Quantum of Solace begins moments after Casino Royale ends with James Bond wearing a two-piece navy pinstripe suit. Bond is supposed to be wearing the same three-piece suit from at the end of Casino Royale, but the change from a three-piece suit to a two-piece suit is not because we’re meant to think that James Bond removed his waistcoat. Naturally if a man wants to shed a layer of his three-piece suit, he’s going to take off his suit jacket and not the waistcoat. The reason why James Bond is no longer wearing a waistcoat in Quantum of Solace is because a change in costume designer meant a reinterpretation of the Casino Royale outfit. These two suits are the only two in the series that can be fairly judged by comparison since story-wise they are supposed to be the same suit.
For the final scene of Casino Royale, costume designer Lindy Hemming dressed James Bond in a three-piece Brioni suit to signify that Daniel Craig’s new Bond had become the more sophisticated James Bond we knew from previous Bond films who takes pride in dressing up. This was a large step from being a man who we’re supposed to think didn’t own a proper dinner jacket earlier in the film. Lousie Frogley assumed the costume designer position for Quantum of Solace and abandoned Brioni for Tom Ford. Perhaps she decided to put Bond in a two-piece suit rather than a three-piece suit because he hadn’t matured into the classic Bond character yet, because a three-piece suit didn’t fit the Lake Garda setting—it is much better suited for business setting in London—or because a two-piece suit worked more effectively for the intense action stunts. A three-piece suit also would not have looked so great if Frogley was intent on Bond removing his tie. She at least kept the suit a navy pinstripe to maintain a modicum of continuity between the films. But even though the suits are both navy with pinstripes, the stripes are grey track stripes in Casino Royale whilst the stripes are light blue pinstripes in Quantum of Solace. The stripes on both suits are spaced no more than a half-inch apart.
The cuts of the Brioni and Tom Ford suits are very different. The Brioni suit jacket has straight shoulders with a healthy amount of shoulder padding whereas the Tom Ford suit jacket has much softer pagoda shoulders, which have a slight concave shape. Both suits have roped sleeve heads. The Tom Ford jacket has a more shaped silhouette than the Brioni jacket has, with a more defined waist. Though both suit jackets fit closely, the Brioni has a boxier silhouette. Wearing the suit jacket open adds to the boxy look. Both suit jackets have three buttons with the middle button placed at the middle of body’s waist. The Brioni jacket’s lapels roll gently at the top button, whilst the Tom Ford jacket’s lapels have a harder roll down to the middle button for a button two silhouette. The Brioni sleeves are cut full at the upper arm and taper down to the cuffs. By contrast, the Tom Ford sleeves are narrower through the upper arm and have a slight flare at the end for a dash of English style. Both suit jackets’ sleeves are slightly too long, but it is hardly noticeable in Quantum of Solace since Bond’s arms are hardly ever at his side. The Tom Ford suit also has a little skirt flare, which is lacking in the Brioni suit’s more Italian cut.
The two suit jackets’ details vary too. Both jackets have straight pockets with flaps, but the Tom Ford jacket adds a ticket pocket. Whilst the Brioni suit jacket has a typical angled breast pocket, the Tom Ford jacket has a curved “barchetta” breast pocket, which is a Neapolitan-inspired detail. The Brioni jacket has four buttons on the cuff whilst the Tom Ford jacket has five buttons on the cuffs, worn with the last button open. The Tom Ford suit has double vents, while by contrast the Brioni suit has a single vent.
The suit trousers between the Brioni and Tom Ford suits have different cuts. Both trousers have straight legs with little tapering, but the Brioni trousers have much wider legs. The Tom Ford trousers have a flat front whilst the Brioni trousers have a small dart on either side of the front placed beside the side pockets. The side pockets on the Brioni suit trousers are slightly slanted off-seam, but the pockets on the Tom Ford trousers are on the seam, which curves forward at the top. The Brioni trousers are worn with a belt and the Tom Ford trousers have slide-buckle side-adjusters placed on the waistband seam. Both suits’ trousers have turn-ups.
The part of the outfit that is the least changed between Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace is the shirt: both are light blue cotton poplin. The Casino Royale shirt is made by Brioni and the Quantum of Solace shirt is made by Tom Ford. The shirt in Quantum of Solace, however, is a paler blue than the shirt in Casino Royale. Both have moderate spread collars, front plackets and double cuffs, though the collar in Casino Royale sits a little higher and closer to the face.
