Item Etiquette : Double Breasted Blazer


May 9th, 2010 Posted in Etiquette Read, General Style 98 Comments

JKISSI : The classic double-breasted blazer, many times considered formal, is a piece that in more recent times some brands have avoided like the plague. For this reason, I have stamped this particular style as one of my favorites should I ever come across one in a suit. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me randomly burst out with sartorial aspirations of possessing my own essential double-breasted suit. Some may have the sentiment of the DB blazer as being big and a tad bit too formal.   It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally feel like a well tailored double-breasted blazer adds some eloquence and personality to an outfit. With the current explosion of menswear we have the opportunity to dip our toes in various colors, textures and fabrics simultaneously, while in no way tainting the classic piece.

Joshua Kissi, Street Etiquette, Jcrew, Vintage , Thrift, mens style, Double breasted, Double breasted blazer, jcrew style, jcrew madras shirt, skinny jeans

Vintage DB Blazer – J.crew madras shirt – TM Jeans – Dexter Hand-sewn  – Vintage YSL Briefcase

Videography/Photography : Due to my own camera ( Canon Rebel XTI ) being out of commission presently, I called on a friend to help me with our new post , Adam Kerchman. A graduating photo/video student,  he pretty much sold me on my next camera purchase with everything from the photos to the video shot with a Canon 7d w/50 mm 1.4 lens . The video was an experimental project that I came up with to change the pace slightly, at the same time bringing life to still images with some personality. There’s a possibility that we may continue to incorporate visuals other than photos to accompany our post. A special thanks to blogger/friend James Jean, no stranger to this blog and one of our ‘Sewn From the Soul’ contributors, for making a brief cameo in the video. Check out his blog.

Location : New York City

Neighborhood : Tribeca

Fit Details : I scored this lovely 4-button double-row double-breasted blazer off the Internet. I knew I wanted a double breasted blazer but for the first time around wanted to stray away from the typical navy blue, 5 -6 gold button blazer I see so often. The double-breasted jacket is really known for its formality, but here I avoid any neck accessories/pocket squares to give it a more casual look, therefore putting my own spin on the jacket.   Ebay can be a mans best friend for thrifting if you have some semblance of patience, and it definitely delivered in this instance.

joshua kissi,jcrew,madras

A great image via LIFE Archives showing the double-breasted blazer being worn by a young gentleman in the 1930s. The blazer has its broad shoulders and overlapping lapels and, of course, one row of functional buttons with the rest being simply decorative.

My good friend  Antonio Centeno from A Tailored Suit and writer for Art of Manliness gives a nice run-down on the double-breasted jacket.

“The original double-breasted jacket has six buttons, with three to close. This originated from the naval reefer jacket. Because shorter men may find that six buttons overwhelms their shorter torso, a four or six button configuration in which only the bottom one fastens may be a better option. The four-button double-breasted jacket that buttons at the lower button is often called the “Kent”, after the man who made it popular – the Duke of Kent”

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