Suite with Vest

The shape of the front of the suit is particularly affected by the way the suit buttons. The two main cuts consist firstly of double-breasted suits, a conservative design with two vertical rows of buttons, spanned by a large overlap of the left and right sides.Usually double-breasted suits have one hole on each lapel (with a flower just on the lef). Double-breasted jackets usually have peaked lapels. Shawl lapels are a style derived from the Victorian informal evening wear, and as such are not normally seen on suit jackets except for dinner suits.In the 1980s, double-breasted suits with notched lapels were popular among the Power suit and the New Wave style.Double-breasted jackets have only half their outer buttons functional, as the second row is for display only, forcing them to come in pairs. Some rare jackets can have as few as two buttons.Six buttons are typical, with two to button; the last pair floats above the overlap. A four-button double-breasted jacket usually buttons in a square.The layout of the buttons and the shape of the lapel are co-ordinated in order to direct the eyes of an observer. For example, if the buttons are too low, or the lapel roll too pronounced, the eyes are drawn down from the face, and the waist appears larger.