Seeing double: the new season’s most useful suit jacket

If you’re looking to add a bit of swag and stature, a double breasted blazer is just the thing. Worn as a full suit, a double-breasted look adds gravitas and feels instantly pulled together. But its usefulness doesn’t stop there. Keep the look feeling modern by following the lead from the runways, where the DBJ was styled not as part of a suit, but thrown over the top of a casual dressed-down outfit. It was spotted on the catwalk at Amiri in a heavy tweed worn with metallic trousers and a printed shirt, while at Dries van Noten it came oversized in a light lilac. Wales Bonner’s camel version sported matt gold buttons and was worn with jeans – see also Gant’s preppy styling over a hoodie with denim and trainers (7, below).
It’s a hit with celebrities, too. Twisters star Glen Powell chose a green double-breasted suit for the LA premiere. Naturally, DB himself (Mr Beckham) is a fan of the style, opting for a brown check version for a recent photocall with King Charles (also a loyal advocate of the cut).
Given its heritage, you can find excellent vintage DBJs if you spend time scrolling websites or stores. This is the pre-winter jacket that you can layer later in the season under a trenchcoat or oversized wool coat. Tiger of Sweden’s full suit (10) in a deep claret shade and Moss’s dark brown flannel (4) and cord options (both £149), are winter winners. The high street has a great selection, too, including Reiss’s navy knitted style (6) that works with double denim or Mango’s successful collaboration with Boglioli (5) which brings the Italian tailoring maestro to the high street.
1. Taupe £109, zara.com
2. Dark green £84, next.co.uk
3. Cord £170, johnlewis.com
4. Flannel £149, moss.co.uk
5. Brown £339.99, Mango x Boglioli (mango.com)
6. Knitted £188, reiss.com
7. Blue £500, gant.com
8. Khaki £95, Topman (asos.com)
9. Grey £259, percivalclo.com
10. Full suit £798, tigerofsweden.com