3 Button Cuffs on 1930s informal jacket?

[Vauxhall]

Hi everyone. Longtime viewer, first time poster. Anyway, I just bought a nice informal men's suit, dated to 1937. My main question is; why might it have 3 buttons on the cuffs? There are 2 on the left and only 1 on the right. I might have thought of it as a one time thing, but while browsing Etsy I found a similar era jacket with 3 buttons on the cuffs. Is there an explanation for this? Thanks for any answers!

 

[ErWeSa]

You mean two buttons on one sleeve and only one button on the other? Are sthere the same amount of button-holes on the two sleeves? (Twice two?) Or is there only one button-hole on the sleeve with the single button?

 

[Aloysius]

Hi everyone. Longtime viewer, first time poster. Anyway, I just bought a nice informal men's suit, dated to 1937. My main question is; why might it have 3 buttons on the cuffs? There are 2 on the left and only 1 on the right. I might have thought of it as a one time thing, but while browsing Etsy I found a similar era jacket with 3 buttons on the cuffs. Is there an explanation for this? Thanks for any answers!

Wouldn't the obvious explanation be that one of the buttons fell off?

 

[GHT]

Wouldn't the obvious explanation be that one of the buttons fell off?

On the face of it, yes but checking buttonholes is a good point. When it was new, chances are that it was made to measure, did the first owner request the unusual sleeve button arrangement? The buttonholes are where you will find the answer.

Welcome to The Lounge Vauxhall, any chance of a photo of that suit?

 

[Aloysius]

I've never seen a coat with a different number of buttons on left and right, though, even within the craziest excesses of 70s tailoring.

 

[GHT]

I've never seen a coat with a different number of buttons on left and right, though, even within the craziest excesses of 70s tailoring.

Craziest of excess is the most apt description for something I saw, maybe early 80's. When ordering a made to measure suit or blazer, you would be asked if you wanted two vents, one each side, a single centre vent, or, no vents. The suit jacket that I saw had three vents, one each side and a longer centre vent. Whether he was trying to start his own fashion craze, I know not. It looked like someone had ripped the jacket to pieces.

 

[Vauxhall]

Wouldn't the obvious explanation be that one of the buttons fell off?

That is correct! I noticed a tiny bit of frayed thread where the original 4th cuff button would be. My sister gave me a new set of buttons but one was similar to the original so I just used that one.