How Many Buttons Should Your Suit Have? Tailoring Experts Weigh In

Collage by Armando Zaragoza; photo courtesy of The Armoury

Shopping for a suit can feel like learning an entirely new language. You go in looking for a simple two-piece, and you wind up trying to decipher what “half-canvassed” means and wondering whether your jacket should have one vent or two. To help you navigate the ins and outs of the tailoring world, we’ll be exploring each individual aspect of a suit—from the fit to fabric to the pockets—with a little help from the most stylish experts in the sartorial space. Welcome to GQ’s Tailoring 101.

As with all matters of taste, there’s no single definition of what makes a beautiful suit. While there are a few generally agreed-upon rules for crafting a jacket’s shoulders to flatter your body and cutting a set of lapels in just the right proportions, the closer you zoom in on these and myriad other details, the more subjective things become. To whit: button configuration.

Ask five tailors what’s the best button configuration for your next suit and you’ll get as many (or more) different but no less decisive answers. Here are the ones you’re most likely to encounter:

• Two-button: The most common of the bunch these days and a versatile choice for suits and sport jackets alike.

• Single-button: This style was originally developed to be worn on horseback, but is now a go-to for anyone in search of a more rakish alternative to the standard two-button suit.

• Three-roll-two: A favorite among Ivy Leaguers and Neapolitan dandies alike, this two-button jacket has a third button hidden beneath the lapel roll.

• Three-button: This outlier has come in and out of fashion several times over the last century, from the mod suits of the ‘60s to the boxy looks of the ‘90s. That makes the three-button a tougher hang, sartorially speaking, and a less versatile choice than the ones above.

Double-breasted suits, meanwhile, come in as many flavors as Ben & Jerry’s albeit with much less clever names. Here, jacket styles are identified by an equation that indicates the total number of buttons (usually 2, 4 or 6) and the number of buttons that can be fastened (usually 1 or 2):

• 4x1: (which the Brits call a “button one, show two”), which features four buttons on the front in an upside-down trapezoid shape, and a single buttonhole.

• 6x1: A dandyish alternative to the four-by-one with a pair of extra buttons added at nipple height.

• 6x2: This style (as seen on Colin Firth in the Kingsmen movies) occupies a very classy middle ground between the 4x1 and the 6x1.

• There are also 4x2’s, 2x1’s, and a few more you’ll likely never encounter unless you’re into pre-20th-century military cosplay (shoutout to the 8x4 fam!)

Fortunately, whether you’re getting a suit made bespoke or picking one off the rack, there are a few essential styles that are a pretty sure bet to look good on most bodies and most occasions most of the time.

“I prefer a three-roll-two,” says Mark Cho, the co-founder of The Armoury in Hong Kong. “For a single-breasted jacket, the two-button configuration is probably what most people would know, and I like having that extra button there because it just gives the lapel a little bit more generosity in the roll and a little bit more volume.” If he’s getting a double-breasted jacket, Cho appreciates the elegance of the six-by-one (a preference he shares with Ralph Lauren) but for most people, he suggests the six-by-two. “If you’re new to double-breasted suits, I would say that’s where you want to start. The other ones are pretty esoteric, and the chances of you finding a good one ready-to-wear are low.”

On London’s Savile Row, Campbell Cary takes a different approach, favoring the more unusual (and quintessentially British) single-button jacket. “It's uncluttered, it's unfussy, and it's a really stylish look,” says Cary, the Creative Director and Head Cutter of H. Huntsman & Sons. Huntsman’s house style is a single-button jacket with a long lapel roll and slanted pockets whose cut is descended from the livery jackets the shop made for British aristocracy in the early 20th century, Cary explains. In addition to allowing for a better range of motion, the style draws your eye to the jacket’s narrowest point and makes your torso look longer (which is generally considered to be a good thing.) As the go-to tailor for elite clientele from Coco Chanel to Alan Cumming, Huntsman makes a strong case for giving the single-button look a shot. “Once you get your head around it, it’s very easy to wear,” Cary says.

The single-button suit may rule at Huntsman, but when it comes to tweed jackets, Cary appreciates the versatility of the three-roll-two. “You can still wear it as a one-button, but when it’s wintery and the weather turns, you can pop the collar and button the whole thing across. It’s very practical.”

If you’re interested in exploring double-breasted territory, Cary suggests holding off until you’ve already got a few nice single-breasted options in the rotation. “Double-breasted is suit number three or four in your wardrobe, because you always have to wear double-breasted buttoned, and that can be quite limiting,” he says. “Whereas a one-or two-button suit will always look great either buttoned up or just open with plain shirt collar with no tie.”

As for the three-button suit, Cary and Cho both appreciate the look, but advise proceeding with caution. “True three-buttons are a very 1960s British thing and they’re pretty rare these days,” Cho says. “I quite like them, but nobody's really asking for them.” Since a three-button jacket has a shorter lapel roll (the vertical fall of the lapel to the jacket’s topmost button) it can make you look shorter as a result, Cho explains. “You just get this much more cylindrical shape. Whereas there's a little more dynamism and a little bit more movement when you have that roll going lower.”

Despite the variance of opinion on which button configuration is best, five out of five tailors will agree that you never do up the bottom button of a single-breasted jacket, ever. “The adage is, “Always, sometimes, never,”” says Cary. “Always button the middle one, sometimes button the top and middle, but never button the bottom one.”

Originally Appeared on GQ

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