Back to Basics

A little review of the basics never hurts and the question her Ladyship most often gets is about the different lapel styles. So, today we look at the lapel styles for tuxedo jackets.

This is for educational purposes only for the chorus because it has been decided that you all should have a notched lapel. Not her Ladyship’s choice but it is what is most widely available and what the majority already has. If you have some other lapel style look for a notched lapel when the time comes to replace your jacket.

The traditional and most elegant lapel style and, in her Ladyship's opinion, the most correct is the peak or peaked lapel.

The tuxedo evolved as a more casual answer to the tailcoat but at it’s origin retained the peaked lapel which is the only style lapel one should ever see on a tailcoat. Peaked lapels are also traditional on double-breasted jackets.

Peaked lapels, as shown here, have a sharp point extending above the collar. The part that goes around your neck is the collar; the part that is an extension of the front of the jacket that is below the collar is the lapel. The lapel laps back over the body of the jacket.

Notched lapels are what you are most accustomed to seeing. This is what you will see on almost every business suit and all manner of jacket. Rather than pointing up above the collar the notched lapel is cut off in a straight line from where it is sewn to the end of the collar.

The appearance of the notched lapel in formal wear was conceived by manufacturers as a cost saving measure. By retaining the same form as the business suits that are in highest demand and simply facing the lapels in satin they were able to produce both business and formal wear without retraining or retooling or even developing new patterns. The notched lapel is also somewhat easier to sew.

Although the notched lapel tuxedo is by far the most common it is also just that: common. It is a corruption of the traditional done as a cost saving measure. To her Ladyship, that says cheap. In so many instance people are willing to pay a premium for quality and feel that by doing so their image is enhanced. Why buy a Mercedes when a Kia will get you from point A to point B as well? If you can explain why so many men would choose the Mercedes then please explain to her Ladyship why so many men will choose the notched lapel.

Shawl collars. What to say? If you think a formal bathrobe is elegant then this is for you. The shawl collar is a collar, not a lapel because, although it is an extension of the front body of the jacket, it extends in one continuous piece around the neck.

This style collar is derived from the smoking jacket; a sort of formal robe that men wore in the 19th Century when they retired with other gentlemen for an after dinner cigar. Gentlemen wore smoking jackets to prevent the smell of cigar smoke from impregnating their formal tailcoats. It was lounge wear not meant to be seen in public, it was worn at home.

Early in the 20^th century the dinner jacket appeared and was worn at small private dinners at home or in the country. At that time it was considered very casual and one would not have dreamt of wearing it in public. In warm climates the dinner jacket was often seen in white. The dinner jacket has traditionally had a shawl collar owing to its origins in the lounging jacket (a.k.a. robe). As society has become more and more casual and it has become acceptable to dine at home attired only in one's ratty old boxers, the shawl collared dinner jacket naturally began to look very formal. Gradually wires got crossed, the world turned upside down and suddenly, men were wearing dinner jackets and lounge wear to formal public events. Her Ladyship is quite at a loss as to what to say other than one should reserve the shawl collar tuxedo for when one is invited to a dinner (not one that has an associated ceremony like a wedding or awards presentation) in which the invitation requests “black tie”. In today’s society such an event is rare and so should the shawl collared tuxedo jacket be concomitantly rare.

The shawl collar is also unflattering to the full figure. The curving line of the collar accentuates roundness; if the figure is likewise round it merely highlights and draws attention to this shape. Few men would benefit from such an unflattering comparison.

Lovingly,

Lady Prisspott