https://twitter.com/dieworkwear/status/1785119600079933742
Let me show you something.
The buttoning point is the topmost button on a two-button coat or the center button on a three-button coat. It serves as the coat’s visual fulcrum, determines the narrowest part of a jacket, and is where the lapels bloom.
Here, we see Jackson has a very muscular figure. The V-shape formed by his broad shoulders and narrow waist is even more extreme than the Statue of David.
Muscular men on here often tell me that they like tight suits because they want to show off their figure. So how can it be that Jackson and his compatriot here look so rounded? Lost is the V-shaped figure that Jackson supposedly wants to show.
The answer lies in the cut of the jacket. Jackson and his friend are wearing very short jackets. The classic length is something that bifurcates you about halfway from your collar to the floor when you’re wearing heeled shoes. Their jackets are about 2" or 3" too short.
When you shorten the jacket, you have to raise the buttoning point to keep a proper distance from the buttoning point to the hem. Otherwise, the bottommost button will look weirdly close to the hem. But raising the buttoning point creates a rounder silhouette.
Look at these short Thom Browne suits on football stars Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic, and Rafinha. We can assume they all have V-shaped torsos (Statue of David-esque) because they’re professional football players. Yet, the suits make them look anything but.
By contrast, I assume that Mariano Rubinacci, head of the bespoke tailoring house Rubinacci, does not have Jackson’s figure. Yet, his suit results in that V-shape better because the jacket
- is longer
- has a lower buttoning point
For that V-shaped figure, the buttoning point should be placed at the narrowest part of your torso. That’s at the very least, if not just a touch lower to elongate the lapel. This, of course, requires a longer jacket.
For a double-breasted, I think you should go even lower. This creates an even longer, sweeping lapel line and the most flattering V-shape through the jacket’s front edge.
As I’ve noted in other threads, not all clothing has to conform to ideals about gendered forms. Outfits can be concealing, unflattering, or even disfiguring. Fashion is more than making men into David and women into Venus. Sometimes, stuff just looks cool! See Comme des Garçons.
But it’s worth paying attention to how clothes create shapes. This is more useful than thinking, “Short jackets and slim pants are trending now, so I have to wear that.”