The ties are both blue neat patterns, but they have different patterns and colours. The Casino Royale tie (maker unknown) is a honeycomb pattern in blue and white, and the Quantum of Solace tie (made by Tom Ford) is roughly a pattern of blue and black squares. In Casino Royale Bond ties the tie with a four-in-hand knot whilst in Quantum of Solace he ties it with a windsor knot. The tie in Casino Royale has a very heavy interlining, which makes the knot quite large. Though Bond wears a folded white pocket handkerchief with his other suits in Quantum of Solace, he foregoes the handkerchief with this outfit so it more closely matches the Casino Royale outfit.
Bond, of course, wears black shoes with both suits, but the styles and makers, again, are different. In Casino Royale he wears the John Lobb Romsey, which is a two-eyelet chukka boot. In Quantum of Solace he switches to the Church’s Philip perforated cap-toe oxford. This is one of the least noticeable differences between the two outfits since the shoes are hardly seen.
Through comparing the suits in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, I have described some of the essential differences between Brioni’s and Tom Ford’s silhouettes and styles, though both makers offer a number of different styles.
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To save you the trouble of asking, yes, I will be posting a comparison of Mr. White’s two similar outfits from these same scenes.
Great piece Matt.
I think the car chase opening sequence in Quantum, is on the shore of Lake Garda, not Lake Como.
Thanks.
Very informative article, thanks for explaining the differences so detailed! I prefer the QoS suit (and mostly because of the cut). My next suit will probably be a navy pinstripe in the QoS style, maybe with a waistcoat.
A good choice. I always have MTM suits as three piece to give more options.
Thanks! Exactly my idea, I own two suits now ( I’m a student), both three piece MTM (navy and mid grey). Always enough options of dressing up or down or just practical: add or loose a layer of warmth.
I already stated my opinion about the two suis in comparison: IMO the QoS suit is without any doubt superior to the CR one. Even if that might provoke certain people I would say that in the CR suit Bond looks like a better dressed bodyguard (with the weapon adding to that) because the garment is overmuch loose and roomy with too much shoulder padding. The waistcoat doesn’t change much, makes it even worse because it is worn with a belt. It really makes the impression of a “beginner’s suit” (on quite a high level of course).
The QoS suit, although not perfect, is much more sophisticated – on the whole (cut) and also with regard to the details (side adjusters instead of belt etc.).
Tom Ford might not be the best choice for Bond, but compared with the Brioni suits in CR it’s clearly on the winner side.
Completely agree with your comment!
Agree.
I choosed the Brioni because I definitely prefer its style to the TF suit. Much more classic and timeless, in my opinion. However, in term of fit, it’s a shame the 3-piece suit wasn’t as perfectly fitted as the Brioni dinner jacket. Especially since it’s a final scene, with a 3-piece suit, which is less ordinary than a ‘common’ 2-piece suit.
Although I don’t like a close fitting suit, I recognize the fit of the TF suit is better. But in Casino Royale at least he keeps his tie on ;)
I agree that hodling a submachine gun instead of a classic Walther handgun adds a lot to the heavy look, too.
Thank you for this article, Matt !
It’s certainly one of your most detailed articles of the whole blog. Congratulations !
It was a brief scene, so they probably just made him something in an off the rack cut. It would account for the poor waistcoat fit. You see the suit for less than 30 seconds.
I’ve always been puzzled by the obvious lack of continuity between these two films which are clearly meant to follow on from each other. Even with the change in costume designer and suit maker, surely they could have made a better effort to have the two suits look a lot closer?
There are also very obvious continuity bloopers during the interrogation of zmr. White scenes in QoS too – see how Bond’s collar changes after removing his tie from shot to shot.
Anyway, thanks for detailing the differences here Matt. Looking forward to you breaking down Mr. White too. I understand he’s coming back for SPECTRE. Now all we need is Felix!
Oooh it’s neck and neck at the moment.
This one was really tricky for me, as they’re both up there as some of my favourite suits of the series. On one hand very much prefer three piece suits, but the cut of Bond’s suits in Quantum of Solace is absolutely brilliant. Each suit looks fantastic on him. It has to go to QoS.
If there was a waistcoat included then it would be my favourite suit ever, bar none.
