Notch, Peak and Shawl Lapels Explained: Anatomy, Use and Sewing

A tailored collar and lapel are two pieces that meet. The lapel is part of the jacket front, folded back on itself; the collar is a separate piece attached at the neckline. The seam where they meet is the gorge line, and the point where the gorge reaches the outer edge creates the visible notch or peak.

The fold along which the lapel turns back is the roll line. It starts at the break point, the spot on the front edge where the lapel begins to turn, usually level with the top fastened button, and continues up into the collar as the collar's own roll line. Below the break point the front edge lies flat; above it, the lapel turns out and shows its underside, which is why that side is cut from the facing.

• Gorge: the seam joining collar and lapel; a higher gorge makes the lapel look longer.
• Notch: the gap between the collar end and the lapel point.
• Collar stand and fall: the part that rises from the neckline and the part that folds over it.
• Roll line: the soft fold of the lapel and collar; never pressed into a sharp crease.
• Break point: where the roll begins on the front edge.
• Lapel buttonhole: traditionally on the left lapel, for a flower or pin.

The notch lapel is the standard for single-breasted business suits, blazers and sports jackets. The collar end and the lapel point are separated by a triangular gap, and the lapel point usually angles slightly downward or sits roughly horizontal.

Its strength is versatility. A notch lapel suits almost every cloth and occasion short of formal evening wear, and it is the easiest of the three to draft and sew because the collar and lapel meet at a simple open angle. Our pattern 6017, a Men's Three-Button Notch Lapel Jacket, is a typical example.

On a peak lapel the lapel point sweeps upward toward the shoulder, past the end of the collar, so there is little or no gap between them. The upward line carries the eye toward the shoulders and makes the chest look broader.

Peak lapels are traditional on double-breasted jackets, morning coats and tailcoats, and they are one of the two correct choices for a dinner jacket. On a single-breasted business suit they read as deliberate and more formal. Our pattern 6021, a Double Breasted Peak Lapel Jacket, shows the classic pairing, and 6074, a Formal Tailcoat, belongs to the evening family where the peak lapel is at home.

A shawl collar has no gorge seam on the outside and no notch: the collar and lapel form one continuous curved band from the back of the neck to the buttoning point. Behind the scenes the upper side is usually cut as an extended facing with a seam only at center back, while the under-collar remains a separate piece.

The shawl collar is almost entirely an evening style, used on dinner jackets and, in a narrower form, on evening waistcoats. It is frequently faced with silk satin or grosgrain to contrast with the body cloth. Our pattern 6078, a Men's Tuxedo (Dinner Jacket), and 6080, a Men's Single-Breasted Tuxedo Jacket, belong to the dinner-jacket family where both shawl and peak lapels are the traditional choices.

There is no single correct width, but there is a correct relationship. A lapel looks balanced when its width roughly relates to the width of the shoulder and the chest it sits on, and when it works with the tie and the shirt collar points. A broad-shouldered man can carry a wider lapel; a narrow frame looks lost behind one.

As a rough orientation, a classic suit lapel is often cut somewhere around 8 to 9 cm at its widest. Noticeably narrower lapels read as fashion-driven and slim; noticeably wider ones recall earlier decades. Peak lapels are commonly cut a little wider than notch lapels on the same jacket, because the upward point needs room to show. Whatever width you choose, keep the collar end in proportion, and make sure the gorge height and notch angle look intentional from a few steps away.

1. 1.Mark the roll line on the canvas or fusible interfacing of the front and stay it with a tape, eased slightly tighter than the cloth, so the lapel hugs the chest instead of standing away.
2. 2.In traditional tailoring, pad stitch the lapel area while holding it rolled over your hand. The small diagonal stitches lock the curve into the canvas. In fused construction, a fused lapel can still be shaped by pressing it over a tailor's ham along the roll line.
3. 3.Cut the under-collar on the bias, often in two halves with a center back seam. The bias allows the collar to stretch and shrink into the curve of the neck; tailors often use collar melton or the body cloth with a shaped interfacing.
4. 4.Allow for the turn of cloth: the top collar and the lapel facing must be slightly larger than the under-collar and front, so they can wrap around the roll without pulling the edge seam into view.
5. 5.Roll the edge seam slightly toward the underside on the lapel and toward the inside on the front below the break point, so no seam shows from the outside in either area.
6. 6.Steam the roll line into shape over a ham but never press it flat; a pressed crease breaks the soft roll that makes a lapel look tailored.

A lapel that rolls cleanly depends on the neckline, the front balance and the break point sitting in the right place on the wearer. If the jacket is too tight across the chest, the lapel springs open; if the front is too long for the figure, it rolls in the wrong place.

Minerva Patterns drafts each model to your own measurements, so the neckline, front and collar pieces are generated for one figure instead of being blended between sizes. Every piece carries its grainline and notches, and you choose the format at checkout: printable PDF (A4, US Letter, A0 or one long sheet), a projector file, PLT or DXF AAMA, with seam allowances included or not.