sleeves.

My new winter blazer from Steed is 3-roll-to-2.5, with four buttons on sleeves. Plain gilt (these came from Benson & Clegg). The 1980s buttons were a little nicer, but these are fine. If you want solid 9 carat gold, they have those too.

My own idiosyncratic preference is for streaked horn buttons (or smoked mother of pearl) on lighter summer blazers, with gilt against the dark milled-finish cloth for the dressier cool-weather version. Unless one is wearing club, service/regimental, college, or hunt etc. buttons, of course. You occasionally find beautifully simple hand-engraved antique buttons in silver or gold, but I haven't yet run across a set that would match any of my eligibilities. And I have very mixed feelings about anything noticeable enough to call attention to such affiliations in a garment to be worn in a variety of contexts.