There are so many inconsistencies created by the “Quantum of Solace takes place immediately after Casino Royale” idea. This is the most noticeable, but some others are the change in watch from the Brosnan-style Omega Seamaster to an Omega Planet Ocean, Bond carrying a Walther PPK rather than the P99, and M’s radically different office at MI6 HQ.
I have very mixed feelings about Quantum. The writing and editing of the film is weak, probably because production was so rushed, but the sets and scenery are beautiful and it features the nicest wardrobe of Craig’s tenure.
Off topic, but I also get a little annoyed when the film is called “the first direct sequel in the Bond franchise,” which is a title I believe really belongs to From Russia With Love, on account of “a personal revenge for the killing of our operative Dr. No.” Silly quibble from a Bond fanatic!
Also, because Sylvia Trench mentions Bond going off to jamaica. I HAD to add that! XD
“From Russia With Love” does make a few brief references to story elements of Dr. No, but it isn’t “Dr. No 2.” It doesn’t continue the same story arc. Quantum is clearly a continuation of the same story from Casino Royale. It doesn’t make as much sense if you were to see it without watching CR first. Maybe it should have been called, “Casino Royale 2: The Revenge.” :-D
While more continuity would have been nice, the QoS suit is such an improvement over the CR version that I never complained. I also don’t think the QoS suit was chosen for artistic reasons, i.e. to show that Bond was still not fully formed (actually, I always thought that the narrative in QoS showed that Bond was fully formed, but M did not realize it until the end). Rather, I think the costume designer simply made her own choices based on how she thought Bond should dress.
I never liked the brioni suits, on niether Brosnan or Craig. That awful italian, shapeless cut just doesn’t work for Bond, no matter how many English details they tried to add (such as the slanted pockets and double vents). The brioni suits are especially bad in Goldeneye with those long, loose jackets. I catched a couple of episodes of Frasier the other day and those 90’s jackets look just as dated as the 2012 Skyfall skinny suits, and Goldeneye SCREAMS mid 90’s (the ties doesn’t help iether). Nowadays all jackets are too short and with a button stance six inches too high. QOS seems to be made exactly in the short period between the “loose” style and the “skinny” style, and as such has some of the best looking suits Bond has worn since the Roger Moore days.
The Brioni suits of TWINE are pretty timeless in style.
Indeed, they are the best suits Brosnan wore, but still, the cut is a little too italian to fit Bond I think. They also suffer from the general 90’s style, albeit much less than in the previous two films.
I went with the QoS suit, because I’m not a fan of the Italian cut. Though I will say that I think Quantum of Solace is not only horribly underrated as a Bond film, it’s probably the best clothing-wise of the last 15 years.
I read the post and all of the comments with great interest, and I still conclude that Sean Connery’s “Dr. No” suits are the best in the series. Fear not the high waistline, fellas. Even for almost all of us who don’t share Connery’s athletic, 1962 physique, the high-waisted trousers look best. Bank on it.
I agree! I recently bought a suit made-to-measure online (I know, I know. . . I’ve not yet saved up enough for a proper bespoke) and I specifically requested I high waistline with the relative measurement.
They sent me THREE emails urging me to reconsider, assuring me it’s not that I want, before I put my foot down and demanded it.
I got the trousers and they don’t even look that “goofy”, which is what everyone told me they would. I’ve received nothing but compliments.
And damn are they comfy. High waisted single pleat trousers all the way for me, please.
Timothy/Walter V.
I agree completely though I prefer the higher (or what was, until about 7 years ago, normal waist) rise trousers but without any pleat. Flat front with darts. You can’t get more streamlined and a cleaner look overall. As for the perception of higher rise trousers looking “goofy”, the contrary is the case; the lower rise, skinny cut trousers are the “goofy” ones. Just because a great many people currently choose to wear them out of servility to fashion doesn’t make this less so. As others have pointed out, in a number of years time these clothes will be looked at by most with the derision us dinosaurs look at them now.
As for Craig’s suits here; even though I’m not a particular fan of Ford, his shades the Brioni which I agree with Will’s comment below that is a suit which would seem more appropriately suited to an office scene. In the earlier movies in such a setting, I could see Connery having worn a 2 piece in a lighter grey and Moore a 2 piece in some brown shade. Much more setting appropriate. The only issue with the Ford suits is the lower rise trousers….
