Double vs. Single Breasted

[BESPOKE62]

Do not be dissuaded from doing something well, that someone else is doing badly. If you do it well, it will shine the spot light on the imitators. Are you dissuaded for wearing a single breasted suit just because someone does not have the finesse and the where-with-all the do well? Style is about being confident- it is not for the faint of heart- which then begs the obvious question-are we men of style or slaves to fashion and the whims and fickle opinions of the uninitiated? “…Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style." (Matthew Arnold). NEVER be afraid to be the Best dressed man in the room.

[Rowly]

If you like DB coats, just wear them, for God's sake! They're good for business, good for leisure, good in gray, good in brown, good in 4x6 or 2x4. If they make you feel out of place, don't wear them until you grow out of it.

Or perhaps,.... If they make you feel out of place, DO wear them until you grow out of it.

[Costi]

Well, you're right, this strategy works (and may be necessary) for more important matters. But dress is supposed to be fun. The beauty of it is that you can choose. That means leaving out some things - for the time being. When you're ready for something, you will WANT to wear it. Why force it when it doesn't appeal to you naturally?
I forced myself to listen to Wagner for years to learn to understand his music and hopefully find something to love in it; the more I listened, the more I disliked it. One day it just happened: a good voice, the right time, the right mood - it was my moment of revelation! I still don't love all of it, but I released the negativity I had developed by my own determination to understand it and instead I can enjoy a lot more of it now.
Of course, where I completely agree with you is in giving it a try: DO it and then decide you like it or not. Often what we imagine we might look like in a certain kind of clothes is not what we really look like when we put them on and we certainly cannot anticipate how we are going to FEEL in them - and THAT is even more important to our ability to project Style.

[Rowly]

Almost everybody wears a SB suit, IF they wear a suit at all. That means that a DB will attract attention no matter what you do. Attention because of radiant style is fine, but many will not see your radiant style They will only see affectation. So what do you do? I haven't really solved the problem yet

This problem must be solved once and for all, so that we can all have a clear focus to help us move forward in our quest for the freedom of expression necessary for the outward expression of the style that lies within. But, we may recoil from being misinterpreted as brash, foppish or attention seeking and affected.

Costi rightly advises..

Simple: one gets rid of the affectation (it is there, if people can see it they're not imagining, right?) and replaces it with radiant style. DB style!

You know in your heart whether you are affected or genuine...so proceed accordingly. Does the lion apologise for his mane?

Yes, the other strategy is just following your own style credo but if John Bull turns around you do have a slight problem as a Savior of Style

John Bull?! He is not part of the equation of Style, which is the exclusive domain of the Self. I think it's just an irrational fear of authenticity, Gruto, our ancestral fear of rejection. What if we are not accepted as we are? Oh my, oh my! Let's put on a mask - the mask of John Bull, if possible, so he doesn't turn and cause me trouble.
But in my experience authenticity (because that's what Style is, the free expression of authenticity in all that we do, dress included) is never rejected - on the contrary, people look for it and love it in others. However, being authentic is a vulnerability we need the power to assume.

The lack of Style we see around is not proof of the scarcity of this quality, but a proof of the limits people set to themselves. Being oneself is the hardest thing to do and the greatest achievement in life.

The power to be oneself is what we need. .... The free expression of authenticity in all that we do, dress included) is never rejected - on the contrary, people look for it and love it in others. .... On the other hand, some look for it and hate it as they will never have it. It takes confidence to dress for yourself and be an individual. If you exude genuine quiet unassuming confidence many who are insecure, will resent you. It’s not your clothes they are jealous of..it’s your confidence and ability to wear the clothes with ease. Genuine confidence is seductive to the ladies...at an unconscious level, other men will know this and will be envious of you and want to inhibit you. You will never stop this but you can be empowered by it. Take it as a compliment...as encouragement...you are on the right path...there’s plenty more where that came from. You are a strong signal in the universe so don’t get too fussed about the white noise around you.

When you are at peace with yourself, you cannot be at war with the world around you, so you take other people into account effortlessly, but without compromising your integrity. But this is a never-ending road, there is no destination, only getting better and better at it - and that's the beauty of it.

Yes , and you should be moving forward on that road...looking for new horizons and not startled by rustlings in the hedge.

As regards affectation, it is like an actor whose words do not ring true. It’s unmistakable to the point of hurting one’s eyes and ears. An affected man will be affected no matter what clothes he wears. For, like style, its contrary state, affectation has little to do with clothes. It is a disease that afflicts some men and is evident in all they do, all they hope to be and, ultimately, who they are.

One of the greatest modern affectations is the belief that all men must be the same. We may be created equal, but after that, all bet’s are off. Let the pressure to play to the lowest common denominator, a not too clever disguise for envy, roll like a bead of water off your DB's back.
Cheers
Michael Alden

The moment we stop worrying about how others perceive us and instead focus on being authentic and sincere - even in our originality - we project confidence and people surely like confidence and sincerity more than SB coats. Style may dress as it well pleases, it will never come across as wrong.

.................. But dress is supposed to be fun. The beauty of it is that you can choose. That means leaving out some things - for the time being. When you're ready for something, you will WANT to wear it. Why force it when it doesn't appeal to you naturally?

Of course, if it does not appeal to you naturally, then wearing it would be an affectation. But if you want to wear it...Get it on and get on with it ! Learning to be unaware of the white noise is a skill that must be practised so that it becomes an unconscious behaviour.

