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39 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, March 21, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 8, 2005 Since You Asked Guys, don’t use jacket’s third button I have a question about men’s 3-button suit jackets. I have heard you can sometimes button the top button, always button the middle button and never button the bottom button. Who makes these rules? Why do they make three buttons if you never use one of them? Can you ask the suit experts?" — Jim M., Ashland That third button is not only never used, but it’s name, the "idle button," is a reminder of this picky rule of etiquette. Most suit experts blame the English monarchy. History has it King Edward VII was so corpulent that he could not fasten the bottom button on his vest. Taking it as a fashion statement, his subjects followed his lead. Advertisement Alternately, the custom may have been born of necessity. Early men’s waistcoats were very long and could have hampered walking if the bottom button were closed, according to one source. On a more practical note, leaving a suit coat’s bottom button undone prevents the fabric from buckling and sagging under the weight of wallets or other items carried in the coat pockets. But our favorite explanation is a man who buttons the bottom button just looks like a stooge. Trust the fashion experts on this one, Jim, and be thankful you don’t have to wear pantyhose. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s