Lapel

"Lapel" redirects here. For the town, see Lapel, Indiana.

4 men in jackets with lapels

Jacket lapels are the decorative revers on the face of formal jackets, most commonly found on men\'s clothing. They are formed by turning down the collar and turning back the top part of the jacket\'s closure, as in this image. Collars arose from simple necklines to support neckwear, then were turned over into lapels starting in the late 18th century.

There are three basic forms of lapels: notched, peaked and shawl. Notched, the most common, is often seen on business suits. Peaked and shawl are the more formal, traditionally seen on dinner jackets and tailcoats.

Often, a lapel pin or boutonniere is worn on the lapel of formal jackets.

Different types of lapels

A notch lapel jacket

Notch lapel: squared off to top collar making a "notch" effect on jacket.

A peak lapel jacket

Peak lapel: lapel points extend upward above bottom of top collar of jacket.

Fads and trends involving lapels

Boilersuit with the top of the closure turned back open in hot weather or indoors, to show the origin of the usual style of jacket lapels

In the 1970s, leisure suits were known for having exaggeratedly wide lapels.

In punk fashion, the lapels of leather jackets are often adorned with various buttons and pins usually sporting typical "punk" images (anarchy symbols, skulls etc.) and popular punk band logos.

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