Double Take

How a turn-of-the-century classic (and later the suit-of-choice of the New York mafia) is making a stellar fashion comeback

- Manish Mishra

It was Downton Abbey, set in the flapper ’20s, and Mad Men, shot against the backdrop of ’60s New York, that put double-breasted tailoring back on the sartorial map. The shows’ protagonists—Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham in his double-breasted tuxedos that he wore to the Abbey’s elegant dinners, and John Slattery as Roger Sterling in his business suits, which he sported with a rakish nonchalance at ad agency meetings—actually carried the narrative forward with what they wore. Tailored to perfection and radiating power, these were jackets that were bold and effortless, and could work just as well for a meeting as they could for a sit down dinner.

But these weren’t the only places where the double-breasted made strapping appearances. There was the aptly titled Suits, the 1920s gangster drama Peaky Blinders, and the British period series Mr Selfridge as well. It’s no wonder then that over the last few years, these shows have subtly influenced designers to take up the double breasted suit again.