Jacket lapels are the folded flaps of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat, and are most commonly found on formal clothing and suit jackets. Usually they are formed by folding over the front edges of the jacket or coat and sewing them to the collar, an extra piece of fabric around the back of the neck, as shown in the image.
There are three basic forms of lapels: notched, peaked and shawl. Notched lapels, the most common, are usually seen on business suits.Peaked lapels are more formal, and nearly always used on double breasted jackets or coats.Shawl lapels are usually carried by dinner jackets.
Notched Lapel:
The Notched Lapel (American English) is the most common type of lapel and is the type that you will see in almost all business suits nowadays. This type of lapel is also called a step lapel or step collar (British English). You'll also be interested to know that if the notch is really small, it is called a fishmouth
Peaked Lapel:
A peaked lapel (American English) or double breasted style lapel or pointed lapel (British English) is a more formal lapel that is commonly worn with dinner jackets, tailcoats, or morning coats. These jackets almost always come double breasted. Although, it should be mentioned that single breasted peaked lapels are also a phenomenon made famous by designers such as Armani in the past.
Shawl Lapel:
The shawl lapel is basically just one curve. It is commonly seen in tuxedos and even in less formal wears such as robes. This type of lapel is also known as a shawl collar or roll collar. This type of collar was first noted in the Victorian Smoking Jacket and has carried on from there.
Lapel features
Lapels have a buttonhole on the left, which is intended to hold a boutonniere, a decorative flower. These are now only commonly seen at more formal events. To hold the flower properly, a loop is fixed to the back of the lapel. For symmetry, double breasted suits often have a button hole on each lapel.
A lapel pin is also sometimes worn, and in punk fashion, the lapels of leather jackets are often adorned with various buttons and pins, usually sporting typical punk images and popular punk band logos.[citation needed]
The width of the lapel is a widely varying aspect of suits, and has changed widely over the years. Some designers maintain however that most stylish lapel width does not change, and that the lapel "should extend to just a fraction less than the halfway mark between the collar and shoulder line." The 1930s and 1970s featured an exceptionally wide lapel width, whereas during the late 1950s and most of the 1960s suits with very narrow lapels - often only about an inch wide - were in fashion. The 1980s saw mid-size lapels with a low gorge (the point where the jacket lapel and collar meet). In the 2000s, trends were towards a narrower lapel and higher gorge.
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