What exactly is "gorge"?

Would someone be kind enough to show me the difference between a high vs. low gorge?

In theory should/do English cut suits have a different gorge than an Italian made garment?

On another note; my understanding of "rise" is that it is the difference in sizing between a jacket and trousers. For example I normally take a 40S suit yet have a 32 waist thereby rendering me w/ an 8" rise which is considered slightly different than the "norm". Am I correct?

V-

The gorge is where the collar of a jacket meets the lapels.  In other words, it is the "notch" on a notch lapel jacket.

I am perhaps the biggest fan of nation-by-nation generalizations on this board, but even I despair of successfully categorzing English and Italian suits according to where they place the gorge.  However, I will say that at the very high end, most Italian makers of RTW suits make a high gorge.  That's probably as far as that generalization can go and still be true.

"Rise" is the distance betwee a pair of trousers' crotch and the top of the waistband.  The difference between suit size and trouser waist is called the "drop." For RTW suits sold in America, a 6" drop is standard. 8" is not uncommon, however. So-called "athletic cut" suits have a larger drop.

I thought the gorge was the area that was created by the inside of the lapels on the left and right, your tie on the top and the suit button(s) on the bottom?

A 1980's suit with a very low button stance has a low gorge and a classic Brooks Brother's or J. Press 3 button suit has a high gorge.

Am I off base with my terminology?

Yes you are off base. Gorge is the notch; button stance is the button stance.

I've read that the gorge is:

The height of the top button on a suit

The distance created between a suit collar and the shirt collar underneath.

I think we call gorge "cran".

Neapolitan style, gorge is high, and looking high toward shoulders; also it wide, almost 90 degrees angle.

Italian style: it depends, but always usually high. But I see that in many classical english suits; I see the angle more closed, we say like "fish mouth".

It is hard to generalize.

I've read that the gorge is: The height of the top button on a suit

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This is not correct. Â Although it is generally true that jackets with a high gorge also have a high button stance. Â I would say that suits with a high gorge ought to have a high button stance, and vice versa, but there is no necessary corellation. Designers like to play around with these factors for the sake of novelty.

The distance created between a suit collar and the shirt collar underneath.

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The collar of a well-made suit should lie flat against the shirt collar. Â There shouldn't be any distance.

The gorge is where the collar of a jacket meets the lapels. In other words, it is the "notch" on a notch lapel jacket.

I am perhaps the biggest fan of nation-by-nation generalizations on this board, but even I despair of successfully categorzing English and Italian suits according to where they place the gorge. However, I will say that at the very high end, most Italian makers of RTW suits make a high gorge. That's probably as far as that generalization can go and still be true.

"Rise" is the distance betwee a pair of trousers' crotch and the top of the waistband. The difference between suit size and trouser waist is called the "drop." For RTW suits sold in America, a 6" drop is standard. 8" is not uncommon, however. So-called "athletic cut" suits have a larger drop.

Click to expand...

Yes, most high-end Italian makers of RTW suits / jackets use a particularly high gorge which when coupled with a high, top button stance, looks very, very good and is definitely something that is not found on lesser suits. I recall reading somewhere that very high gorges are quite complex to manufacture properly.

Jon.