Return of the double-breasted jacket

Despite an iffy reputation, double-breasted jackets are mounting a comeback, so take a tip from David Beckham and Prince Charles ]Posh boys guffawing at boating events, overweight scruffy politicians, nightclub bouncers and pinstriped bankers power-dressing in the 1980s: the double-breasted suit was always going to have its work cut out to stage a revival. But there are growing signs that the jacket style is quietly making its way back into fashion. The double-breasted jacket has an unlikely pair of celebrity ambassadors in Prince Charles and David Beckham. Charles, who has long favoured the look , has recently been parading around Morocco in one. Beckham, undoubtedly the most sartorially scrutinised male celebrity in the world, has also been photographed several times this year wearing double-breasted suits. In February, to attend a fashion week party in London, he sported a well-cut grey pinstripe six-button DB , styled with pocket-square, white shirt and tie. On red carpets in Hollywood, leading men have been early adopters: Jake Gyllenhaal wore a black Ferragamo tux for the Oscars while Ryan Gosling opted for a grey Gucci DB suit for a premiere. Experimenting with a DB a year ago, I felt like a quiz show host who had borrowed Joan Collins’s shoulder pads. But it was the catwalk, where the look has slowly been gaining visibility since 2008, that convinced me to try the look again – specifically the autumn/winter 2011 Lanvin show , where sleekly tailored DB jackets were shown with both lean and wide trousers. Jeremy Langmead, editor-in-chief of Mr Porter , warns that the DB is not a forgiving look, but the new crop of jackets are much improved from bulky 80s styles. “Fashion designers have made everything slimmer,” he says. “The jackets are cut shorter and that makes it feel younger and fresher. It really is all about the cut with a DB.” Stacey Smith, menswear buyer at Matches , advises: “The jacket should skim the body, not hug it. And to make sure the silhouette looks modern, the shoulders should be soft and tailored – not too sharp.” High-street design teams are tweaking the fit for a new generation. “To avoid the dad’s tuxedo connotation,” says John Mooney, head of menswear design at Asos , “we simplified the cut and used a single fastening to keep it

Posted by on April 13, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.