I'm going to quickly talk about notch lapels, peak lapels, and shawl lapels, and I'll spend a little bit of time on the different variants which you see.
They're really just break-offs of some of these other ones such as the sport lapel and a few other ones.
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So the question that came in was talking about lapel types. I'm going to quickly talk about notch lapels, peak lapels, and shawl lapels, and I'll spend a little bit of time on the different variants which you see. They're really just break-offs of some of these other ones such as the sport lapel and a few other ones.
Notch Lapel
Okay, so let's get to the notch lapel. This is the most common lapel you're going to see out there.
It's on the vast majority of jackets and there's a reason for this. It's actually the least expensive to manufacture and the easiest one to get right.
It's very safe, what you're going to see on the vast majority of jackets out there, and it's what I have here.
You've got this little notch right here. That's why it's called the notch lapel and basically, it's connecting this front part of the jacket to the shoulder part right here, to the collar.
This jacket, again, this type of lapel is perfectly fine for everything except formal wear.
So once we get into formal wear, that's where you're going to start to see these other types of lapels, although they're not restricted specifically to formal wear.
Peak Lapel
Let's talk about the peak lapel. This one is much more uncommon and it's a more formal type of lapel, and this is where you're going to have these points that go up right here on the shoulder and it's a little bit more stylish of a detail.
Now, the thing with the peak lapel is it's the most expensive lapel to manufacture, so that's one of the reasons you don't see it on a lot of jackets, is manufacturers are always looking to save a little bit of money, so I go with a peak.
Also, men aren't necessarily used to it, so it's something that when they look at a jacket with a peak lapel, they can't necessarily put it into words, but for some reason, it feels a little bit more fashion forward.
And the peak lapel, even though it is 100% classic, has been around for over a hundred years and is the right choice for formal wear, it is something that I think a man needs to be in.
I don't recommend it for a first suit, although a peak lapel on a single-breasted suit and let's say it's your second or third suit, second or third jacket, I think it looks pretty sharp.
And if you go for a blazer that you want to dress up, it's going to be made from, let's say, a solid dark navy and everything else on it is very sleek, very classic, then I think even on a blazer, you can go with the peak lapels. But remember, the peak lapel, always going to be a bit more formal and you always see peak lapels on double-breasted jackets.
Quickly, I didn't touch on this on notch lapels. If you see a notch lapel on a tuxedo or anything black tie, that technically is wrong.
Now, if you already have one in your wardrobe, I'm not going to say don't wear it, but it's something that if you're out there looking for black tie, always go with either a peak lapel or the third type I'm going to talk about, which is the shawl lapel.
Shawl Lapel
So the shawl lapel, you'll see that it's very rounded, no notch cut in, so rounded, very soft edge, and it's usually a bit thinner as well, so they're very thin. This is something reserved for formal wear. It's an alternative to the peak. It came about a little bit later. It is a little bit more fashion-forward.
This is something reserved for formal wear. It's an alternative to the peak. It came about a little bit later. It is a little bit more fashion-forward.
And on the right type of man, I think on a man who's well-built who perhaps is a little bit bigger up in the arms and chest area, this type of lapel looks great because if you wear a peak when your chest is built up, it can actually make your chest look even larger, so a shawl does a great job.
The only people I don't recommend the shawl lapel for is if you've got a very rounded face. Then it's going to complement your face almost too much and by mimicking your face, it actually is going to make it look a little bit larger. So if you have a round face, you're a little bit large or portly, avoid the shawl lapel and go for the more jagged lines of the peak lapel.
Then it's going to complement your face almost too much and by mimicking your face, it actually is going to make it look a little bit larger. So if you have a round face, you're a little bit large or portly, avoid the shawl lapel and go for the more jagged lines of the peak lapel.
Okay, so I talked about other types of lapels out there. In fact, if you look at some of my other videos, you will see that I wear a sport lapel and this is lapel that was actually designed — it's historically correct in the sense that I can wear my jacket like this, so if you can imagine — whenever you see jackets like — you only see jackets like this that button all the way up to the top and have a neck covering in the military.
I know my military dress uniforms were all like that and that's where you'll see usually a five or a six-button front, but that's where historically our jackets come from, from military wear. In a sense, they were derived off of those lines. So when you see that
In a sense, they were derived off of those lines. So when you see that sport lapel that I'm wearing, technically that's so that I could button this up all the way. I've seen a lot of fashion magazines and a lot of very stylish men are starting to actually change the collar under here and whenever they're out, they will actually flip that collar up.
If you've got style and if it looks good and you can pull it off, why not, because it actually serves a functional — I mean, it will keep you a bit warmer and protect your neck from the wind.
Other ones you're going to see out there are going to be where it's — you're going to see variations of the notch, so this notch right here, we're talking not too many — I don't know, maybe — what? It's going to maybe 110 degrees to probably 90 degrees is going to be the normal angle we're going to see here in the notch.
Once the notch starts closing up and we start seeing 60 degrees, 45 degrees, or it opens up considerably and you get a very wide notch, maybe over 145 degrees, then in that case, we're starting to see a different style. Tailors will play with this. They'll go for different looks. It's up to you.
If you do something like that, it's a very slight adjustment and you can only get that usually on a custom suit that you're having made with a tailor that knows what he's doing.
Have fun with it if this is going to be your fourth or fifth suit and you are into custom suits. If not, whenever you see that on a jacket, if it looks like it's a bit extreme there, you probably want to avoid that if this is going to be one of your only suits. It's just going to make it more of a fashion suit than a classically stylish suit.
So again, notch, peak, shawl, and in that order, in a sense, is going to be your safety net in terms of if you're only going to own one suit, if you don't get into suits, go for the notch lapel. If you own quite a few suits, then you can start looking at the peak and maybe even the shawl lapel.
All right. This has been Antonio Centeno with Real Men Real Style. If you like this video, again, like it down below. I will see you in the comments. Bye-bye.
I'm Antonio Centeno, the founder of RMRS. I'm a former Marine Corps Officer with a BA in Evolutionary Biology and Philosophy (Cornell College 98') and an MBA from The University Of Texas at Austin (07'). I studied the Science of Style in London, Hong Kong, and Bangkok and have created over 5000 videos/ articles to help men dress better. Click here to discover more about me and our mission here at RMRS.
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Okay, so let's get to the notch lapel. This is the most common lapel you're going to see out there.
The only people I don't recommend the shawl lapel for is if you've got a very rounded face. Then it's going to complement your face almost too much and by mimicking your face, it actually is going to make it look a little bit larger. So if you have a round face, you're a little bit large or portly, avoid the shawl lapel and go for the more jagged lines of the peak lapel.
