And I mean it.

The number of button on gentlemen suit has little or nothing to do with the degree of suit formality.  It also has nothing to do with the function appropriate. That goes without saying that there are certain “number of button” rules that you need to follow when you are ordering suit for black tie occasion.

Polo Ralph Lauren 3 Button Charcoal Suit (courtesy of www.ralphlauren.com)

The tendency, or should I say trend, in Indonesia, is for people to wear three-button suits regardless their physical shape and profile.  I kind of suspect, that the reason three-button are very popular are because of the common perception that three-button are more formal than the two-button.  And whilst it is comfortable to presumed so, the truth is, three-button and two-button are just equally as formal, and equally proper for almost all occasions.

Three-button suits are created for those who are tall and lean. The distance between the buttoned buttons (which are the two most upper buttons) helps press and drape the clothes on you body, which is beautiful if you are lean. In return, if you are fat, or chubby, or chunky, or beefy, or big boned (or which ever terms that you are comfortable with), it accentuate your curve, especially those  that you actually want to hide.

Other reasons, why three-button suits are for tall people is the length of the lapel. You will notice that three-button suit has shorter lapel, hence shorten the overall impression of the suit, and helps create a proportional image for tall men. For this reason, some experts recommend that three-button suit should only be used by a men taller than 6 feet (180cm-ish).

Short man, or fat man, need an impression of tall and lean. And for this reason two-button suit are very suitable. The lower upper button of the two-button is usually buttoned on the most upper button only, slightly above the waist, hence draping the clothes on the leaner part of your torso, creating a silhouette than flattered your figure.

Ralph Lauren Anthony Wool Gabardine Suit (courtesy of www.ralphlauren.com)

The lower upper button also means longer lapel, creating long V shape that stretch from your neck to your waist. And for those who familiar with visual perception will acknowledge, that any vertical lines that run along your clothes will help you looks slimmer, which is exactly what this lapel do. It helps if you opted for narrower lapel too.

One may argue that the choice between three-buttons and two-button, is a matter of taste and trend.  Well, it might be so, but  we need to bear in mind, that what ever clothes that we decided to wear, should at first flattered your figure then second follows the trend, and not the other way around.

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