Before that extraordinary lady can be intrigued by you; curious about you; inflamed by you; desirous of you and finally, covetous of you, she has to be able to see you. So if you dress exactly like all the ordinaries, she will pass you by in a sweeping gaze that never fixes, that passes over the horizon of the ordinary, a never ending, flat Nebraska field. Dress is an extraordinary device. If you have the courage and Style to stand out from the crowd, she will notice it. Then, if you have a twinkle in your eye and the wit to make her laugh, you will pass as many deliriously extraordinary moments with her as you are able to imagine and desire.

This is one example and there are thousands more.

We all have the choice in life to be extraordinary or accept the fate of the ordinary.

Choose.

Cheers

Michael Alden

This says it all........ If you have the courage and style to stand out from the crowd and that is an unaffected genuine representation of your inner self...the true confidence that shines from your inner core, to which your clothes merely allude...she will be drawn to you and other men will flatter you by either identifying with you or resenting you, depending on which camp they’re from. That’s just the way it is. You don’t need to explain yourself to anyone.

[Costi]

A truly inspired post, Rowly. So much wisdom and truth in your words... That's the spirit and the substance of Style.
Style is faith in oneself and love for the World. If you love yourself instead, you will be too self-absorbed to be generous to others, be kind, bring a smile to their faces. If you put your faith in the world instead of yourself, you will be disappointed - it's hard to recover from that. Have faith in yourself, love the World as it is and you will exude Style. Faith, love - it's all from the heart, not the mind. The mind can only wonder at how great Style is, but is unable to generate it. Oh, that will help you dress well, too, of course!

One more thing about SB / DB: there is no generic SB or DB. There are great DB suits and terrible SB suits; and viceversa. The fact that few wear DB coats today says little about the DB cut and a lot about the group thinking and fashion-induced prejudice of many of our contemporaries.

[Gruto]

You don’t need to explain yourself to anyone.

Rowly, I think you, Costi and Michael are misunderstanding my "worries" about sporting a DB. You can almost wear whatever you want to wear. It is 2011. Just do it.

However, I think it is fair to to raise a question about the influence of fashion on the effect you create. The DB effect - and the style effect - will change, if lots of other people are wearing a DB. It is just the way it is. Clothing and dressing - and style - are relational, positions, whose value will change, when other positions change.

[rodes]

I would have to agree to what has been written above. For my own suit wearing days of perhaps 35 years,I never considered the DB coat. Yet I often admired the style on others and wondered if it could work for me. About two years ago,after consulting with this forum,I decided to give it a try. As the Scarecrow in Oz would say,"Rapture". I now trust,and others have said,that I actually look better in the DB vs. the SB. Perhaps this is so because I am tall and slim with less than ideal chest and shoulder. The DB coat seems quite natural for me and I just can't believe that I avoided it all this time.
Turning to the LL for even more guidance it is interesting to note the proportion of DB vs. SB in the wardrobes of my fellows. Since I own only one DB suit and stroller I suspect that my comissions over the next few years will favor this style. While I may not see as many of them on the street as I would like,at least there will more of them on me.

[rodes]

And following on what Gruto has keenly observed concerning the dynamic effect of style,who knows,perhaps we will even see more of them on the street just as we did in days of yore. That would be a welcome sight indeed.

[Costi]

Gruto, do you think you look good with a DB coat on?

[Gruto]

Gruto, do you think you look good with a DB coat on?

I think a DB suits my frame.

[rodes]

Costi, On May 27,2011 you wrote that "certain stripes particularly...just say DB to me." Could you kindly expound on this statement? Thankyou.

[Costi]

Gruto, do you think you look good with a DB coat on?

I think a DB suits my frame.

Not enough. You may think many things suit your frame, yet you may not like them or think that you actually look good in them. Moreover, DB suits fit any frame if they are cut well and worn well.
Of course, your confidence shouldn't rely on your clothes, but feeling that you look good in your clothes gives it a welcome boost that is perceived by those around you before they have the time to analyze what you are wearing and how fashionable it is.

But let's work with what we have: can / should THIS perception (that a DB suit suits your frame) change with the number of people wearing DB? Is it a statistical evaluation? The DB is still a current piece in the male wardrobe, it's not obsolete, so wearing one is not "costume" in any way.
I have never seen a fashion advertisement in which a lineup of 10 men, all ages and statures, wear the same clothes in the same way. I think it would be the most dissuading argument against fashion. Fashion works by promoting carefully studied individual images of models and mannequins that most times DO look good in their "fashionable" clothes. It is our own mistake to believe that we can all look like that if we wear the same clothes (because the advertisement sells clothes, doesn't it, not becoming the model in the picture); fashion doesn't even make that promise to us explicitly, we fool ourselves misinterpreting the message and we end up all wearing the same style of clothes or ignoring certain pieces altogether because we don't see them in fashion images (does that mean they cannot look good?). However, when fashion followers are confronted with a different kind of image that is not the current fashion paradigm but looks as good or better, they do like it! Moreover, they become keen to adopt it, again missing the fact that what they like on someone else (be it fashionable or not) does not necessarily look as good on themselves.
If the DB suit does suit your frame and if you feel that you wear it well, you will sooner launch a new fashion than be considered unfashionable.

[Costi]

Costi, On May 27,2011 you wrote that "certain stripes particularly...just say DB to me." Could you kindly expound on this statement? Thankyou.

Rodes, here is an example:

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[alden]

Costi

That looks like the new LL Brisa cloth coming to a tailor near you very soon!

Michael

[Bootsie]

Double breasted suits are less adaptable to modern use eg. car travel and tend to be ideal in winter or when a certain amount of gravitas and maturity needs to displayed / business / funerals and so forth.
I have only one Daks pure wool grey chalkstripe suit 6 x 2 and a Daks navy blue blazer also same button configuration. Both are a must for an Englishman in his mufti wardrobe.
The remainder are single breasted suits with a ticket pocket (slanted) whenever possible for additional style.