Yet more voting. So long as UKIP don’t get a seat on this one.
I take it as Bond wearing two different suits…when he manhandled White into the trunk he got blood all over his clothes so he changed into a different suit, shirt, and tie from his luggage (I like to think of him taking a long leisurely shower while White is in the trunk of his car!). By the time he brings White to be interrogated it doesn’t matter how “roughed up” Bond looks as he’s hidden from public.
Just a thought… ;-)
I personally find that the Ford looks vastly better than the Brioni. I loved Brioni suits on Brosnan when his films first came out but man do they look dated now. Of course, that happens with all the suits from the series – I’m old enough to remember when people made fun of Connery because of how ridiculous his suits looked (simply because they were no longer in style). But the Brioni are too oversized and block-y looking on Craig to my tastes. I can see a near-manorexic Brosnan needing the extra “size” in GE but on Craig it makes him look bulky. I find it interesting how with each film, the closer fitting suits on Craig de-emphasize his size so that by SF you wouldn’t really know how built he was until he took his jacket off.
Great point on the suits de-emphasizing Craig’s physique. Additionally, he looks several inches taller in QoS than he looks in Skyfall. Given that he’s not very tall to begin with, this is a real drawback to the Skyfall suits.
Huh. The Casino Royale suit doesn’t have a ticket pocket, does it.
Since I didn’t notice that inconsistency, plus I originally thought his three-piece did have light blue pinstripes, I think the Quantum suit probably could have passed for the other one sans waistcoat to the untrained eye, if they’d only matched the lapel roll.
When I first saw Quantum of Solace (about the time I first got into tailored clothing), it was the lapel roll that really tipped me off. Well, that and the smaller tie knot.
Brilliant article – thank you.
And which do you prefer, Matt, and why?
I prefer the Quantum of Solace Tom Ford suit. The three-piece Brioni suit does not fit the setting, and it does not fit Bond as well. The waistcoat is the biggest problem because it is too long. The cut of the Tom Ford suit works better on Daniel Craig. Though comments on here are mostly in favour of the Tom Ford suit, the poll is slightly in favour of the Brioni at the moment. Maybe some of the Brioni supporters will give the reasons for why they prefer that suit.
To me, the collar of the QoS shirt is too large; it actually looks better without the tie. Although I prefer the cut of the Tom Ford suit, I would have a white pinstripe on a navy ground, rather than the light blue stripe.
On the subject of highwaisted trousers, per the comments above, in my experience they are by far the most comfortable to wear. I have a 33inch waist, and low waistline trousers make me feel hungry all the time…
I think the QoS collar points are a bit too large for his face. His head looks a bit small, but this is not too bad. The Casino collar is in my view more distracting in that it is too high and engulfs his neck. I am not a fan of the Skyfall tab collars.
I do prefer his QoS suits, the Casino 3-piece is a bit out of place and would be better suited for a scene in M’s office.
However, I think that maybe in 20 years or so, the Casino suits will stand the test of time better than the Tom Fords. Only time will tell though . . .
I’m a newbie to suits, as it seems Bond is at the end of Casino Royale, and it makes sense he would wear the wrong suit at the wrong location. I know I would.
Saying that, surely an Italian suit in Italy means it’s not entirely out of place…
One other observation: Although we see Bond is still near Lake Garda at the start of the car chase, it is a nearly four hour, 365km journey from Lake Garda to Siena so a change of suit wouldn’t have been out of the question if only that opening sweeping shot across the lake had been cut out, suggesting the chase had begun nearer Siena. (That is, assuming, of course, that is even meant to be Lake Garda.)
And the lake shot could easily have been removed if only they’d put the gunbarrel when it should have been and opened straight in to the car chase…
#JustSaying… :)
(Yes, some of us are still banging on about unnecessary gunbarrel misplacement.)
“Saying that, surely an Italian suit in Italy means it’s not entirely out of place…”
But we’re meant to think Bond’s suits are English in Casino Royale, based on Vesper’s comments about his suit (of the same cut) earlier in the film.
Personally, I find the QoS suits to be the best Craig has ever worn and are some of the best suits in the whole Bond series. And so my vote go to QoS.
I actually like the pagoda shoulders on the QoS suits. And the cut is slim without going to extremes. Again, my only complaint would only be the low rise trousers.
