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Ventless jackets - dated?

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#21 ·
Possibly? But plenty of men wore single vented suits in the 1920s.
 
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#22 ·
Ventless is useless. So ideal for formal wear since "uselessness" in business or sport is what it's all about. I think "dated" is about as silly as "timeless." Usually "dated" means "unfashionable" unless one's talking about one of Louis XIV's outfits in a full-length portrait. Although, I'd say nothing will look less "timeless" and more "dated" in five years than Thom Browne & his circle.
 
#24 ·
Pale_Male said:
Ventless is useless. So ideal for formal wear since "uselessness" in business or sport is what it's all about. I think "dated" is about as silly as "timeless." Usually "dated" means "unfashionable" unless one's talking about one of Louis XIV's outfits in a full-length portrait. Although, I'd say nothing will look less "timeless" and more "dated" in five years than Thom Browne & his circle.
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No one even pays attention to Thom Browne anymore.
 
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#25 · (Edited)
Fashion makes some things look 'dated', but in the case of vents (or lack thereof), all three styles mentioned have enjoyed periods of popularity (or lack thereof), so none can truly be nailed down to a particular decade, place or tailor. For those well informed (I.e. not me!), the style or length of the vents present can be just as informative as the style chosen; it's not like 'all English/American/Italian suits made during the '70s/'80s/'90s have...'.

For me personally, the English style that I like and identify with has double vents; I find these most comfortable, but have all three. I think ventless is a good look for a dinner jacket (though I have one with double vents), but beyond that it doesn't bother me all that much.
 
#28 ·
In defence of the much-reviled centre vent, it has its uses. Particularly, its relaxed look works well on sport jackets and suits with a more casual look i.e. linen, cotton, the American natural shoulder 3/2 sack, etc. It must also be said that a hooked vent is superior to a regular vent since the widened overlap helps keep one's bum covered. I've developed a preference for double vents on most everything else (ventless is still preferred on dinner jackets of course), but there's nothing wrong with them on the aforementioned suits and sport coats either.
 
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#29 ·
Jovan, I agree with you on the hooked vent. I like it a lot. It catches that early 60's vibe for me perfectly. I have several sportcoats in which I have shortened the vent to somewhere between 5 and 7 inches. Take a look at Desi Arnaz's jackets on the orig. I Love Lucy. The center vent was not deep at all. Same for the 50's ear suits Perry Mason wore.
 
#30 ·
Jovan said:
In defence of the much-reviled centre vent, it has its uses. Particularly, its relaxed look works well on sport jackets and suits with a more casual look i.e. linen, cotton, the American natural shoulder 3/2 sack, etc. It must also be said that a hooked vent is superior to a regular vent since the widened overlap helps keep one's bum covered. I've developed a preference for double vents on most everything else (ventless is still preferred on dinner jackets of course), but there's nothing wrong with them on the aforementioned suits and sport coats either.
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Agreed. As evidence that this really is a matter of preference, just look at the J. Crew catalog (I know, hardly the end all be all, but roll with me here) and the cotton chino suit offerings. They offer the same suit with both a single and double vented jacket, at the same price, meaning that for such a suit there are clearly enough people who have a strong preference for one vs. the other. They don't even offer the option of pleats vs. no pleats on trousers, which is, as far as I'm concerned, an even more divisive issue.
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Hello Bjorn,

I'm 5'7" with a 32 inch waist and roughly a ten inch drop. The OTR jacket that seem to fit best, though virtually all need waist suppression, are 40S or 42S, depending upon the maker. I recently picked a Lauren by Ralph Lauren at a thrift sale that was labeled 40S and fit to my liking without tailoring.

Being a bit "vertically-challenged," I need to be very careful about jacket length and fit. Total jacket length, from the top of the collar to the hem, cannot be over 31 inches. I have an older Evan Picone sports coat and suit that measure 30 inches - as does the Ralph Lauren mentioned - and this is very good. Up to 31 inches is acceptable, but over 31 makes my legs look too short, and it's amazing what a single inch can do, good or bad!

In addition, I have broad shoulders for my height, so without waist suppression, I look like a cube. In fact, I think even the sides of the jacket from the waist down need to be brought in just a bit, so I don't look like I'm wearing a skirt, and to add any slimming effect possible. I've found that ventless jackets seem to do this by the way they're cut. Right now, I have a navy blazer, and a classic button stance double-breasted navy blazer, both ventless. The rest of my sports coats and suits are either single or double vented, and as long as the silhouette looks right to me, don't have a huge preference either way.

Just wasn't sure if there was a consensus on the ventless jackets - and there seems to be a range of opinion - so thought I'd ask.

Thank you again to you, and everyone else for all your help!

Bjorn said:
Vents are a matter of preference, IMO. What's your build?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
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#35 ·
Jovan said:
In defence of the much-reviled centre vent,
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Not reviled by me. I don't wear a double vent, it reminds me of a dress, especially when your hands are in your pocket. Single vent only for me..

The 60's and 70's were double vent heaven. Then within a few years you couldn't find a double vent. Now single is hard to find. Fashion just sways in the wind.
 
#36 ·
Single is hard to find? I think you're exaggerating. You can walk into any department store and find centre vents aplenty. If you're talking only about fashion brands then yes, it is harder to find.
 
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#37 ·
Jovan said:
Single is hard to find? I think you're exaggerating. You can walk into any department store and find centre vents aplenty. If you're talking only about fashion brands then yes, it is harder to find.
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And Brooks Brothers still has plenty. The fashion brands never really went for the single vent. I America before 2005-2006 when double vents became popular again, the fashion brands were still doing no vent and the traditional suits had the single vents. The traditional suits (if you can still find one) still have single vents and the fashion suits have double vents. Whilst 10 years ago it was easy to find a traditional suit, they have become rare today. Even BB has changed their Madison fit to be more fashionable.
 
#38 ·
MaxBuck said:
Venting is a matter of individual taste and what looks best given the suit style and physique of the wearer. Any of these other "rules" are invalid.
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This. I was pleasantly surprised at how slimming a ventless jacket looked on me. Since a double vent is supposed to appear "seamless" the idealized aesthetic is easily achieved for me with a ventless jacket.
 
#40 ·
I wear exclusively ventless jackets on my suits, and most of my tailoring isn't remotely 80s. It's very trim with natural shoulders.

If you're not riding a horse, I really don't understand the point of vents. If they open through normal movement, they simply make one look corpulent. And as for putting one's hands in one's pockets, I can't say I ever do that when my jacket is buttoned. With the jacket unbuttoned, it's easy to just sweep the front of the jacket out of the way if one wants to keep the hands in the pockets for a while. Ventless just makes for much cleaner lines.
 
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