Here’s why you need to get one pronto
Menswear over the last couple of years has revolved around ‘smart casuals’. We totally get the hype: It’s easy and fun to wear while formal wear isn’t! We can’t LIVE in loungewear forever, now can we? NOPE. As more and more people are getting vaccinated, the end of our WFH days are near.
Fashion has been, is and always will be, cyclical—an endless churn of things that go out of trend and the things that keep coming back. The double-breasted suit remains an unimpeachable style power move! However, let’s be honest, how many of us have to show up at work dressed in a suit? In steps the double-breasted jacket—the top half—flying solo: Just right for those who aren’t ready for a full-blown DB suit!
In short, simply because you’ll look hot AF! The DB jacket is a style that flatters most men. It broadens your shoulders, cinches your waist and hides your belly. It’s figure-wrapping shape pins your shoulders back and helps with your posture. You’ll look taller, more confident and richer without doing much! What’s not to love? The DB jacket is usually cut shorter than a single-breasted jacket, and the higher buttoning can give the wearer a broader-looking, more sculptured shoulder line. The classic one comes with six buttons.
The jacket also has a peak lapel, which adds breadth by taking the standard, single-breasted lapel and extending it towards the shoulder, creating a strong, diagonal line down to the button fastening and adding further breadth to the figure you cut. This style makes ‘dressing up’ effortless. Sure, single-breasted may be the standard choice, but they simply AREN’T as versatile.
The modern double-breasted jacket doesn’t necessarily follow the classic silhouette. Tailoring trends of late, have leaned towards a looser silhouette, with more space to relax into. You can inject some personality into tailoring—through fabric choice and of course through colour like singer-actor Harry Styles in a cobalt blue bell-bottomed DB suit in an easy, flowy silhouette or by mixing up the cut of the jacket. A caveat: If you’re someone who’s vertically challenged, exercise caution—as the jacket is cropped, it won’t do much to elongate the body! Here are a few ways to ace this look….
▶ THE BACK-TO-BUSINESS LOOK
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Want to make an impression on your first day back in a boardroom (in real life and not virtual)? Suit up. DB jacket, pleated pants, crisp buttoned down white shirt and tie scream corporate armour done to perfection. Complete the look with a pair of Oxford shoes and a gold timepiece! Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan’s chocolate DB suit with a black shirt and a bow-tie is all things scrumptious!
EDITOR’S TIPS: Go for a slightly shorter jacket than the average single-breasted blazer and wide peak lapels that broaden your upper body for the ultimate power-dressing flex!
▶ SMART SEPARATES
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We get that suits can be a tad boring. So, play with separates to infuse your personal style into your OOTD. Tailored separates are pieces that aren’t part of the same suit and are made from different fabrics. They don’t even have to be tailored. Team the DB jacket with chinos and a polo shirt—which will perfectly work for a day of meetings and after hours drinks.
EDITOR’S TIPS: If your jacket is in a neutral shade, go for chinos in contrasting hues to make a statement. Finish the look with brogues (for dressing up) or a pair of low-top sneakers (for dressing down).
▶ FRIDAY DRESSING
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While it will never be as casual as a bomber jacket, it can undoubtedly be dressed down in fun ways. Look for a slightly looser fit, wear it unbuttoned and pick a style with fewer buttons (four or two) than the most traditional styles. Team a DB jacket with a pair of dark denims with a light-knit turtleneck like Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding—to instantly look debonair and channel ‘gentleman spy’!
EDITOR’S TIPS: Or you could wear one with some cropped pinstripe trousers or dark denims with a simple T-shirt and minimalist trainers or loafers.
Whatever your preferred style, the DB jacket will see you through—job interviews, date nights, boardroom and the festive season. Besides, in a post-pandemic world, the demand for ‘tailoring’ will witness a surge. Time to go shopping!
[Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Eva Pavithran
Vertical Head - Lifestyle