Illustration of the week #19: The Duke's 2

[alden]

The two button, both closing was made famous by the Duke of Windsor who wore the model almost exclusively for his SB coats.

When it is executed well, the model can have a good deal of allure as in the illustration below from 1935:



One button above the natural waist and one below, it's that simple.

Cheers

M Alden

[marcelo]

I presume this photo of the Duke of Windsor's, arriving in the Riviera, illustrates the button stance at issue here:



I may have failed to notice, but I can’t remember having seen further photos of this kind of coat other than with the Duke of Windsor.

[alden]

I may have failed to notice, but I can’t remember having seen further photos of this kind of coat other than with the Duke of Windsor.

His brother also favored the design:



Cheers

[stagfoot]

John F Kennedy also seems to have used this type of two button coat.

[Costi]

I may have failed to notice, but I can’t remember having seen further photos of this kind of coat other than with the Duke of Windsor.

His brother also favored the design

Here he is again:



And the late Duke of Gloucester:



Plus the Smith brothers (Ross and Keith - both aviators)

[marcelo]

I may have failed to notice, but I can’t remember having seen further photos of this kind of coat other than with the Duke of Windsor.

His brother also favored the design

Here he is again:
And the late Duke of Gloucester:
Plus the Smith brothers (Ross and Keith - both aviators)

Michael and Costi, thanks for this.

[marcelo]

John F Kennedy also seems to have used this type of two button coat.

indeed

[DD MacDonald]

Marcelo and Stagfoot, I'm not so sure that the K brother's are wearing the true two button. They look like the average American 2 B sack where they've buttoned both buttons. Politician's and newsmen always seem to button all the buttons. I think its because they have female staff who urge them to do it as the right thing. Who said it - never let a woman dress you?

As to JFK, granted, his top button look higher and the top of the roll looks to be at the bottom of the rib cage, but the botton holes adjusted for his inch or two over TK look to be at the same position.

Unless someone is positive that JFK wore bespoke or recalls a definitive 2B Windsor trend in US ready to wear, I'm doubting that he wore what Windsor did.

DDM

[marcelo]

Marcelo and Stagfoot, I'm not so sure that the K brother's are wearing the true two button. They look like the average American 2 B sack where they've buttoned both buttons. Politician's and newsmen always seem to button all the buttons. I think its because they have female staff who urge them to do it as the right thing. Who said it - never let a woman dress you?

As to JFK, granted, his top button look higher and the top of the roll looks to be at the bottom of the rib cage, but the botton holes adjusted for his inch or two over TK look to be at the same position.

Unless someone is positive that JFK wore bespoke or recalls a definitive 2B Windsor trend in US ready to wear, I'm doubting that he wore what Windsor did.

DDM

DD MacDonald
thanks for this. I am not sure either if JFK is wearing the 2-button coat at issue here. But in the picture above he is the only one who has done both buttons. And I do have the impression that one botton is above, and the other below the waistline. That's what I had understood from Michael Alden's point: "One button above the natural waist and one below, it's that simple."

M.

[marcelo]

honeymoon with a two button coat

[Cornelius]

On the subject of 'the Duke', I note that a suit, a jacket and a number of shirts are again gracing a saleroom floor. I must confess that in the spirit, oft' expressed here, of viewing style as indespensible from character; I cannot draw as much inspiration from the man as others do. Nevertheless, for those interested...

http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/curr ... e_list=335

[andreyb]

On the subject of 'the Duke', I note that a suit, a jacket and a number of shirts are again gracing a saleroom floor.

Cornelius, thank you for the link.

I find the shirts to be very interesting and unusual. Note that plackets of all the shirts don't reach bottom:



Also, what is the purpose of this strip with three buttonholes? (At the bottom end of the picture.)



Andrey

[marcelo]

On the subject of 'the Duke', I note that a suit, a jacket and a number of shirts are again gracing a saleroom floor.

Cornelius, thank you for the link.

I find the shirts to be very interesting and unusual. Note that plackets of all the shirts don't reach bottom:
Also, what is the purpose of this strip with three buttonholes? (At the bottom end of the picture.)

Andrey

Cornelius’ post is a great found and I also thank him for this. The garments were originally auctioned at Sotheby’s, but the extraordinary thing is that Sotheby’s three-volume catalogue, that amazing inventory of the Duke’s collections, does not contain the images now made available by the new auctioneer. As for the unusual buttonholes on the shirt front, I suppose they were intended to fix the shirt to buttons on the trousers so as to avoid one’s having to tuck the shirt in every now and then.

[angelo]

andreybokhanko wrote:

Cornelius wrote:
On the subject of 'the Duke', I note that a suit, a jacket and a number of shirts are again gracing a saleroom floor.
Cornelius, thank you for the link.

I find the shirts to be very interesting and unusual. Note that plackets of all the shirts don't reach bottom:
Also, what is the purpose of this strip with three buttonholes? (At the bottom end of the picture.
Andrey

Marcelo wrote

Cornelius’ post is a great found and I also thank him for this. The garments were originally auctioned at Sotheby’s, but the extraordinary thing is that Sotheby’s three-volume catalogue, that amazing inventory of the Duke’s collections, does not contain the images now made available by the new auctioneer. As for the unusual buttonholes on the shirt front, I suppose they were intended to fix the shirt to buttons on the trousers so as to avoid one’s having to tuck the shirt in every now and then.

Cornelius,
Thank You very much for this little treasure discovered by You. In addition to the unusual three buttonholes on the shirt front, very likely having the function described by Marcelo, there is an other peculiar feature worth of mentioning: i.e. the other two buttons under the above three holes, placed on the left lower quarter of the shirt. By means of these buttons the left lower quarter with its superior curved edge,like in a double breated jacket , is laid on the right lower quarter. What a beautiful stylistic trick, likely endowed also with the function of better keeping in place the shirt under the trousers!

Angelo

[uppercase]

It seems to me that the 3 buttons in a row are too high to attach to trousers.... I don't know.

And the lower, off center buttons.....interesting but I don't understand what they are used for. ???