The short answer
Fasten a two-button jacket at the top button and never the bottom one. On a three-button jacket, fasten the middle always, the top sometimes and the bottom never. Fasten a one-button jacket when standing. On a three-roll-two, fasten only the middle. On a double-breasted jacket, fasten the working buttons and the inside anchor button. Unbutton single-breasted jackets when you sit.
- Two-button: top always, bottom never.
- Three-button: middle always, top sometimes, bottom never.
- Three-roll-two: the middle button only; the top one sits on the lapel roll.
- One-button: fasten it when standing.
- Double-breasted: the working button or buttons and the inside anchor button; it usually stays fastened when you sit.
- Unbutton a single-breasted jacket as you sit and fasten it again when you stand.
In this guide
- Which buttons do you fasten on a suit jacket?
- How to button a suit jacket, step by step
- Why don't you button the bottom button?
- Should you unbutton your jacket when sitting down?
- How do you button a two-button suit?
- How do you button a three-button suit?
- What is a three-roll-two, and how do you button it?
- How do you button a one-button jacket?
- How do you button a double-breasted suit?
- Waistcoats, overcoats and other exceptions
- When should you fasten your jacket?
- What a good tailor checks
- Questions people ask
How to button a suit jacket is one of the few questions in menswear with a fixed answer. The rules are not etiquette for its own sake: a jacket is cut to close at one point, and fastening it anywhere else makes it pull, bunch or hang badly. Learn the rule for each style below and you will never need to think about it again.
Which buttons do you fasten on a suit jacket?
You fasten the button at your waist and leave the bottom button undone. Which button that is depends on the style of jacket. The table gives the rule for each.
| Jacket | Fasten | Leave open | When you sit |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-button | The button, when standing | Nothing else to leave | Unbutton |
| Two-button | The top button | The bottom button, always | Unbutton |
| Three-button | The middle always; the top sometimes | The bottom button, always | Unbutton |
| Three-roll-two | The middle button | The top button on the lapel roll, and the bottom | Unbutton |
| Double-breasted | The working button or buttons, usually with the inside anchor button | The decorative buttons | Usually stays fastened |
| Waistcoat (vest) | Every button but the last | The bottom button | Stays fastened |
How to button a suit jacket, step by step
Buttoning a single-breasted jacket
- 1
Identify the style
Count the buttons on the front. If there are three, look at the top one: if it sits on the turned-back part of the lapel rather than on the flat front, the jacket is a three-roll-two.
- 2
Stand up straight
Fasten a jacket standing, with your shoulders relaxed. Buttoning while seated pulls the front out of line.
- 3
Fasten the waist button
Do up the waist button, which should sit at or just above your navel: the only button on a one-button jacket, the top button on a two-button jacket, the middle button on a three-button or three-roll-two.
Tip: If the waist button sits well below your navel, the jacket may be too long or cut for a different build.
- 4
Decide on the top button of a three-button jacket
On a true three-button jacket, fasten the top button too if the lapel lies flat above it and you want a closed, formal look. Leave it open for a softer look. On a three-roll-two, never fasten it.
- 5
Leave the bottom button open
Leave the lowest button undone on every single-breasted jacket with two or more buttons. The quarters below it are cut to curve away.
Tip: Fastening the bottom button pulls the front into a fold across your hips. If the jacket only looks right with it fastened, it was cut badly.
- 6
Check the front
In a mirror, the front should lie flat, the lapels should roll cleanly to the fastened button, and there should be no X-shaped creases pulling around it.
- 7
Unbutton to sit, fasten to stand
Undo the jacket as you sit down and fasten it again as you stand up. With practice it becomes one movement.
Why don't you button the bottom button?
Because the jacket is cut not to be fastened there. Below the waist button, the front edges of a single-breasted jacket, called the quarters, curve away from each other so the jacket can open over your hips and move when you walk and sit. Fastening the bottom button forces those curved edges together, which pulls the fabric into a fold across your hips and spoils the line of the skirt.
There is also a popular story that King Edward VII, a large man, left the bottom button of his waistcoat undone and that fashionable society copied him. It is often repeated and impossible to prove. The practical reason is enough: modern jackets are designed around the convention, so following it is how they look their best.
Should you unbutton your jacket when sitting down?
Yes, if it is single-breasted. When you sit, your waist and hips widen and the front of the jacket rides up, so a fastened jacket strains at the button, creases across the front and bunches at the collar. Unbuttoning lets the jacket fall open naturally. Fasten it again when you stand, especially when you are greeting someone or about to speak.
A double-breasted jacket is the exception. It usually stays fastened when you sit, because its wide front panels fall loose and bunch when open. A well-cut double-breasted jacket has room to sit comfortably while fastened.
How do you button a two-button suit?
Fasten the top button and never the bottom one. The top button of a two-button jacket is the waist button, and the lapels roll down to it. The two-button jacket is the most common style, which is why "top, never the bottom" is the rule most men need. Our guide to one, two and three-button suits explains why the two-button jacket suits most builds.
How do you button a three-button suit?
