The large questions in life

Life comes down to a small number of really big questions. Questions that will define the direction of the rest of your life. Questions that will be so large in nature that under no circumstance do you want to rush things. One of them involves a question, which at first brush seems pretty irrelevant. But it is not, and it really should not be underestimated. The question is as follows: If you were spending three days and two nights in London, what jacket would you wear?

The three alternatives (from left to right), along with their respective motivations, are as follow:

1. The brown, single-breasted jacket with two buttons and a single back vent with tapered sides. Combined with jeans, brown leather shoes, and a crisp white shirt it would be an absolutely perfect combination for having breakfast in. And yes, I am aware that a gentleman never wears brown in town. And because I said that, it means that I'm allowed to break the rule. Naturally.
2. The really dark blue, single-breasted blazer with two buttons and side vents and slight tapering. Can match with anything, and combined with tan trousers, a blue and white striped Sea Island cotton shirt with nice cufflinks would be a brilliant outfit for having a drink at the airport and just lounging around town on a weekend.
3. The really dark gray, Italian, single-breasted suit with two buttons and a back vent with some tapering. Would be very nice for contrasting with the British cuts and perfect for going out in the evening.

All three have their purposes, yet due to my policy of trying to avoid having to check in luggage I'm right now very much constrained space-wise and am only able to take a jacket that I'm wearing, so it has to be very versatile. And the keyword here is indeed versatile, and this means that now everyone will already know what the conclusion is. I'm not even sure I should continue this entry, since it would be stating the obvious. But because I know how embarrassing it is to ask the obvious, I will spare the (hopefully) few people who have not figured out that it was the butler and answer the question set forth at the beginning...

Out of the three choices, the most versatile, hands down, is the blazer. You can dress it up, you can dress it down. You can wear it with jeans or you can wear it with trousers. You can wear it with shirts, turtlenecks, or t-shirts and knitwear. You can absolutely do anything with it and always get away with it.

(And for those who are interested in it, a jacket should have four cuff buttons. Not three or two or one or none. Those are too few. Nor should it have five, since that makes it too cluttered, and I don't care whether Paul Smith does it or not. Four is the perfect number. It's not too many, it's not too few. It gives weight to the cuff, but does not clutter. And as for lapels: notched. Not peaked, as they should be reserved for more formal clothing as well as double-breasted suits. And on the topic of double-breasted suits: if you're not nearing retirement, stay well clear of them, unless you know precisely what you are doing...)