The Double-B Look

Part of the fun of the Late, Late Show is watching the likes of Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney come on like double-barreled punks in their double-breasted suits. Even in as recent a film as The Yellow Rolls-Royce, one of the breakup scenes was the appearance of George C. Scott as a 1930s hood, all decked out in a rakish, broad-brimmed white Panama and a Raft-shouldered, double-breasted suit. But laugh softly and take a long second look. For the newest male mode is nothing less than a reissue of Hollywood's dependable old Double-B.

Brooks Brothers has put it back in the window for the first time in years, and retailers at last week's men's-wear convention in Dallas were cheering the revival on. Double-breasted blazers, jackets and topcoats have already become the hottest-selling items in stores across the country. A spruced-up version of the suit (narrower lapels, suppressed waist, 11-in. side vents) is now making its bid in spades. Johnny Carson has sported it on his TV show, and fashion magazines have touted it as the latest chic.

In Manhattan, Bronzini last week installed an all-double-breasted window, within three days had sold 15 double-breasted suits and 30 sports jackets. At Man at Ease in Chicago, Proprietor Cesar Rotondi reports: "Double-breasted suits account for 50% of our suit sales. It's unheard of."

To go with the Huey Long look, men are adopting the wide tie--when they can find it. In Los Angeles, Men's Store Owner "Mr. Guy" Greengard, who designs his own, says: "I haven't sold a 21-in. tie for months. Three inches have been my staple, and now I'm going for four." In New York, Photographer Camilla ("Cookie") Smith had one made up for her brother at Christmas time, has had so many requests since then that she has temporarily shut her shutter. At $10 each, she is selling 40 "limited-edition," 41-in., signed ties each week. Says she of her sudden success: "People used to get ties like these for 25-c- in thrift shops but now the shops have been picked clean, and the tie manufacturers are just beginning to think big again."

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