Suit button rules: which buttons to fasten

Suit jacket button rules at a glance

On a single breasted jacket, the buttons you fasten are the ones at or above your natural waist, and the bottom button stays open. That gives you three everyday cases. A one button jacket is fastened when you stand. A two button jacket is fastened at the top button only. A three button jacket follows the old phrase sometimes, always, never: the top button is optional, the middle is always fastened, and the bottom is never fastened.

Two more rules cover most situations. Unbutton a single breasted jacket when you sit down, and fasten it again when you stand, for example to greet someone or walk to the front of a room. A double breasted jacket is different: it is designed to stay closed, standing and usually seated, with its inside anchor button fastened too. These are conventions of classic American and British tailoring, repeated by most menswear guides, and they apply equally to suit jackets, blazers and sport coats.

Why the bottom button stays open

Look at the front edges of a modern single breasted jacket below the lowest button. They curve away from each other toward the hem. Tailors call these the quarters, and they are cut open on purpose so the jacket can flare over your hips and move when you walk or sit. The fastening button sits at your natural waist, the narrowest point, and holds the jacket against your body there.

If you fasten the bottom button as well, you pull those curved fronts together across the widest part of your hips. The fabric strains, creases fan out from the button, the vents spread open and the jacket rides up when you move. It also makes sitting uncomfortable. The bottom button is there mostly to balance the front visually, not to be used.

You will often hear that the habit started with King Edward VII, who is said to have left the lowest button of his waistcoat undone as his waist grew, with others following. It is a popular story, retold widely, but the more useful explanation is the cut described above. It also tells you where the rule stops: the rare jacket cut straight across at the hem, like some older or unusual designs, may be meant to close fully. When in doubt, fasten the button at your waist and see whether the fronts below hang cleanly.

Which button to button on a 2 button suit

On a two button suit, fasten the top button and leave the bottom one open. That is the entire 2 button suit rule. The top button sits at or just above your natural waist, which is where the jacket is shaped to close, and it creates the V of shirt and tie that makes the suit look right.

Do you button both buttons on a suit? Not on a modern two button jacket. Fastening both pulls the hem closed over your hips, and fastening only the bottom one makes the lapels collapse and the jacket look slumped. If the top button pulls into an X of creases when you fasten it, the problem is fit, not buttoning, and our guide to how a suit should fit explains what to check.

Three button suits: sometimes, always, never

A three button jacket has its middle button at the waist, so that one is always fastened. The top button is the sometimes: fasten it along with the middle if the lapel lies flat and the top buttonhole is clearly meant to be used, or leave it open if you prefer a longer V. The bottom button is never fastened, for the reasons above.

Many three button jackets are cut so the lapel rolls over the top button and hides or nearly hides it. This is called a three roll two, and it is common on traditional American jackets. Treat it like a two button jacket: fasten the middle button only and let the lapel roll naturally. Forcing the top button closed on a three roll two flattens the lapel and leaves a crease across it.

If you are choosing between a 3 button suit vs 2 button suit, the button count is mostly a matter of proportion. A three button jacket shows less shirt and tie and tends to suit taller frames and more traditional settings. A two button jacket has a deeper V, which tends to lengthen the torso and is the more common modern choice.

Double breasted suits: keep them closed

A double breasted suit has two overlapping front panels and two columns of buttons. Only some of the buttons work; the rest are there for symmetry. Unlike a single breasted jacket, it is meant to be worn fastened almost all the time, because when it is open the wide panels flap loosely and look untidy.

On the most common style, six buttons with two that fasten, close the working button at your waist, which is usually the middle button of the outer row. The traditional approach fastens the lower working button as well, while many people now leave the bottom button open for a cleaner V; either is correct if the jacket was cut for it. Inside the jacket there is usually a hidden button, sometimes called the anchor or jigger button, that holds the underneath panel in place. Fasten it, or the inside panel will droop and pull the front out of line.

Double breasted jackets usually stay fastened when you sit, too, since that is what keeps them neat. If one is tight enough across the stomach that it pulls when you sit, you can open it, but that is a hint to have the waist looked at.

Sitting down, waistcoats and tuxedos

When you sit in a single breasted jacket, unbutton it. A fastened jacket bunches at the chest, pulls at the button and wrinkles the fabric, and the open jacket falls to the sides naturally. Fasten it again as you stand. In an interview, that simple motion when you rise to shake hands is one of the details people notice without knowing why.

A three piece suit changes the picture slightly. With a waistcoat underneath, many men leave the jacket open entirely, since the waistcoat already provides the clean line. The waistcoat itself, as our guide to wearing a waistcoat explains, traditionally has its bottom button left open, as long as it is cut with points at the hem. For evening wear the conventions differ: a one button tuxedo jacket is usually fastened when standing, while formal evening waistcoats are often cut to close fully. Our guides to the difference between a suit and a tuxedo and the black tie dress code cover evening clothes in more detail.

Overcoats are the practical exception to all of this. They are made for warmth, so fasten as many buttons as you need, and leave the bottom open only if you want more room to stride.