Men's suits: modern suit styles for 2011:Single breasted suits

It seems superfluous to include single breasted suits in a trend article given they are never out of fashion. But despite being the default style, they're also the dominant, on-trend suit cut for 2011 and 2012. This sits in contrast to the double breasted suit being the on-trend cut during 2009 and 2010.

The cut of the single breasted suit has evolved for 2011 / 2012 to have two dominant styles:

The sleek cut

The first of the two dominant single-breasted suit styles for 2011 is what I term a sleek cut. This is the suit for the slick chap who wears his suits in something of a toned down way. They're still impeccably made and they're never casual, but when it comes time to tick the masculinity box I referred to earlier, this suit is for the chap who does so with restraint.

To give you an instant mental picture of the sleek cut suit in 2011 and 2012, think of it as inspired by the continuing popularity of all things 1960s, a suit very akin to what the likes of Mad Men's Don Draper wears into the office though one cut with a trimmer waist.

If a sleek cut, single breasted suit is what you want to add to your wardrobe then you're after the following details:

• slim to medium sized notched lapels or a shawl
• the upper button should be positioned around your navel
• a breast pocket that accommodates nothing more than a pocket square (as opposed to a elegantly folded pocket handkerchief) - contrast Don Draper's pocket square to the pocket handkerchief's featured in the Tom Ford pictures below if the difference is not immediately obvious to you

The confidence cut

I'm still looking for the perfect term to describe this cut of suit. At first I'd termed it the flair cut, but it took only a moment to realise that that would imply that I was advocating a return to flared trousers and suits. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead flair was meant to describe the extra, potentially overt, details it has; this is a cut of suit for a gent who can comfortably wear those extra little details that Joe Average generally lacks the confidence to wear out of fear of derision.

So for those of you who are looking for that extra something, both in their clothing and in their life, I proffer up the (potentially temporarily named) confidence cut. As with all fashionable men's suits for 2011 and 2012 it's cut that's about the male physique and the revival of classic suiting elements. Unlike the previous 'sleek cut' single breasted suit described, however, it features one additional key attribute: instead of a slim to medium notched lapel, 2011's confidence suit cut is all about peaked lapels. In this regard, the suit cut sits as something of a 1930s and 1970s revival - back then peaked lapels were the only kind worth having.

A single breasted suit with dual buttons and pointed lapels.

With its obvious appeal, the confidence cut can be more than just a single breasted suit cut, however. When it comes to on-trend double breasted suits, it's also the dominant cut.

Posted in: Men's suits: modern suit styles for 2011:Single breasted suits