The London Lounge

Hello all

I have a question regarding vents at the back of a coat

On a single-breasted coat are there any specific formulas as to whether to elect single or double vents or is this personal preference?

Am I correct that double-breasted coats have no vent

Thanks in advance

Oliver80 wrote:Hello all

I have a question regarding vents at the back of a coat

On a single-breasted coat are there any specific formulas as to whether to elect single or double vents or is this personal preference?

Am I correct that double-breasted coats have no vent

Thanks in advance

Historically, you've seen all tree vent styles, and I don't think you'll find a formula. It's a matter of personal taste. Still, I will regard side vents as the default lounge coat style - on db's as well.

For my personal preference it is side vents all the way baby on both SB & DB jackets.

Side vents look great on both SB and DB jackets, center vents only look good on SB jackets, and non vented look good on both SB and DB jackets.

A center vent should NEVER EVER be on a DB jacket!

As stated by Gruto, you'll probably not find a formula, so I will share my own personal formula.

SB & DB suits and dinner sutis/jackets = side vents

SB sport jackets and blazers = side vents

DB blazers = side vents

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

DB coats take side vents or no vents at all. Never a center vent, as Cufflink wrote.
SB coats, as Gruto points out, may take no vents (e.g. a dinner jacket, a stroller), center vents (sports jackets, but also informal suits) or side vents (if you prefer it or your anatomical features require it).
Functionally and historically the single vent derives from cavalry clothing. The double vents configuration is more of a "lounge" invention; it allows better access to the trousers' pockets and also helps when seated.
As for what goes best with a SB coat, I suppose it is more a matter of what you SHOULDN'T do rather than what you SHOULD do. You wouldn't want a ventless sports coat. You wouldn't want vents on a dinner coat (although Cufflink may disagree); however, if you do need (or prefer) vents, you wouldn't go for a single vent in this particular case. You wouldn't prefer a single vent on a lounge suit coat, but it would work better on a 3B SB odd coat. Double vents go with anything, but they would make a tweed jacket look more "citified" in my view.
Of course all of the above are debatable and any assertion on this topic can easily be challenged with contrary examples.

Costi wrote:
DB coats take side vents or no vents at all. Never a center vent, as Cufflink wrote.
SB coats, as Gruto points out, may take no vents (e.g. a dinner jacket, a stroller), center vents (sports jackets, but also informal suits) or side vents (if you prefer it or your anatomical features require it).
Functionally and historically the single vent derives from cavalry clothing. The double vents configuration is more of a "lounge" invention; it allows better access to the trousers' pockets and also helps when seated.
As for what goes best with a SB coat, I suppose it is more a matter of what you SHOULDN'T do rather than what you SHOULD do. You wouldn't want a ventless sports coat. You wouldn't want vents on a dinner coat (although Cufflink may disagree); however, if you do need (or prefer) vents, you wouldn't go for a single vent in this particular case. You wouldn't prefer a single vent on a lounge suit coat, but it would work better on a 3B SB odd coat. Double vents go with anything, but they would make a tweed jacket look more "citified" in my view.
Of course all of the above are debatable and any assertion on this topic can easily be challenged with contrary examplesare on this topic.

I largely agree with Costi. Indeed there are are on this topic some consolidated dress-code rules, at least according to the British and Italian/Neapolitan traditions:

a)formal morning and evening coats such as stroller and dinner suits: absolutely no vents;

b) SB and DB business and lounge suits: both side vents and no vents although the first option is preferable as it , in addition to allowing better access to the trousers' pockets and helping when seated, leaves always the bottom well covered(and this is much more elegant);

c)odd jackets: side vents for the large majority of cases with the exception of very stilish tweed sport jackets, recalling the original hacking pattern (slanting pockets with a ticket pocket, a bit longer than standard ones ), which require a center vent.


Angelo

I agree with Costi. Bine spus.

Vents In general:
Single - less formal (regular lounge suits, tweed, SB)
Double - more formal (business, city, SB or DB)
None - most formal (dinner jacket, stroller, and often DB)

pbc

pbc wrote: Bine spus.

Multumesc!
Well, soon il Convivio Italiano will have to give way to the Romanian Section!
Very courteous of you, pbc - and, indeed, congratulations on the proper use of the language!

Costi wrote:

pbc wrote: Bine spus.

Multumesc!
Well, soon il Convivio Italiano will have to give way to the Romanian Section!
Very courteous of you, pbc - and, indeed, congratulations on the proper use of the language!

Cu placere.
I've been very impressed with the worldwide representation of members here, even among the most regular posters. (In many fora it is very heavily centered on one locality with rare participation from another country.) This creates an excellent atmosphere for comparing commonalities and differences among regional tastes. I've learned much about British and American stylistic differences and regularly hear from all of Europe, Asia, South America, and Down Under. I don't know what African representation is here on the London Lounge but I feel it would be most welcome and comfortably accepted. As has been demonstrated so many times, a large number of travelers use this site and gain information from others who are in or have been to their place of interest, offering advice on style, sources, and necessities.

To bring it back to the original question, it appears there is a similar perception of vents with some personal preferences. Would anyone else care to add to this? Are there any regional variations? My understanding is that Europe leans much more toward double vents and the US toward single, though I can't say whether that is a conscious decision by most, perhaps traditional momentum. How about other regions?

pbc

Though I'm an American who partly grew up in Europe, I've spent enough time in the southern cone (Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay) that I can say that ventless seems to be the preference for all but a country tweed, which would of course take a center vent. My own tastes are sufficiently old-fashioned that I prefer a center vent generally, with exceptions for evening semi-formal (no vent) and double-breasted (side vents) coats.

I should add that even in the Far South of the Americas, formal tailcoats are, of course, center-vented.