The London Lounge

Apologies for the erroneous posting in the Anonymous Q&A section.

I am about to commission a three piece suit in navy flannel chalkstripe. I initially wished the waistcoat to be double-breasted with peak lapels (the jacket will be SB peak), but I cannot recall ever seeing anything but a solid fabric working in DB. Something about the stripes going in too many directions – seems the overall effect would be too busy. I’ve seen the stripes aligned vertically on the waistcoat’s lapels to match its body, but this strikes me as being too contrived. Does this make sense and would a SB waistcoat really be a better idea?

Along with the flannel chalkstripe suit, I will also be having a subtle glen plaid with overpane three-piece made up. My sense is that this will have more chance at success in a DB with lapel (shawl, probably) format. Still, I was wondering if anyone else had any experience with patterned DB waistcoats and if any advice, encouraging or discouraging, could be offered.

Thank you.

hi

i have also a navy pinstripe 3 piece suit....and my waistcoat is SB....i dont feel good with a db waistcoat

I have a patterned DB waistcoat however it is a hounds tooth check so quite a tight pattern, it looked pretty good. I have had similar SB with lapel. I have never gone down the DB peaked lapel route for a waistcoat.

My views, for what they are worth, are that with any peak lapel s/b I would choose the simplest waistcoat possible, and particularly so when a striped cloth is under consideration. (I have a vintage 3-button s/b peak lapel in a blue chalkstripe with a 6 button waistcoat, no lapel.) I would also think that a d/b waistcoat in PoW check could potentially look too busy but would certainly be an interesting look, though I think peak lapels may be preferable to shawl on a day coat.

Anthony.

if its a single breasted with a peak label, I think it would be more prudent to not have peaks on the vest. You could have a double breasted vest without the peaks but with pleats, which is a nice look, or you could have three button notch jacket with
DB vest with peaks

personally, if its a flannel-I'd go with the three button notch and peaked DB vest

jklu wrote: I am about to commission a three piece suit in navy flannel chalkstripe. I initially wished the waistcoat to be double-breasted with peak lapels (the jacket will be SB peak), but I cannot recall ever seeing anything but a solid fabric working in DB.

while most often observed in solids, db vests can be in small neat checks or plaid effects. William Powell often wore plaids in db vests. Same is true for stripes. Faint stripes, like the ones seen most often in US can be rendered into a db vest (depending on the fabric texture as well).

jklu wrote:I’ve seen the stripes aligned vertically on the waistcoat’s lapels to match its body, but this strikes me as being too contrived. Does this make sense and would a SB waistcoat really be a better idea?

Although, it is my personal favorite I rarely recomend this to other people... if you have a flannel chalkstripe fabric, try the SB peak lapel jacket and a simple Sb vest with horizontal stripes. NO lapels on this vest. This will Only work on woolen flannels or stripes with a fuzzy nature that are Not too prominent. Bold flannel and most worsteds are no place for this vest design. Takes some strength on your part to wear it at first... esp. if you are not used to the idea but then again a DB vest is hardly a norm either. So your choice.

By the way, in case you are interested- this above is not my innovation. It is about 7 decades old and originated in west end, london. Very Rare and Very striking.

P.S. Forgot to mention: You Must be at least somewhat slim to correctly carry it off.

Etutee wrote:
P.S. Forgot to mention: You Must be at least somewhat slim to correctly carry it off.

Damn!!! Just when I was beginning to think this could be a worthy idea for a future project.

For some reason, I have a bias against striped DB vests. Solids and discreet plaids, on the other hand, I think look great as DB vests.

manton wrote:For some reason, I have a bias against striped DB vests. Solids and discreet plaids, on the other hand, I think look great as DB vests.

I think the “some reason” is a good reason. DB vests need lapels. The stripes on a normally made lapeled vest will be at an angle from the vertical and that will, necessarily, be different from and clash with the angle on the coat lapels. The combination of vertical lines on the coat and vest and the two different angles on the lapels never looks good. Another possibility is, as jklu pointed out, to use sewn on lapels and align the stirpes on the body and the lapel vertically. I am not a fan of that look, but you can see it done well in the photos of Paul Davies, the London Shoemaker, wearing a suit made by Stephen Hitchcock shown below:



The top photo also illustrates well the pleated vest mentioned by Ed Hayes. I have seen the suit being worn and it is complements its wearer well. I can also imagine the pleated vest being a nice dandified touch and actually useful for someone who works in waistcoat only and has need for some more volume in the pockets. Nonetheless, though I am positively addicted to lapels on waistcoats, they simply don’t work for me with striped cloth. It is no accident that all of my bespoke striped suits are DB without waistcoats.

dopey