Notch Lapel, Peak Lapel, Shawl Lapel: The Three Jacket Lapel Types Explained

The lapel is the portion of a jacket's front facing that folds back from the collar break to the first button. It is defined by the shape of its upper edge and its relationship to the collar. There are three main lapel configurations, each with a distinct character, formality level, and appropriate context.

The Notch Lapel

The notch lapel is the most common lapel configuration in contemporary men's suiting. It is formed by a V-shaped notch cut at the point where the collar meets the lapel — a step inward that creates the characteristic angular break visible in virtually all ready-to-wear suits. The notch lapel reads as the standard configuration for business and professional suiting: versatile, widely accepted, and appropriate across most formal and semi-formal contexts.

The width of the notch lapel varies with fashion and personal preference. A narrower notch (under 7cm at the widest point) reads as contemporary and fashionable; a wider notch (8–9cm) reads as more traditional. The gorge — the position of the notch on the lapel — also varies: a high gorge places the notch nearer the collar, reading as fashion-forward; a lower gorge is more conservative.

Notch lapels are not correct on dinner jackets, where only peak or shawl lapels are appropriate. See our guide to the rules of black tie for full formal dress requirements.

The Peak Lapel

The peak lapel is formed by points that extend upward and outward toward the shoulder — the lapel peaks above the collar line rather than being notched below it. It is more formal and more assertive than the notch lapel: the upward-pointing peaks draw the eye toward the face and create a stronger, more architectural shoulder line.

Peak lapels are the correct configuration for double-breasted jackets (where a notch lapel is technically incorrect), and are widely used on single-breasted dinner jackets and morning coats. They are also found on single-breasted business suits and sport coats, where they read as more formal than a notch lapel and communicate deliberate style consciousness.

The Shawl Lapel

The shawl lapel is a continuous curve from collar to button with no notch or peak — the collar and lapel form a single unbroken curved line. It is the traditional lapel for dinner jackets, particularly in single-breasted format, and for smoking jackets. The shawl lapel reads as the softest and most relaxed of the three configurations — it lacks the angular directness of the notch and peak — but in the dinner jacket context, this softness is part of its correct vocabulary.

Shawl lapels appear almost exclusively in evening wear contexts. A shawl lapel on a business suit is unusual to the point of being a deliberate aesthetic statement rather than a conventional choice.

Related terms: canvas — roped shoulder — grosgrain