Low rise trousers and inconsistent sleeve length. The first is negligible, as Daniel Craig is all legs (33″ inseam at 5’10) and putting a high rise on them would be just as bad. A medium rise is best on his body, as we see in the previous movie. The second bit is inexcusable. In some shots he appears to have the right amount of shirt cuff showing on one sleeve, with the other presumably unseen because of the large Omega watch. But in other scenes his sleeves are just plain too long.
These suits are actually what I go for in terms of style and fit now in my MTM. I can’t seem to get pagoda shoulders anywhere, but am satisfied with lightly padded or natural shoulders with roped sleeveheads.
QoS : a rather lousy film, but quite fine suits overall.
Entirely agree with sethblack, and I am a great fan of pagoda shoulders.
The tie worn with the brown suit is to die for….
Anyone aware of the brand ?
Negative points: low rise that allows the lower part of the shirt to show, and the last sleeve button undone = very tacky and unnecessary
All of the ties in Quantum of Solace are from Tom Ford.
Stan, the last sleeve is undone because there’s no other way to button it. When left to his devices, Ford typically makes the last sleeve button larger and set farther away from the buttonhole. The same is true for the Skyfall suits’ three button sleeves. I’m not a fan of it, but as I understand they will finish the sleeves with four or five buttons all able to fasten if you ask for it. Ford also insists on cuffs all suit trousers, something I have no problem with personally.
Thanks, Matt & Jovan.
Larger or not, the last buttonhole draws an immediate attention, and still screams with tackiness. It might be Ford’s specialty to have a remote and larger buttonhole, I am clearly not a fan either, and it reminds me of the practice of undoing the last button to show off. Pathetic. It would have never happened to the ‘other fellows’..
My vote:- the Brioni. Don’t get me wrong – the TF suits of QOS appear to be the best work of Ford’s contribution to the series to date. (Yes I know SPECTRE hasn’t been released yet but we’ve seen the pictures.) And there are a couple of glitches with this particular 3-pce. But for all that, I count this as a superb full-cut, conservative city suit. I’d love a suit like this. BTW, every menswear store I enter these days seems to have gone over to skinny SKYFALL suits, regardless of the fact they are not flattering to so many men. Bond’s usual mission profile calls for him to pass for an international business executive of one type or another. These men are sophisticated and value the quality of a brand such as Brioni more than a slavish imperative to buy British. Is Bond overdressed for a visit to a lakeside villa? I’d have to say yes, but this would be trumped by shooting Mr. White and abducting him. Such a step up from the T-shirts and trainers! Brioni – the quality is enjoyed long after the price is forgotten. (Old Rolls-Royce slogan.)
Incidentally, this style and colour would suit Daniel Craig very well and would look very current both in terms of details and colour but without, (as his current Ford ones do for the most part) sacrificing the merits of good tailoring and refined taste.
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Overall, Matt, what would you think are the pros and cons of brioni and tom ford suits? They are both my favorite suit makers, and it would be really hard for me to decide which one to invest in? If you would make that comparison of pros and cons for both, it would really help me.
It’s all about which fits you better and which style you prefer.
Does the Brioni’s Italian cut make Craig look a lot bigger than he is? I know that he is the shortest out of all the actors. On Brosnan they looked great. Are Brionis naturally made to have less of your body’s shape if they are well-fitted vs Tom Ford. I know the American cut of the Tom Ford is supposed to fit more closely to the body, but why is it that Brioni naturally makes you look bigger than you are even if it fits you well?
Brioni’s Roman cut has strong shoulders that make the shoulders look bigger. Craig is his most muscular in Casino Royale, so that’s also part of why he looks bigger. Tom Ford’s suits have a British cut, not American. The lapel rolled to the middle button is the only American thing about them. Tom Ford suits have more structure in the chest than Brioni suits have. Craig’s Brioni suits fit closely too, but they don’t have as much shape as the Tom Ford suits have.
Unfortunately, the current Brioni suits have really nothing in common with this typical Roman cut anymore… sad. I think Brioni being bought by Kering might have something to do with it.
Like practically every other brand, Brioni has changed their clothes to reflect the general trends to try to appeal to younger buyers rather than keep their identity and try to stand apart.
