How to Button a Suit: Fundamental Wisdom for All Men

Nothing looks less grown-up than improper suit buttoning. Maintain the respect of others by knowing how to button a suit on every occasion.

You’ve done it. You’ve invested in your absolutely perfect suit. Perhaps you were saving up money for your ideal forever suit. Maybe you were on a fitness journey and wanted to hit your goal before you paid top dollar for the best tailor in town.

With the right tie, it’s going to look perfect on you. That is unless you button it incorrectly.

Or, perhaps you just never wear tailoring. You have a formal event coming up and found a great budget suit. You tried it on, and you know it’s flattering and it’ll serve you exactly the way you need it to. But you don’t know how to button it up.

This should be straightforward. And once you know the ins and outs of suit buttoning, it is. The devil is in the details, though. So whether you’re wearing a two-button or three-button, looking at double-breasted suit jackets or single-breasted variants, here those details are!

Suit Buttoning 101: The Button Rules

These days, the proper way to button a suit is more of an aesthetic tradition leftover from past lifestyles. Here are the universal, tried-and-true suit button rules. They include single-breasted suit jackets for both two-button and three-button suits, followed by double-breasted suits.

Single-Breast, Two-Button Suits: Just the Top

Just do the top button of your two-button suit jacket. Think of the bottom button as a vestigial organ. There’s absolutely no reason to button it, and it’s a major faux pas that really does make you look like you were born yesterday.

A second-best option is simply not buttoning your jacket up at all. If you want to look more casual, perhaps you’re even tieless, you can opt for this approach.

In fact, when you’re sitting or bending over, it’s both convenient and proper etiquette to undo your top button. Besides, there are few things less dapper than a man standing up from a dinner table and confidently refastening his top suit button jacket.

When it doubt, though, just button the top and call it a day.

Why Just the Top Button?

The quick answer is that Edward VII, otherwise known as King of England at the turn of the 20th century, wore it that way. Some say that this explanation, otherwise known as the Edwardian Theory, is a myth.

However, that he wore his suit jacket this way isn’t actually a myth at all. At least, not according to most fashion historians. 

The part of the story that may or may not be true is why Edward VII started unfastening his bottom jacket buttons. 

When he was the Prince of Wales, he was a far cry from the goji-berry-loving, spirulina-matcha-smoothie-making Prince of Wales of the current era. Historians claim Edward VII ate porridge, curried eggs, grilled cutlets, hot chocolate, sardines, bread, butter, and honey for breakfast every morning.

All that to say, he was too fat to fully button his waistcoat and jacket. Out of respect, the rest of the court did the same. The rest is history — or legend.

Single-Breast, Three-Button Suits: Never the Bottom

With a three-button suit jacket, you’re only required to fasten the middle button. If you want a flowier look, you can keep the top button undone. If you’re going for a more together aesthetic, keep that top guy buttoned.

Like the two-button suit, you must never fasten the bottom third button from the top.

This rule is referred to as “sometimes, always, never,” or sometimes the top, always the middle, never the bottom.

Why Never the Bottom?

The three-button suit jacket was the original single-breasted jacket, which came out in 1906. This new lounge suit, as it was called, was meant for casual wear and even some sports.

Soon enough, it started to replace riding jacket coats. By keeping the bottom button of the suit jacket unfastened, this loose-cut piece of outerwear would be less in the way when a polo player mounted and sat on his pony.

Even more, Edward VII (yes, him again) believed that the jacket looked better this way when the equestrian was holding the reins. His preference was to keep the top button undone, so if you want to emulate this trend-setter fully, go for this sportier, looser approach.

And if you find you start to emulate his eating habits, too, may I direct you to some of our fitness-oriented posts?

Double-Breasted Suits: More Buttons, More Room for Options

Traditionally, just as you would with its single-breasted cousin, you’ll leave the bottom button closest to the edge of a double-breasted suit jacket unfastened. Since the top buttons of a 6×2 suit aren’t fully buttonable, this means you’d only fasten the singular row of two middle buttons.

However, this rule is more lax for DB suits. You can button the bottom button, but it’s more typical not to.

By leaving the bottom undone, you have more room and mobility. With a properly tailored suit, this wouldn’t be at the cost of the sleek silhouette and classy fit.

By the way, if you want to know whether or not we men of modest height can even wear double-breasted suits, we have a guide. Check it out when you’re done here!

Traditionally, a man would never wear a DB suit unbuttoned, even when sitting down. I’d still recommend adhering to this rule, but you can get away with going unbuttoned, depending on what message you’re trying to convey.

As I mentioned, there’s more room for rule-breaking with double-breasted suit jackets. This is likely because the double-breasted suit has been associated with every subculture and fashion genre. Think about it. It’s been worn by zoot suit party animals, royals, and mobsters.

Modern iterations of the DB suit were originally designed in the 19th century for British aristocrats as a piece of sportswear. Inspired by the naval reefer jacket, the Prince of Wales in the 1920s and ‘30s, Edward VIII, helped popularize the look. He himself was in the British Navy.

This fashion icon would often be seen going back and forth between buttoning the bottom buttons and leaving them loose. Even today, Charles III, the current king, tends to keep the bottom buttons completely fastened.

Very few would tell His Majesty he’s doing it wrong. And heck, it’s not as if it looks wrong anyway because it doesn’t change the silhouette the way fully buttoning a two-button, single-breasted jacket would.

Even if you fastened just the bottoms for a fashion-forward irreverence, it at least looks intentional. Certain double-breasted jackets made for ladies are even designed to be worn this way to accommodate their chest area.

Still, most tailors design suit jackets and waistcoats so that they sit more flatteringly on your body with that bottom button undone.

FAQ

Still, have questions regarding the etiquette of suit buttoning? No problem. Here are the most common ones, with quick, distilled answers!

Why Don’t You Button the Bottom Button on a Suit?

It’s been done that way since Edward VII popularized it. When suit jackets started to replace riding jackets, keeping the bottom button undone made mounting and riding easier. These days, it’s more of an aesthetic tradition, but it does allow for more mobility.

Do You Button Both Buttons on a Suit for a Wedding?

No, you never button the bottom button of a single-breasted suit. Most suit jackets and waistcoats are tailored to sit more flatteringly with that button undone. 

With a double-breasted jacket, keeping the bottom button closest to the edge unfastened is traditional, but you’re welcome; there’s more leeway to break this tradition within this design.

What Is the Difference Between One-Button and Two-Button Suits?

A one-button suit is simply one that does away with the unused bottom button. It’s a cleaner, more modern style of suit jacket.

Conclusion: Long-Standing Traditions

Though I myself am a traditionalist, I’m supportive of those who want to try trends.

However, since suits are inherently rooted in tradition, I think it’s important to respect that.

The most important thing to know about the traditional ways to button a suit is that it’s the most intentional looking. Suiting is the epitome of purposeful fashion.

Do you prefer two-button or three-button suit jackets? Double-breasted or single? I’d love to know your preferences! Let us know in the comments!