Why don't you button the bottom button of your jacket?

Riddle for attentiveness: what do the appearance of Vladimir Putin and Tom Hiddleston have in common? What about Eddie Murphy, TV presenter Dmitry Borisov and Stephen Fry? If you look at the photo of all of them in jackets, you will see that the bottom button is undone. All these public figures have completely different figures, which means that she was unbuttoned not because of inconvenience. Why?

Let's go back to history

There are two versions: the first is American and unconvincing, the second is English, much more reliable.

According to the American version, the manner of leaving the bottom button of a jacket undone appeared in the Wild West - so, they say, it is more convenient to quickly grab a Colt, equalizing the chances of a supporter of the law and a bandit. But there is no written evidence that famous outlaws like Jesse James and Johnny Ringo (or their gunfighter opponents like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok) wore the jacket this way. And it’s not surprising: how can you wear something that doesn’t exist yet?

English version ties the undone bottom button of his jacket to King Edward VII.

This British monarch had an extremely interesting relationship with fashion. In modern terms, he introduced new trends as if completely by accident - and since he was first the Prince of Wales and then the king, the court, understandably, imitated him. And the aristocracy imitated the court, and the middle class imitated the aristocracy... So much for fashion!

For the first time, not King Edward, but Prince Bertie became a trendsetter at a very young age: the heir to the throne had a suit made for a sailor in Her Majesty's Navy. Yes, the fashion for children's sailor suits came from here! The grown-up Prince Albert, later crowned Edward VII, was an extremely popular figure. It is clear why: he adored all the pleasures available to a British man and was an ardent admirer of beautiful ladies, delicious dinners, hunting, running and golf.

Here are some examples of how he introduced new trends into fashion:

• Having seen the deliberately perforated shoes of Irish cattlemen - brogues - Albert considered such well-ventilated shoes ideal for playing golf. And brogues with a cut-off toe in the shape of the letter W - the first in the word "Wales" - came into fashion. It was a hint at Albert's then title - Prince of Wales.
• He rolled up his trousers in the rain in London - and the courtiers did the same. London tailors began to make trousers with cuffs.
• As a hunting lover, he appreciated the convenience of hunting jackets that were made in Norfolk - and the Norfolk jacket became an indispensable part of the wardrobe of a self-respecting English gentleman.
• After visiting his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm, Albert Eduard bought a gray felt hat for hunting in Homburg - and the Homburg hat pretty much replaced the army of top hats and bowlers.

This is interesting!

By the way, the Prince of Wales also visited his other nephew, Nicholas II Romanov. There was a chance that the English lords would dress up in earflaps...

The love for gastronomic pleasures greatly affected the king’s waist - it reached a volume of 122 cm. Allegedly, that’s why he began to unbutton the bottom button on both his jacket and vest - otherwise they would simply fly off as soon as the corpulent monarch sat down. But... earlier photos show that he did this when he was not yet so heavy! Perhaps he intuitively felt that slight negligence looks more advantageous than tightly buttoned up solid decency...

An excellent explanation of the story of the bottom button was given by Queen Elizabeth II's tailor, the famous fashion designer Hardy Amies. Tracing the history of the British men's suit, he emphasized that the prototype of the modern single-breasted jacket (as part of a suit jacket) appeared in 1906. It was intended for everyday wear and was cut loosely enough so that the owner could indulge in the traditional activity of an English gentleman - horse riding. But the bottom button of the previous clothing for horsemen - a frock coat and a riding coat - was located above the waistline! Therefore, the lower jacket had to be unbuttoned when sitting in the saddle, so that the clothes did not wrinkle.

Why can't you fasten the bottom button on a jacket?

People born in the USSR probably remember an excellent book "Politeness for every day", written by a certain Pole Jan Kamyczek. We have republished it several times.In fact, “Jan Kamyczek” never existed in nature - but the famous Polish journalist, writer, artist and simply a very elegant woman, Janina Ipohorska, taught etiquette to Polish, and at the same time Soviet people, under one of her male pseudonyms. And she had it written that the bottom button of a jacket should never be buttoned.

But today nothing has changed. This has become the standard of modern etiquette.. Look at people whose appearance is their working tool: Hollywood actors. And find at least one with the bottom button of his jacket fastened! However, you can find only one: Gerard Butler once walked like this. But then he completely changed his image for the next film - obviously, he also got into character with the help of clothes.

Modern designers take this etiquette norm into account and often sew the bottom button in such a way that it is... impossible to fasten it!

There are also completely everyday reasons for “not fastening”.

If the jacket is buttoned with the bottom button:

• as soon as you sit down, it becomes deformed, “goes in waves”, it’s just ugly;
• it is inconvenient to use trouser pockets;
• if you raise your arms, your lapels will “behave” badly - they will wrinkle or bulge.

IMPORTANT: if you really want to be a “man in a case,” try to objectively assess your figure. A jacket buttoned from top to bottom looks decent only on thin and slender people (no larger than size 48 according to the Russian ruler). In other cases, you will resemble the Brilliant Comrade - aka Supreme Leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un - in his jacket.

When can you break this rule?

In two cases. If the jacket:

• on one single button, which is both lower and upper;
• double-breasted - otherwise the wide floors will “spread” unsightly, and you will have a disheveled look.

Women's jacket: does this rule apply?

It is believed not. And the cut of women's jackets traditionally differs from men's.

Let's look at the trends of modern fashion.

• On the site Armani houses we see current fitted women's jackets with one button fastened.
• In two collections Donatella Versace – spring-summer 2018 and autumn-winter 2018/2019, among the harlequin variegation and shiny leather, single-breasted black jackets with one and two small buttons were found; on the models they are unbuttoned, but, most likely, the two-button one can be buttoned on both, it will not lose its shape. There is also a double-breasted model and its obvious relative - a dress of the same type. They are buttoned up completely, however, the dress has such a neckline that hardly anyone will pay attention to the buttons.
• On show home Balenciaga autumn - winter 2018 its current creative director Demna Gvasalia presented women's fitted jackets. Double-breasted and buttoned completely (but men's double-breasted ones are buttoned from top to bottom, nothing unexpected).
• Briton Alexander McQueen in the fall-winter 2018/2019 collection he showed “shouldered”, sharply fitted women’s jackets. Double-breasted options are fully buttoned, single-breasted ones have only one buttoned button.
• Autumn-winter collection of the famous American Ralph Lauren demonstrated women's jackets with two buttons. The bottom one is unbuttoned.

    

So, the fastening of the “women’s version” depends entirely on the model.

Listen to the recommendations of stylists. How to fasten some models:

• fitted and cropped, with angular shoulders and - optionally - with a stand-up collar - from top to bottom;
• classic ones for everyday wear and an active lifestyle can not be fastened at all;
• shortened classics - with one button (they often have one).

About this tradition in different countries of the world

It is enough to look at the photos of today's politicians, heads of state and monarchs to see: “the bottom - never.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Norwegian King Harald V, Polish President Andrzej Duda - and even the King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn, aka Rama X (when he was a prince, he walked around in a cropped top, strongly reminiscent of an undergrown alcoholic T-shirt) - they all wear single-breasted jackets with the bottom button undone (if it is not the only one).

The joint photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in is very indicative: a jacket buttoned from top to bottom - and an excellent cut jacket with the bottom button undone... It’s difficult to live in North Korea!