What Is a Herringbone Suit?

What Is a Herringbone Suit?

When shopping for a new suit, you come across herringbone suits. Herringbone is one of the most popular styles of men's suits. You can find both single-breasted and double-breasted men's suits available in the herringbone style. What is a herringbone suit exactly, and why should you choose this style over an alternative style?

Herringbone Suits Defined

Herringbone suits are characterized by a tile-based pattern consisting of many rectangles or parallelograms. The rectangles or parallelograms are typically thin. And in many cases, they are arranged in alternating columns. The tiles may run diagonally from the top left to the bottom right in one column. In the adjacent column, the tiles may run diagonally run from the bottom left to the top right. Herringbone suits typically feature multiple columns of these tiles, which alternative to create a unique style.

The term "herringbone" is derived from the fish of its namesake. Herrings are fish that thrive in the temperature oceanic waters. The bones of herrings, of course, feature a similar appearance as the herringbone pattern.

Herringbone suits are characterized by a similar pattern as that of the bones of a herring. They feature multiple tiles in rectangular or parallelogram shapes. The tiles are typically arranged in columns, which alternate in direction from one column to the next.

The Beauty of a Herringbone Suit

Many men prefer herringbone suits because of their stylish and attractive appearance. Herringbone suits are undoubtedly stylish. They offer a classic appearance that's versatile and easy to match. Regardless of the occasion, you can't go wrong with a herringbone suit.

When viewed from afar, herringbone suits may look like they have a single color. Inspecting a herringbone suit up close, however, will reveal multiple colors. Most herringbone suits have two colors. They have a primary color, and they have a secondary color.

Herringbone suits conceal wrinkles better than most other suits. They can still develop wrinkles. If you leave a herringbone suit jacket or pair of trousers creased for a prolonged period, the respective garment may develop wrinkles. Fortunately, wrinkles are less noticeable on herringbone suits than other types of suits. Their tile-based pattern naturally conceals wrinkles while creating the illusion of a smoother texture. If you're tired of constantly discovering wrinkles on your suit jacket or trousers, you may want to upgrade to a herringbone suit.

In addition to concealing wrinkles, herringbone suits can conceal stains. Stains, of course, are more than a nuisance. If your suit jacket or trousers develop a stain, it can draw attention away from your entire outfit while projecting a messy and unkempt appearance. Stains are less visible on herringbone suits than on other types of suits, though. This is due to the fact that herringbone suits feature tiles in multiple colors -- typically two colors -- which helps to conceal stains.

How to Choose a Herringbone Suit: What You Should Know

While all herringbone suits feature a herringbone pattern consisting of multiple tiles in different colors, not all of them are the same. If you're going to buy a herringbone suit, you'll need to choose the right one.

As previously mentioned, there are single-breasted and double-breasted herringbone suits. Single- and double-breasted refers specifically to the jacket style. Single-breasted herringbone suit jackets have a single column of buttons on the front, resulting in a narrow band of overlapping fabric when the front is closed. Double-breasted herringbone suit jackets have two columns of buttons on the front, resulting in a wider band of overlapping fabric when the front is closed.

The number of buttons a herringbone suit jacket has may vary as well. Because they have twice as many columns of buttons, double-breasted herringbone suit jackets usually have more buttons than single-breasted herringbone suit jackets. Nonetheless, the total number of buttons they have can vary. Some herringbone suit jackets have just two buttons per column, whereas others have three or four buttons per column. You'll need to consider the buttons when choosing a herringbone suit.

Above the buttons on a herringbone suit jacket are the lapels. Lapels are folds of fabrics found around the neckline and breast area of a suit jacket. Virtually all types of suit jackets have lapels -- and herringbone suit jackets are no exception. With that said, there's no universal lapel style that's used for all suit jackets. You can find herringbone suit jackets in several different lapel styles, some of which include notched, peaked and shawl.

Something else to consider when choosing a herringbone suit jacket is the vents. Vents are slits found in the back of a suit jacket. They were originally designed for horse jockeys. While riding a horse, jockeys wore jackets with vents. The presence of vents allowed the jackets to sit to the sides rather than bunching up in the back. You can still find herringbone and other types of suit jackets with vents.

You can't choose the perfect herringbone suit without considering the size. The size, in fact, is arguably one of the most important things to consider when choosing a herringbone suit. If it doesn't fit, you may struggle to wear it. Herringbone suits that are too big or too small can cause discomfort. Of course, they won't offer a stylish and attractive appearance if they don't fit, either.

How do you know what size to choose exactly? While you can always try on herringbone suits in different sizes, an easier solution is to order a custom-sized herringbone suit. Herringbone suits are available in generic and custom sizes. Generic sizes are traditional, fixed sizes that are created by the manufacturer. Custom sizes, on the other hand, are customized using your body measurements.

You can order a custom-sized herringbone suit here at StudioSuits. We offer a wide variety of custom-sized suits, including herringbone. With a custom-sized herringbone suit, you can rest assured knowing that it will fit. You can enter your body measurements when ordering it. Upon receiving your measurements, we'll use them to design a custom-sized herringbone suit in your specific size.