High vs Low button stance

[Rugger]

I was recently getting a lot of SCs tailored. Upon trying them on for him he noted that the higher stanced of the bunch look better on me because I have a larger chest(literally). Apparently the higher button allows for the fabric/lapels to contour to the inner side of my pecs as opposed to going right across the middle and stretching a bit.

Does that make any sort of sense?

On top of that, what is the current style consensus on higher versus low stance? I've been reading some of the older(5+ years) threads and some of them said the higher stance is more contemporary. What's the style today? I just bought a higher stance suit so I am curious.

 

[NORE]

I tend to see much older suits with extremely low stances. Of course, this will vary by maker.

 

[Dewey]

whatever looks good on you. potbellied older guys need a lower stance. conservative suits will be lower. suits for slim guys in slim fit can be higher RTW. if you got it you flaunt it i guess. sounds like your tailor is making sense.

there has been a lot of slim fit RTW in the last decade. it does not look so good on slumpy older men. and i think brooks's madison cut has stayed medium low

maybe there's not one stance now but more choices available in RTW

 

[Rugger]

What would you guys classify the suit depicted above as?

 

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by Rugger

I was recently getting a lot of SCs tailored. Upon trying them on for him he noted that the higher stanced of the bunch look better on me because I have a larger chest(literally). Apparently the higher button allows for the fabric/lapels to contour to the inner side of my pecs as opposed to going right across the middle and stretching a bit.

Does that make any sort of sense?

If it means what I think, it is a very good observation.

SF generally advocates for a fairly low button stance (the equivalent of a one-button jacket), the justification being that it makes the wearer look taller. I have what I think is the same problem as you- I have a fairly large chest relative to the rest of my body, i.e. the torso, and when I wear my low-button stance jacket, the lapels/fabric just kind of 'dangle' off of my chest all the way down to the waist, making me look like a slouch with no muscle definition, or like I'm wearing a robe. What I think I want is a jacket with a more 'sculpted' chest and more fitted torso, which I believe is done with more ironwork and strategically shaping the canvassing beneath the wool. If I could get the torso-down area of my jacket to hug my torso and hips more, my chest would naturally stand out better, like it does when I'm wearing a well-fitting sweater or something. Whether or not a high button stance facilitates that I don't know.

The ideal torso for me is like the one below, I especially like how its fitted and sculpted beneath the chest without the feminine, lateral waist suppression we mostly see.

 

[NORE]

Timeless. Doesn't look too extreme either way.

 

[Dewey]

^high? med high? you can eyeball the distance between the pockets

prolly depends on who is wearing it

and how long it is

 

[BLU8]

Personally, I prefer a lower button stance, as it allows you to show off more of your shirt & tie. I feel it looks more elegant. Ideally, I'd like the buttoning point of a suit to be just above my navel.

 

[SpooPoker]

Id wear that SC in a second. Without the breast lapel flap.

 

[KP23]

Originally Posted by SpooPoker

Id wear that SC in a second. Without the breast lapel flap.
I dig that one as is.....

 

[sartorialism]

That's a great SC; generally, I go for the low stance.

 

[MyOtherLife]

Originally Posted by Dewey

whatever looks good on you.

+1

 

[Matt S]

Originally Posted by Svenn

If it means what I think, it is a very good observation.

SF generally advocates for a fairly low button stance (the equivalent of a one-button jacket), the justification being that it makes the wearer look taller.

Traditionally a one-button jacket has the button in the same place as the top button of a 2-button jacket and middle-button of a 3-button jacket. The jacket pictured above has the button in the ideal location, which is lower than what is popular today. To some people it might look too low, but that is due to the jacket being slightly on the shorter side. The button is at the waist, which seems like the natural place it should be. It accentuates the waist and serves as the ideal balance point.

 

[JayJay]

^^^A coat I'd wear, gladly.

 

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by Matt S

The button is at the waist, which seems like the natural place it should be. It accentuates the waist and serves as the ideal balance point.

Is the 'waist' just the narrowest point of the torso?

There's something very subtle about that jacket that I think attracts so many admirers... I wish a tailor would be able to comment. The model himself doesn't seem to that magnificent of a build, so we can't attribute it merely to that...I thinks it's something about how the jacket 'sucks in' around the torso after coming off a strong chest, I especially note how the lapels still hug his torso fairly snugly all the way down to the buttoning point (mine levitate out through that last area).