Fall Fashion 2011: Double Breasted Swag

It used to be that wearing a suit to work was an act of submission, of following a code. But today it's more like an act of aggression — that in a world in which suiting up is increasingly seen as optional, wearing a suit, much less one of the new breed of slim-cut double-breasted suits, brands you a maverick. The DB suit is swagger incarnate.


Finding the Right Suit
The beef most have had with old-school DB suits is that all the extra cloth can make even the fittest guy look kind of beefy. To prevent the undue appearance of extra pounds, look for wools (or wool-silk blends) in the ten-to-fourteen-ounce range. When in doubt, it's always better to go light than heavy.

Details, Details, Details
There are all kinds of configurations for the buttons on a DB jacket, and for our money, the six-on-two (i.e., pretty much all the suits pictured here) is the most versatile and flattering. Also: There is a time for a notch lapel in a man's style arsenal, and the DB suit ain't it. Look for peak lapels that provide some angles (and some attitude) to the proceedings.