Double-breasted jacket: a garment with an irresistible charm. Find out how to wear it

The double-breasted jacket is a traditional garment that is usually worn for special occasions. However, it could give a certain elegant touch to an informal look, too.

 

It is a fact: the double-breasted jacket is par excellence the garment that best embodies the sartorial aplomb. And it has a little extra, too: it looks good even on not exactly slender people. It is so “fancy” to cross successfully decades of fashions, trends and styles: it appears in the Thirties, when Clarke Gable wore, with sophisticated nonchalance, a flawless Prince of Wales suit; it went through the years and in the eighties became trendy with the iconic shoulder pads.

What has never changed is that the double-breasted jacket has always been an elegant garment, to be worn for special, or at least more formal, occasions. From pinstripe to check, from Prince of Wales to houndstooth, every masculine motif has been used to create double-breasted jackets to suit all tastes. What changes from culture to culture is the use of this garment according to the dressing code: so if Italians wear it for events and weddings, in the Anglo-Saxon countries, it is part of the business attire. And then, there are the royals, the British ones, maybe the strongest supporters of the double-breasted jacket, so that they seem to have been born with this garment on.

But what are the origins of this jacket?

Surely, it defines its origins in military clothing, as one of the components of German and Austrian Hussars uniforms: the double closure provided a tighter fitting to the bust and greater freedom of movement. Just some fabric more, which represented a further protection for the body. So, from that moment on, double-breasted jackets and coats took over the military clothing across the world. From nation to nation, all the armies have worn this garment, with some differences in colours and decorations, but always keeping its structure.

So today, what is the modern interpretation of the double-breasted jacket?

Definitely, the sport-leisure blazer version, a trend since leisure has been accredited. The traditional pea coat, with metal buttons, turns to a lighter beige and goes well with jogging pants with elastic ankles, putting aside the classic and formal idea of the double-breasted suit.

 

This “no time attitude” total look has the same “casual fancy” inspiration with a hint of British style. It combines a formal Prince of Wales double-breasted jacket with casual velvet chino pants. A celebration of fabrics, perceptions and elements that live in harmony between tradition and innovation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not the least, the classic trench coat relives the splendour of the ’70s: double-breasted and in velvet, with a belt to tighten the waist. Perfect for intellectuals and creative people who are not afraid to dare. Neither with fabrics, nor with colours.

In short? Two well-aligned rows of buttons can give birth to many identities.