Fasten the middle button always, the top button sometimes and the bottom button never. The middle button is the waist button. Whether to fasten the top one depends on the jacket and on the look you want: if the lapel lies flat down to the top button, fastening it gives a closed, formal front; leaving it open gives a softer, longer V. Either is correct on a true three-button jacket.
What is a three-roll-two, and how do you button it?
Three-roll-two
A three-roll-two is a jacket with three buttons whose lapel rolls past the top button down to the middle one, so the top button and its buttonhole sit on the turned-back lapel. It looks like a two-button jacket with a longer, softer lapel.
Fasten the middle button only. The top button is there by design but is not meant to be used: fastening it would flatten the lapel roll. The bottom button is left open, as on any single-breasted jacket. The three-roll-two is the classic front of the American sack suit and of many soft Italian jackets.
How do you button a one-button jacket?
Fasten the single button when you stand and undo it when you sit. Most dinner jackets are one-button, as are some fashion-led suits. With only one button there is no bottom-button question, so the only rule is standing versus sitting. At a black tie event, keep the dinner jacket fastened whenever you are standing; our guide to black tie covers the rest of the dress code.
How do you button a double-breasted suit?
Fasten the working button or buttons, usually including the inside anchor button, and leave the jacket fastened when you sit. Only some of a double-breasted jacket's buttons fasten; the rest are decorative. The anchor, or jigger, button inside holds the underneath panel flat.
| Configuration | What to fasten |
|---|---|
| 6x2 (six buttons, two can fasten) | The middle-row working button; the lowest is optional |
| 4x2 (four buttons, two can fasten) | The upper working button; the lower is optional |
| 6x1 (six buttons, one fastens) | The single working button, on the bottom row |
| 4x1 (four buttons, one fastens) | The single working button, on the bottom row |
| All configurations | The inside anchor button, to hold the underneath panel |
Never fasten the decorative top row of a 6x2. Our guide to how to wear a double-breasted suit explains each configuration and how it changes the look.
Waistcoats, overcoats and other exceptions
The bottom-button rule belongs to suit jackets and waistcoats. Other garments follow their own cut.
- Waistcoat (vest): fasten every button except the bottom one on most single-breasted waistcoats, which are cut with the bottom points angled away. Some waistcoats with a straight hem are made to fasten fully. Our guide to wearing a waistcoat covers the details.
- Blazers and sport coats: the same rules as suit jackets. They are worn open more often, because they are less formal.
- Dinner jacket: usually one button, fastened when standing.
- Overcoats: most are cut to be fastened fully, bottom button included, because they need to keep out the weather.
When should you fasten your jacket?
Fasten your jacket whenever you stand in a formal or business setting: walking into a meeting, greeting someone, speaking, standing for a photograph, at a ceremony. Unbutton it when you sit. In relaxed settings, a single-breasted jacket or sport coat can be worn open while standing; a double-breasted jacket should stay fastened.
What a good tailor checks
Buttoning rules only work if the jacket is cut for them. At a fitting, a good tailor checks that:
- The waist button sits at or just above your navel, close to your natural waist.
- The jacket closes at that button without strain, with no X-shaped pull lines.
- The lapels roll cleanly down to the fastened button.
- The quarters curve away below the button so the bottom one is clearly meant to stay open.
- The jacket hangs well open, as well as fastened, if it is single-breasted.
- A double-breasted jacket sits comfortably fastened when you are seated.
Buttons are one of many named details on a jacket; our guide to the parts of a suit jacket covers the rest, and how a suit jacket should fit shows what to look for around the button.
Questions people ask
Why do you not button the bottom button of a suit?
Because the jacket is cut not to be fastened there. The front edges below the waist button curve away so the jacket can open over your hips; fastening the bottom button pulls them together and creases the front. A popular story credits King Edward VII with starting the habit, but it cannot be verified.
Should you unbutton your jacket when sitting down?
Yes, if it is single-breasted. Unbuttoning stops the front straining and creasing as you sit. A double-breasted jacket usually stays fastened, because its wide front panels bunch when open.
How do you button a 3-button suit?
Fasten the middle button always, the top button sometimes and the bottom button never. If the jacket is a three-roll-two, where the top button sits on the lapel roll, fasten only the middle button.
How do you button a double-breasted suit?
Fasten the working button at your waist and the inside anchor button. On a 6x2 that is the middle row and the lowest button is optional; on a 6x1 or 4x1 it is the single working button on the bottom row. Keep it fastened when you sit.
Can you fasten both buttons on a two-button suit?
No. The bottom button of a two-button jacket is cut to stay open, and fastening it pulls the front into a fold across your hips. Fasten the top button only.
Is it OK to wear a suit jacket unbuttoned?
Yes, when you are sitting and in relaxed settings. In formal or business situations, fasten a single-breasted jacket when you stand, especially when greeting people or speaking. A double-breasted jacket should stay fastened.
Should you button the bottom button of a waistcoat?
No, on most single-breasted waistcoats the bottom button stays undone, because the points are cut to angle away. A few waistcoats with a straight hem are made to fasten fully.
Do blazers and sport coats follow the same buttoning rules?
Yes. Fasten the top button of a two-button blazer and never the bottom, and follow the same three-button and double-breasted rules. Because they are less formal, blazers and sport coats are more often worn open.
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