Suit jacket

[3] The 1870s saw the birth of the suit, which at first was met with great skepticism and viewed primarily as leisure wear.

[4] In particular, which came into fashion in the late 1870s, a suit in a large plaid with rolled to the knee pants.

[11] Double-breasted jackets have only half their outer buttons functional, as the second row is for display only, forcing them to come in pairs.

[12] 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.

The 1930s and 1970s featured exceptionally wide lapels, whereas during the late 1950s and most of the 1960s suits with very narrow lapels—often only about an inch wide—were in fashion.

[18] The patch pocket is, with its single extra piece of cloth sewn directly onto the front of the jacket, a sporting option, sometimes seen on summer linen suits, or other informal styles.

[19] Suit jackets in all styles typically have three or four buttons on each cuff, which are often purely decorative (the sleeve is usually sewn closed and cannot be unbuttoned to open).

[21] A "cuffed sleeve" has an extra length of fabric folded back over the arm, or some piping or stitching above the buttons to allude to the edge of a cuff.

This was popular in the Edwardian era, as a feature of formalwear such as frock coats carried over to informal wear, but is now rare.

Ventless jackets are associated with Italian tailoring, while the double-vented style is typically British.