Rahul Khanna: The bottom button jacket rule

Let loose The second button in a suit should always be undone, I’m told

Let loose

Is there a rule when it comes to leaving buttons open in a jacket for men?

The second button in a suit should always be undone, I’m told. But then, why is it there? (It also helps me hide my paunch a bit!)

—Atul K, Mumbai

Legend has it, the custom of keeping the bottom button on suits undone originated with King Edward VII, whose jackets couldn’t contain his royal girth. His sycophantic courtiers adopted this trend and, what, today, is a universally accepted sartorial practice, was born.

It’s called the “Sometimes, Always, Never” rule. On a three-button jacket the top button is sometimes buttoned, the middle, always and the bottom button, never. On a two-button jacket, you should always fasten the top button and never the second.

The bottom button on a waistcoat is never fastened.

Suits are now tailored keeping this in mind, so fastening the bottom button just projects ignorance, makes the jacket fit too tight and will ultimately accentuate the very paunch you’re trying to conceal.

If you’re determined to be a rebel, this isn’t the hill to die on. Instead, devote yourself to peacefully overturning systematic injustice and commit to a new fitness and diet regimen to tackle that belly.

Rahul Khanna is a “boutique actor”, whose sartorial statements and good looks often send hearts aflutter. He goes by @mrkhanna on Instagram

From HT Brunch, March 7, 2021

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