Lapel Width

Thruth

Big Winter Daddy
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i realize lapel width is a function of the individual's size and it varies at least in bespoke suits odd jackets as well as with the house cut. RTW is fixed for the particular cut.

What lapel width do you favour for your suits and odd jackets? Single and double-breasted. I am looking for measurements in inches or centimetres.
 
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I want to say 3-1/4" or maybe 3-1/2". I'll check when I get home.
Ideally, the damn thing rolls and then has a bit to lay flat. These big wide ones are flat monoliths, and the skinny-minis have no weight whatsoever.
 
I want to say 3-1/4" or maybe 3-1/2". I'll check when I get home.
Ideally, the damn thing rolls and then has a bit to lay flat. These big wide ones are flat monoliths, and the skinny-minis have no weight whatsoever.

3.5 inch has been referred to as a general width that stands the test of time but I'm thinking that is a North American thing.

Despos for example favours wide lapels and it is not uncommon for him to do 4+ inch lapels for non-emaciated clients. That seems wide to me
 
non-emaciated clients
Well, I'm of midcentury width myself. I think 3-1/4 allows the chest pocket to have an inconsequential amount of lapel over the chest pocket, whereas 3-1/2" has overlap.
As the bulk of my ties are in the 3.25 range, proportionality is generally maintained.
 
I usually get 10 or 11cm on single breasted jackets
dont really know about the DBs
 
Those look heinously large to me. I think mine are around the 3.5" magical number (or a touch smaller), but as you mention it's a proportional thing derived from one's physique.

Also this is for notch lapels, peak a different animal.

Certainly peak both single and double-breasted are a different beast. I think I have around 3.25 lapels on SB and add 3/4 to 1 inch for DB. This is still less than that currently favoured continental flavour
 
Certainly peak both single and double-breasted are a different beast. I think I have around 3.25 lapels on SB and add 3/4 to 1 inch for DB. This is still less than that currently favoured continental flavour
I don't think I have any pictures of my suit lapels on this computer. I may have some at home I can post for reference.
 
I don't think I have any pictures of my suit lapels on this computer. I may have some at home I can post for reference.
Well I did find one on here, but I can't crop out all the innocent people and still really show the lapel. But I took a quick measurement, and a 4 in lapel would go practically to my shoulder, and I'm a 42" chest.
 
Yeah, if he is about my size I could buy that.

Here's my cropped picture, which is terrible.

860947_510248439017303_285358731_o (2).webp
 
For a SB I always found that the extended line of the lapel edge should end up around the half width of the shoulder.
That only works, though, when the lapel has a slight curve to it in the upper section and doesn't go straight up from the buttoning point.
For a DB I would probably go for 2/3 of the shoulder width. In this image we have both, SB and DB lapel and the latter is a touch too narrow:

46905_155820974572056_1805498172_n.jpg


I would prefer the DB lapel to partially cover the front of the outbreast pocket. Please excuse the rather "artistic" run of the dotted lines.
I'm sober.

Draft%201_zpso9hvnuff.jpg~original
 
3.5 for single notch is perfect for me (38R, 18 shoulders, 16.5 neck)

Though it's worth noting that the way we measure lapel width is going to vary by the angle of the lapel seam going from the gorge. Kent Wang's are pretty angled, so a 3.5 inch lapel on his looks a bit narrower than a 3.5 inch lapel on others.
 
I like 3-3.5 on my notch lapels then my peak is over 4 inches. I'm a 36r. I do like a little more lapel then most.
 
How are you blokes measuring?
Straight across = Parallel to the ground - or - on the angle following the seam at the gorge?
 
This is the rule of thumb I go by, as does Flusser.
Suit+Lapels.jpg

The skimpy one isn't really too bad. I've seen too much crap where the buttonhole is centered in the lapel.
aren't the notch too low on the drawings?I also find the same on the Formosa suits. I don't like notches kissing ears as you see on the Neapolitan suits but too low is not my taste.

My preferred width is 3.75-even 4.00. I am quite stocky build (5.10 and 44 chest) so I have found that wide lapels fit better my body type.
 
aren't the notch too low on the drawings?
They could be some half inch higher. I always am trying to mentally unroll lapels and see where the lapel edge and collar end up when the coat is reverted to a tunic.

I measure along the seam, as that's how my tailor does it. Despos does this "perpendicular from the breakline of the lapel" thing.
525x525px-LL-3ad05ba2_vbattach27538.jpg
 
My tailor does perpendicular as well. This may explain a lot of the talking at cross purposes here.
 
I measure the blue line. Some appear to measure along the seam where collar and lapel join.

What the f*is the red line.
 
Actually I think I measure the red line. I see now that is the ground parallel line.

doghouse doghouse you could rig up some laser thing from your toolkit to do this properly!
 
Did I already mention that I'd prefer to err on the side of
a0a0bc538b72f08770e38ed245f96b85.jpg
than
kotter.jpg
?
Because I do.
A pet theory of mine is that Jimmy carter gets a bad rap because he looked so stupid with those wide lapels.
jimmy-carter.jpg

smiling doesn't help either
 
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Is there a subsection for wimpy lapel people, like the euro trash section?

No but we should have a thread on people who remember the big-assed lapels of the 70's and are just recovering only to be re-traumatized.

Monkeyface Monkeyface i want you to provide trigger warnings when next you post an outfit
 
No but we should have a thread on people who remember the big-assed lapels of the 70's and are just recovering only to be re-traumatized.

Monkeyface Monkeyface i want you to provide trigger warnings when next you post an outfit

Don't go into the passage cravatte thread! Massive trigger.
 

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