Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between Single Breasted and Double Breasted

The key difference between single breasted and double breasted is that the single breasted garments show only one row of buttons when fastened whereas the double breasted show two rows of buttons when fastened.

Single breasted and double breasted are two popular jacket/coat styles. The difference between them mainly stems from the lapel and rows of buttons at the front. However, this slight difference can make a huge difference to the overall appearance of a person.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What Does Single Breasted Mean
3. What Does Double Breasted Mean
4. Side by Side Comparison – Single Breasted vs Double Breasted in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What Does Single Breasted Mean?

Single breasted is a style you can observe in jackets or coats. Single breasted jackets have a narrow lapel. Most importantly, they only show one row of buttons when fastened. They typically have two or three buttons (some may have only one), and a notch lapel. See the image below for example.

You can use this style for either blazers or suit jackets. Single breasted blazers can be worn for formal occasions as well as with jeans. This style is also more popular than double breasted style.

What Does Double Breasted Mean?

Double breasted refers to a style having a substantial overlap of material at the front and showing two symmetrical rows of buttons when fastened. There might be two or three buttons one row, so that makes a total of either four or six buttons. In most modern double breasted garments, only one row of buttons is functional. The other is purely decorative. The following image will help you to understand the difference between single breasted and double breasted.

Figure 02: Single Breasted vs Double Breasted Jackets

Although double breasted jackets were once very popular, they are not as common as single breasted jackets in today’s fashion world. Double breasted jackets are usually worn for very formal occasions. So, they are not a good style for blazers or sports jackets.

What is the Difference Between Single Breasted and Double Breasted

Single breasted refers to a style having a narrow lapel and showing only one row of buttons whereas double breasted refers to a style having a substantial overlap of material at the front and showing two symmetrical rows of buttons when fastened. Thus, the main difference between single breasted and double breasted is their lapel and buttons. Moreover, single breasted garments are more popular than double breasted garments. This is because single breasted jackets can create a formal as well as a casual look whereas double breasted jackets create a very formal look.

The below infographic presents the difference between single breasted and double breasted in tabular form.

Summary – Single Breasted vs Double Breasted

Single breasted and double breasted are two jacket or coat styles. Single breasted refers to a style having a narrow lapel and showing only one row of buttons whereas double breasted refers to a style having a substantial overlap of material at the front and showing two symmetrical rows of buttons when fastened. This is the difference between single breasted and double breasted.

Image Courtesy:

1.”937481″ by mentatdgt (CC0) via Pexels
2.”Single-Double-Breasted”By  Arbapp (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia