Double-breasted suits: 6×2, 4×2 and how to wear one
Updated September 2026 · Sam’s Menswear editorial team
A double-breasted jacket has two columns of buttons and a front that crosses over itself, so one side of the chest is covered twice. It is the most formal cut of lounge suit, and the one that most rewards a jacket made to measure, because the overlap exaggerates every inch that does not fit.
The first thing to understand is the name on the order: 6×2, 4×2, 6×1. The drawings below are the same navy suit on the Drawing Board, with only the buttons changed.
What 6×2 and 4×2 mean
The first number is how many buttons are on show. The second is how many of them can actually fasten, counted down the side that closes. So a 6×2 has six buttons in three rows of two, and fastens on two of them; a 4×2 has four buttons in two rows, and fastens on two. You will also see 6×1, where the lapels roll lower and only the bottom row fastens, and 2×1, a modern, minimal version with a single pair.
In practice you only ever fasten one: the button where the lapels end. The rest are there for the line.
The 6×2: the classic
A 6×2 is what most people picture when they hear “double-breasted”. The lapels roll down to the middle row, which is the one you fasten, and the top pair is set wider apart than the others, so the six buttons make a V that echoes the lapels and pulls the eye up and out toward the shoulders.
It is broad, formal and a little commanding. It suits a man who is tall or slim, and it is the natural choice in a chalkstripe or a pinstripe, where the line of buttons and the line of the stripe work together.
The 4×2: the cleaner one
A 4×2 drops the top pair. Four buttons in a square, the lapels rolling to the upper row, and the upper row is the one you fasten. With fewer buttons the front reads cleaner and a little more relaxed, closer to how double-breasted suits are often cut now.
It is the easier of the two to wear. On a shorter or broader man it keeps the front from looking crowded, and in a softer cloth, a flannel or a linen, it sits comfortably between formal and easy.
At a glance
| 6×2 | 4×2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Buttons on show | Six, in three rows | Four, in a square |
| You fasten | The middle row | The upper row |
| The look | Classic, broad, formal | Cleaner, more relaxed |
| Suits | Taller and slimmer men | Most builds, especially shorter or broader |
| Cloth | Worsteds, chalkstripes, pinstripes | Worsteds, flannels, linens |
How to wear one
- Keep it buttoned. A double-breasted jacket is designed to be closed; open, the two fronts flap and the whole cut falls apart. Undo it to sit down if you like, and fasten it again when you stand.
- Fasten the right button: the one where the lapels end, the middle row on a 6×2 and the upper row on a 4×2. The bottom row can stay open.
- Do up the inside button too. Behind the front there is a button that holds the underneath panel in place. Fastened, it keeps the overlap flat; left open, the jacket sags on one side.
- Let it fit closely. Buttoned, the front should lie flat across the chest with no pull into an X at the button. The overlap makes any spare cloth obvious, which is why double-breasted is the cut where made to measure shows most.
- Keep the rest simple. A plain shirt, a tie with some weight, and a pocket square if you like. The buttons are already doing a lot.
Which lapel
Peak lapels are traditional on a double-breasted jacket: their points balance the wide front and lead the eye back up to the shoulders. A notch lapel works, and reads quieter. A shawl collar belongs on a double-breasted dinner jacket, the evening version, and nowhere else. Notch, peak and shawl lapels goes through all three.
When to wear one
- The office: yes, in navy, grey or a chalkstripe, if your office wears suits at all. It is a strong look, so one in a rotation is plenty.
- Your wedding: a 6×2 with peak lapels is one of the most striking suits a groom can wear.
- A wedding guest: yes, as long as it does not outshine the groom’s suit.
- Black tie: a double-breasted dinner jacket, with peak lapels or a shawl collar, is fully correct.
- Casual: a 4×2 in linen or flannel, worn with an open collar, is the relaxed end of double-breasted.
Draw it first
On the Drawing Board you can set the jacket to double-breasted and switch between four and six buttons on the cloth you are actually considering, with any lapel, a waistcoat, and the shirt and tie you would wear: 6×2, 4×2, a chalkstripe 6×2. Send the drawing to Sam and the appointment starts from it.
Sam makes single- and double-breasted suits at his studio in Vaughan; one, two or three buttons covers the single-breasted side. A suit takes three to four weeks, with one fitting on the finished garment, or twelve days when it is urgent and the fabric is in. Custom suits has the rest.