• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Working button holes

Brian SD

Moderator
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Messages
9,492
Reaction score
128
What's on the bottom rack? Sportscoats?
Yes, my sportcoats are on the botton rack (and the bottom rack of any set of shelves on the other side of my dressing room). PS - I hope it wasn't my photos that caused the shutdown of this site for bandwidth problems. If so, who do I see to make a $ donation, lol. And, Mark, nice to identify a fellow LL member with a board name. Regards, Tom Hudson
Dont worry about the bandwith, unless you actually uploaded the pictures to 66.170.193.77 it had nothing to do with you
smile.gif
 

cuffthis

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
824
Reaction score
5
Dont worry about the bandwith, unless you actually uploaded the pictures to 66.170.193.77 it had nothing to do with you

Whew, off the hook. All pictures were uploaded to Image Shack. Guess I owe the folks at Image Shack a donation now.
 

imageWIS

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 19, 2004
Messages
19,716
Reaction score
106
(Manton @ Feb. 15 2005,16:51)
Originally Posted by NoVaguy,Feb. 15 2005,19:50
Did you just undo all of the bottom buttons just for this shot?
Please say "Yes".
I hope so. It's one of the most vulgar things I think you can do, in matters sartorial. It's akin to telling people how much you make, asking someone the cost of their co-op, etc.
Ah, no. Aside from the practical uses of workable buttons, there is a very good sartorial reason. The reason being that closed buttonholes are a sign of every RTW suit ever made. Every jacket inside a Men's Warehouse has closed buttonholes. Whereas, a jacket with hand-stitched working buttonholes adds a detail of not only elegance but also presences to the suit, which would normally not appear in another jacket. Hand stitched, working buttonholes are as important as lapel roll, gorge height, and every other detail which separates, say a RTW GAP jacket and a Kiton. Yes, anyone can have working buttonholes put on any old suit, even hand stitched ones, but it would not pair correctly with the rest of the suit. For, the working buttonhole is just part of what makes a high-quality sartorial jacket what it is. Thus, how else would one know if the jacket indeed has workable buttonholes if one of them is not left undone? Jon.
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
I can easily spot a working buttonhole, even when it's closed.  I don't think I could put it into words, but if I had two coats side by side, I could show you.

Nonetheless, attempting to put it into words: real buttonholes look "thicker" or more substantial (for reasons having to do with their innards); they also look slightly "crisper" and "cleaner" because fibers from the suit cloth tend to blend into non-working buttonholes, making the demarcation between cloth and hole a touch blurry, whereas on real buttonholes the demarcation is distinct; and finally, real buttonholes will usually gape open just a touch (at least one of them will) and that is a dead giveaway.
 

Phil

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2003
Messages
596
Reaction score
1
As far as dinner jackets with functional button holes, I assume someone might think to NOT have them functional because there would be no logical reason to ever having to undo them while wearing it. The true purpose of having working buttons is to undo them to work. One would never work in a dinner jacket, thus, why have working button holes? I have working buttonholes on mine, but then again, its a slight obsession of mine, and wouldnt think to own a jacket without real buttonholes.
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
There is no rule against working buttonholes on dinner jackets. All good tailors (except A&S, whose default position is no working buttonholes on anything) will put working buttonholes on a dinner jacket as a matter of course.
 

cuffthis

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
824
Reaction score
5
I closed my open buttonhole of my sport coat today in honor of this thread.

Did this mean I don't reek as much today?
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
Did this mean I don't reek as much today?
Don't worry about it. I am in the process of dialing down my vocabulary. I will let you know how it goes.
 

Kai

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Messages
3,137
Reaction score
806
"tacky" gets my vote
 

ernest

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2004
Messages
2,551
Reaction score
2
It is tacky and useless.

1) You have a bespoke suit
You do not need to open your sleeves to show it is a bespoke suit. People who notice the buttonhole should be able to see that the suit fits you very well.