You have always said that having pants that are worn with a belt on a 3-piece suit is bad, and that is reasonable. However, you will very rarely ever wear a 3-piece suit nowadays, and you might not even need to buy one. For a 2-piece suit, do you think wearing a belt with that is ok, because finding suits with pants that don’t have belt loops is pretty hard, unless you are buying a Tom Ford. Do you think that wearing a belt with a suit is a disadvantage in general, or do you think that it just shouldn’t be worn with a 3-piece suit? Why?
Belts are acceptable with a three-piece suit, but I think suits are best worn without a belt. It’s a cleaner and more formal look. Belts disrupt the flow from the jacket to the trousers. The lack of a belt also allows the jacket to have a closer and cleaner fit. A number of British and American brands make sell suit trousers with side adjusters, though they tend to be higher end.
You could always try cutting off the belt loops and then sew a tuck on each side of the waistband; so the trousers fit your waist exactly.
I like both suits a lot, but I like the Tom Ford a little better because of the more structured waist, and the more fitted silhouette. Also because of the 3-roll-2 rather than the only partial roll. I know that the Brioni suit is highly padded in the soldiers, and the Tom Ford is less padded. Which one of the suits has a more structured shoulder, the Tom Ford or the Brioni? I also like more structured shoulders rather than natural shoulders because it gives me a more muscular look. As does the roped sleeveheads.
The Brioni has more padding, but the Tom Ford has stiffer canvas.
How big are the lapels on the Brioni and the Tom Ford? I would like to know so I can ask for that size when getting a made-to-measure suit.
They’re about three inches.
About the Brioni suits in Goldeneye, would you say they have the same size Matt ?
They’re a bit wider.
So, 8 cm perhaps ?
Probably 8 to 9 cm
I know it’s a bit out of place, but what suit size would you say Pierce Brosnan was in Goldeneye ? I am asking so I could make the conversion ; what I mean is, I guess the effect produced by a 9cm wide lapel on a 40r jacket, for example, will certainly be different if one keep the same lapel width but with a 38r jacket ; the chest being smaller, the lapel will look much wider than needed.
Pierce Brosnan likely wore a 40L in GoldenEye. 8cm lapels will have a similar effect on size 38 and 40 jackets.
For some reason, the quantum of solace suit looks to be charcoal. I know that the suit is supposed to be navy, but for some reason, it looks charcoal. Maybe that’s because the suit is dirty, idk. If the suit were clean, would you be able to clearly tell that it’s navy and not charcoal? The only reason why I know it’s navy is because the blue pinstripes bring out the blue in the suit. Do you like the blue pinstripes or the white track stripes better? I personally prefer the blue stripes because it’s more colorful.
I prefer the blue pinstripes because I’m not a fan of track stripes. I have a swatch of this suit, so I know it’s navy.
How much padding does the Tom Ford shoulder have? From the way it looks, it seems like it has almost none compared to the Brioni. I know that the Brioni is heavily padded, but how much padding does the Tom Ford have in comparison to the Brioni? I would think it has about 1/4 the padding of the Brioni. Of the current Brioni Nomentano and the current Tom Ford Regency, similar to what Craig wears in Quantum Of Solace, which one has a stronger, more structured shoulder? Which one has a stronger cut?
Tom Ford has a stronger cut but with a little less padding than a traditional Brioni. Tom Ford has a stiffer structure.
In the case of fuctional sleeve buttons, which one do you like better? I would prefer for the sleeve buttons to be fuctional because I can open the sleeve if it’s too hot. Also, why do you always say that it is “ungentlemanly” to wear the last sleeve button open. If it’s not gentelmanly, then I don’t get the point of having the fuctional buttons if you don’t open some of them. Would you like the sleeve buttons to be fuctional or non-functional and why? Also, is there a standard for how many buttons should be on the sleeve of the jacket? I believe the most traditional is 3-4, but I have seen some with 2 and even 1. I would want the sleees to have 4 buttons closed just because I like it that way? Also, does the number of sleeve buttons have anything to do with the formality of the suit?
Wearing the last button open is only done to show off that the jacket has working buttons on the cuffs, and showing off is ungentlemanly. Functional buttons most likely exist from the days when sleeves were too tight to fit the hand through, like on a shirt cuff. That would be the most functional purpose of jacket cuff buttons and the most commonly told stories are most likely fairy tales. Buttons should ideally be functional because they are buttons after all. Read here for more about cuff buttons: https://www.bondsuits.com/jacket-cuff-button-styles/