Buttons on jacket sleeves

Have you ever wondered why men's jackets have buttons on the sleeves? The buttons are there for the traditional reason that in the past men wore jackets while working, and when working, the sleeves were rolled up. Hence the saying - roll up your sleeves. The cuffs of the shirt also have buttons for the same reason. The buttons had to be opened to roll up the sleeves.

Then why did you have to roll up your sleeves? At that time, washing clothes was laborious and inconvenient, so clothes were protected by rolling up the sleeves. In addition, the coats were modeled after the current loose coat and no separate work overalls were known. The man always wore a jacket, even when working. Buttons are therefore a sign of tradition.

Why is the buttonhole on the sleeve not "authentic"?

Sometimes you hear it said that in high-quality jackets the buttonholes are made through, and in less high-quality the buttonholes are only shown by the stitching. On the ready-to-wear side, however, there is a clear reason why button holes should not be made through: Once the holes are made, it is practically impossible to move the buttons. When the position of the buttons cannot be moved, it may become impossible to shorten the sleeves without the cuff buttons being in a strange position.

Reykjavik District buttons are sewn without holes. If necessary, these buttons can be moved when shortening or lengthening the sleeve.

- "This solution was self-evident, because we want to leave the possibility of lengthening and shortening the sleeve.", Olly Lindal from Reykjavik says.

 Reykjavik District also leaves fabric on the cuffs so that they can be easily extended. In most Italian brands, the fabric is cut off and lengthening is no longer possible.

- "We have also noticed that the Italians cut the fabrics in the hidden parts of the sleeve, which makes shortening difficult. We leave the fabric uncut, which enables easier lengthening of the sleeve.", Olly says.

Reykjavik District jackets have models with handmade buttons. The fabrics that can be found in the buttons are also found in other details of the jacket. Great detail then!

Number of buttons

The rule is that the more formal the jacket, the more buttons and vice versa. Usually the most formal number is four buttons, like the cuff of the suit jacket above. However, you can often see five buttons on loose jackets in the Reykjavik District. A stylish detail according to Olly Lindal. Loose jackets, i.e. blazers with two buttons on the cuffs, are often unlined. These then represent a more relaxed style line. The number of buttons on the sleeves also applies well to outer jackets.

So is the perforated cuff buttonholes a sign of quality? I would say here that it is more reasonable to leave holes where the dresser can modify the garment. But if you're going to roll up the sleeves, check that the holes are correct and also make sure the sleeve slit isn't sewn shut anyway :)