2) You do not have a bespoke suit
Why trying to make people think your suit is bespoke? People will notice it is NOT.

The only reason to open and roll them could be because you are working in front of a PC and do not want to get used your sleeve against the table.

May be you could do the same when you are in a hot crowded subway and you want to make free your wrists to have some air.
 

Horace

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
1,437
Reaction score
1
(Horace @ Feb. 16 2005,01:20)
Originally Posted by Manton,Feb. 15 2005,16:51
Originally Posted by NoVaguy,Feb. 15 2005,19:50
Did you just undo all of the bottom buttons just for this shot?
Please say "Yes".

I hope so. Â It's one of the most vulgar things I think you can do, in matters sartorial. Â It's akin to telling people how much you make, asking someone the cost of their co-op, etc.
Ah, no. Aside from the practical uses of workable buttons, there is a very good sartorial reason. The reason being that closed buttonholes are a sign of every RTW suit ever made. Every jacket inside a Men's Warehouse has closed buttonholes. Whereas, a jacket with hand-stitched working buttonholes adds a detail of not only elegance but also presences to the suit, which would normally not appear in another jacket. Hand stitched, working buttonholes are as important as lapel roll, gorge height, and every other detail which separates, say a RTW GAP jacket and a Kiton. Yes, anyone can have working buttonholes put on any old suit, even hand stitched ones, but it would not pair correctly with the rest of the suit. For, the working buttonhole is just part of what makes a high-quality sartorial jacket what it is. Thus, how else would one know if the jacket indeed has workable buttonholes if one of them is not left undone? Jon.
Ah, no. Only the sartorially insecure need to distinguish themselves so blatantly from RTW wearers. Oh look at me, I have taste and money. Terribly noveau. Hand stitched button holes as important as lapel roll, gorge, etc? It's been too long since I looked at an LSAT, but this would make a great analogy question... Finally, who is "one" in your last sentence. I certainly hope that it isn't the wearer, for he should know. And doesn't need to remind himself by leaving his buttons undone.
 

Luc-Emmanuel

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Messages
1,580
Reaction score
17
It's very tacky. I never open them on a coat. I admit however doing it on top-coat, because it's easier to have a look at my watch. Anyway, my rules of "style" on that matter would be : if you are to unbutton them, unbutton the two first like Brad Pitt in Ocean's Eleven. And don't forget to wear french cuffs unfolded and without cufflinks to complete the look.
cool.gif
.luc
 

Gatsby

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2004
Messages
113
Reaction score
1
I've also had issues with the whole 'open working button-hole' idea. One of my bosses constantly wears his jacket sleeves with one or two of the buttons undone. The annoying part is that he is still considered 'very well dressed' in the office, despite commiting several sartorial faux pas IMO. Maybe I'm the only one who notices? Ironically I am starting to suspect that we might go to the same tailor, at least for shirts.. I saw him wearing a check-herringbone pattern fabric which I'm afraid I may have also selected in my last shirt order...with even the same collar (different cuffs though). I rue the day that we both end up in the office with the same shirt..
cry.gif
Anyhow, several months ago after getting my first MTM suit made, specifically with working buttonholes, I felt appalled that others were flaunting their own suits with such abandon. I have since consoled myself with this maxim: I dress only for myself. Perhaps the biggest violation when wearing clothes would be to "dress to impress", rather than as a form of self expression. I don't care that people don't notice my $600 C&J limited-edition handgrades, yet fawn over $300 Gucci loafers. That said, if opening your buttonholes is part of your own personal style, then so be it. But if it's simply to scream for attention, then sew them closed my friend.
 

demeis

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Messages
1,286
Reaction score
3
for me there is about a 1/8 to a 1/4 inch gap between the last buttons. SO i feel it would look better to leave it open so you don't see that.
 

ernest

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2004
Messages
2,551
Reaction score
2
And what about opening all?
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,161
Messages
10,579,016
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top