A breakdown of Suit Terminology: gentl.mn/suit-anatomy
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So first of all, what is a suit? The term suit comes from the French word suivre which means to follow because of that, a suit is defined as being a matching jacket and trousers, pants, or slacks. This means same color, the same weave, same pattern.
Lapels
These are those pieces of fabric here that have quite an important influence on the overall look of your garment. Because it's folded back, the French term revers which is also used in German or Italian is really accurate in describing that you see the reverse side of the fabric. Lapels are always connected to the collar in your back. Typically, the two most common lapels you can see are either a notched lapel or a peak lapel which always features this peak. Apart from that, you can also have the mao collar or the so-called tautz lapel which is kind of a mix of a notch lapel and a peak lapel.
Gorge
It refers to the seam between the collar and the lapel. Stylistically, its position has varied over the years. If you look at suits from the 30s, the gorge sits much lower and it's more dropped at an angle. If you look at more modern suits or contemporary suits, oftentimes, the gorge is very high to the point where peak lapels sometimes have the point that is above the shoulder level which in my opinion, is too high. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong and it depends on the current fashion, as well as your personal taste.
Lapel Width
Again, it has a huge impact on how others perceive your suit even though it's the same in terms of comfort. Skinny lapels are typically between two and two and a half inches or five to six centimeters. Wide lapels are anything that are above four inches or 10 centimeters. A sweet spot for many is about three and a half inches or eight to nine centimeters.
Lapel Belly
Basically, what it describes is the rounding of the lapel or the lack thereof. If you look at German suits or British suits, oftentimes, lapels are cut pretty straight. In the 30s sometimes, they had an extreme rounding to the cloth which you could see if you take a closer look.
Lapel Roll
What I mean by that is the area just above the closing buttons and how they roll. If you have a cheaper suit jacket, typically, they are ironed very flat which makes a suit look very flat and not very three-dimensional. On the other hand, if you have a sewn canvas, you automatically always get a certain amount of roll.
Suit Buttons
Typically, the suit lapels roll ends where you button the jacket. In certain cases, that is not the case such as in a three roll two jacket or sometimes with single button jackets. Also, the number of buttons you have in your jacket will impact the size and the shape of the lapel. If you have a four button jacket, the lapel will be quite small even if you decide to go with a very wide lapel because there's simply not much distance that can cover it. On the other hand, if you have a jacket with a single button, the lapel will look larger even though it may not be as wide on top. As a golden rule of thumb, the buttoning point should always be along your natural waist.
Button Stance
It's not a detail that many men pay attention to but it can have a profound impact. Spacing your buttons too closely together just looks weird enough whereas spacing it too far apart can make it look odd as well.
#suitlingo #suitterminology #suitsformen
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