a definition on jackets

[Twa_Corbies]

Exelent point! How many buttons should a good quality kilt jacket, as opposed to a low quality jacket, have? (Both the closure and the sleeves.)

Obviously sewing only one button on a cuff and one on the front of a jacket is cutting corners, since it requires less effort (and therefore a bit less cost) than sewing two or three buttons and buttonholes. I think at a minimum a jacket should have at least two buttons on the front and three on the cuff - regardless of whether or not it is a braemar, an argyll or a plain-cut jacket.

[The Wizard of BC]

The number of buttons on the front closure or on the sleeve has nothing to do with rules but is simply a matter of style.

There are, and have, been styles of jackets with one, two, three, and many more buttons on the front.

The number of buttons on the cuff is a little bit more regimented but still a matter of style.
Many Bespoke Tailors maintain that the only "proper" number of buttons on the cuff is four. They also maintain that the buttons should be in actual button holes and really work. My Bespoke suits have this feature but I have never seen an off-the-rack suit with it.

I chose three buttons on my Jackets more as a symbol that they are Made-to-Measure versus Custom or Bespoke. Plus, I like that style.

By the way, a three button front closure Jacket is only buttoned with the middle button. A two button Jacket is buttoned with both. A one Button Jacket is usually designed not to be buttoned at all.

[Ancienne Alliance]

Brilliant !

Thank You for sharing these photos and infos.


Best,

Robert

[Bugbear]

The number of buttons on the front closure or on the sleeve has nothing to do with rules but is simply a matter of style.

There are, and have, been styles of jackets with one, two, three, and many more buttons on the front.

The number of buttons on the cuff is a little bit more regimented but still a matter of style.
Many Bespoke Tailors maintain that the only "proper" number of buttons on the cuff is four. They also maintain that the buttons should be in actual button holes and really work. My Bespoke suits have this feature but I have never seen an off-the-rack suit with it.

I chose three buttons on my Jackets more as a symbol that they are Made-to-Measure versus Custom or Bespoke. Plus, I like that style.

By the way, a three button front closure Jacket is only buttoned with the middle button. A two button Jacket is buttoned with both. A one Button Jacket is usually designed not to be buttoned at all.

Good point about the funtional buttons on a bespoke jacket. I always end up having to alter the sleeve length on off the rack jackets; very complecated if there are buttonholes on the cuff...

So there are good quality, one button, kilt jackets? Will most people not assume that a kilt jacket is of low quality if they only see one button?

It's hard for me to know these things, but these are the questions that go through my mind when I see statements of quality or low quality.

* I need to clarify that last statement. After the quality of the single button jackets was called into question, I began to wonder about the quality. Before that, I thought nothing of it in relation to the buttons. *

[Bugbear]

All right, I have thought about it and done a little reading here and there.

I do not think a single button jacket, like an Argyle or any other kilt jacket, is low quality just because it has only one closure button. Many of these jackets are ment to be left unbuttoned and worn with a waistcoat.

I do not believe that it is cutting corners to only have one button on a jacket. Cutting corners on a jacket is something like not putting good interfacing etc, and not using reasonably good material, or not lining it.

The single button closure is only a style and has nothing what so ever to do with the quality of the jacket, in my opinion. If I could look at someone's kilt jacket, I would not judge it's quality by the number of buttons on the sleeve or closure.

Frankly, I like the single button closure on a kilt jacket, and I would rather have one, good hand sewn buttonhole than two or three machine sewn buttonholes; that is a mark of high quality.

But, to each their own, we all have different tastes. I have no problem with anyone who prefers two or three buttons... because their just buttons.

[Friday]

Ah my mind is racing in circles every time I come back to here and read more. More and more information such a wealth of knowledge. Difference in style (in this case the number of button on the front of the jacket) does not necessarily indicate quality. It is probable that lower quality may have fewer button as a cost cutting factor, but a high quality bespoke jacket may have only one button as a matter of style.

I was also foolishly under the impression that bespoke and made to measure were interchangeable. Before I put my foot once more into the mouth I went out to check, oh foolish me. I found and interesting bit of information at "English Cut, thomas mahon, bespoke savile row tailor, london."

This is intended to be a general comment and not a comment on the quality of any item available by any of the vendors that support this site.

See if I can paraphrase the different type of jacket constructions, see the above article for more detail.

Off-the-rack or Off-the-peg - Machine made to a generic pattern for a generic size. Every size 40 R will be the same size as every other 40 R in that pattern

Made-to-measure machine made and takes a generic pattern similar to the off the rack and make some modification to the customers measurements.

Hand-Made-off-the-rack or off-the-peg - hand made but still using a generic or standardized pattern not custom measurement.

Bespoke - Hand made to your measurements using a large number of measurements compared to made-to-measure.

It could be said that the quality of the garment increases as you go down the list and this would not be an unfair statement. I doubt you could compare the fit and feel of a bespoke jacket to fit and feel of an off-the-rack jacket. But at my age by the time I could save up for a $3,000 - to $4,000 dollar bespoke jacket I would be one good looking corpus.

As an alternative the article suggests that a jacket in a slightly larger size be purchased and have the fit adjusted by a local tailor. From what little experience I have here find a tailor and talk to them before purchasing the Off-the-rack jacket for their comments.

[Bugbear]

Ya, bespoke involves a bit more than just measurements.

Sometimes you can buy an off the peg jacket and tinker with it. Maybe fit the waist a little better and things like that. I have a jacket now that I am thinking about converting, and it needs some kind of interfacing in the upper sleeves... lightweight fleece or something like that. I'm not too picky.

It's funny though, people can train themselves to spot things, like a not-perfectly-fitted jacket, then it drives them nuts because they will notice them everywhere. I try not to worry too much.