No Notch Lapel on Suit

[jjcs]

Hi,

I recently went to Bangkok and got a couple of suits tailored. I was in a rush and pretty hungover when we went to pick them up so I didn't realise until after I got home that there was no notch on the lapel. These are two button business suits. I suspect the answer is no, but can I possibly get away with not getting the notch lapel done? I obviously can't go back to the same tailor, and I'm just a bit worried if I get it done by another tailor they won't be able to match the button holes.

TIA,
jjcs.

 

[The Happy Stroller]

What exactly do you mean by buttonholes not being able to be matched?

Are the present lapels shawl collar-type or peak lapels?

If they are peak lapels, you could explore the possibility of folding over the peaks to form notches, plus sew a new lapel buttonhole.

If they are notch lapels without notches cut yet, you could consider folding over the extraneous part to form notches, similar to the case of the peak lapels.

Originally Posted by jjcs

Hi,

I recently went to Bangkok and got a couple of suits tailored. I was in a rush and pretty hungover when we went to pick them up so I didn't realise until after I got home that there was no notch on the lapel. These are two button business suits. I suspect the answer is no, but can I possibly get away with not getting the notch lapel done? I obviously can't go back to the same tailor, and I'm just a bit worried if I get it done by another tailor they won't be able to match the button holes.

TIA,
jjcs.

 

[Manton]

You mean it is a shawl collar? The lapels and collar are one continuous piece of cloth? If so, then the you can't simply cut notches. The facings have to taken off and recut, and a collar has to be made.

I think such a suit would, even today, be too far outside the mainstream for most business enviornments.

 

[Teacher]

...or is it one of those lapels that looks like it was supposed to be a notch-lapel suit but the tailor forgot to actually finish cutting the notches, resulting in a complete triangle where lapel meets collar? I can't find a pic, but I know they've been posted before.

 

[mack11211]

Are you writing about the actual lapel... or the buttonhole, real or faux, that is customarily sewn into it?

 

[shoefan]

Or is it just lacking the button-hole/boutonniere hole? If that's all, any tailor should be able to do it. However, don't get a 'key-hole' button hole (the shape of the holes for the actual buttoning), but rather a straight button hole.

There are fairly many suits that lack a lapel button-hole, including some bespoke, so their absence is not terrible, though most probably prefer the look of the lapel with the button-hole.

 

[jjcs]

Ah nuts sorry, I've totally stuffed up here. I'm just talking about the buttonhole on the lapel. I was trying to figure out what it was called and came across a "notch lapel" several times so thought it was that. The suit has a notch lapel, but it just missing the buttonhole on the lapel. Is that acceptable? Between the 3 blokes that live here, the other 12 suits have a buttonhole. Is acceptable not to have one?

Sorry for the totally misleading first post!

 

[Manton]

No buttonhole is a bit unusual, but hardly something to attract unwelcome stares. Plus, it's easy enough to add one.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by jjcs

Ah nuts sorry, I've totally stuffed up here. I'm just talking about the buttonhole on the lapel. I was trying to figure out what it was called and came across a "notch lapel" several times so thought it was that. The suit has a notch lapel, but it just missing the buttonhole on the lapel. Is that acceptable? Between the 3 blokes that live here, the other 12 suits have a buttonhole. Is acceptable not to have one?

Sorry for the totally misleading first post!

Oh, that's easy and cheap to fix. Any decent alterations tailor can add a buttonhole to your lapel. Just make sure it isn't a keyhole button hole.

 

[The Happy Stroller]

Either you get a piece of cord (a thick string) about 3/4 to an inch ( 2 cm. to 2.5 cm.) stitched on the front of the left lapel, or get a buttonhole of same length cut into the left lapel. Try to get a cord of a colour that doesn't clash with the suit's colour/s. Similarly, the same thing applies to the thread used for the buttonhole.

It seems quite normal to line the buttonhole in order to point towards the peaky (i.e., sharp) corner of the notch lapel. Don't worry, it doesn't mean that the buotonniere (i.e., flower which you stick into the lapel buttonhole) will have to point towards your neck, as the buttonhole will be long enough to allow you to choose the angle for whereever direction you desire to buotonniere to incline towards. But if you will be stitching only a simple loop holder on the front of the left lapel, try to orientate the loop holder at right angle to the peaky corner of the lapel, or at the very least, make it horizontal.

With a buttonhole, you may also wish to stitch on a loop holder on the hidden side of the left lapel, half an inch (about 1.5 cm.) below the buttonhole but horizontally. This will enable you to not only stick the buotenniere into your buttonhole but with the help of the loop holder, get a good hold on the stem of the buotenniere so that it will not move away from its desired angle.

 

[King Francis]

Originally Posted by Manton

You mean it is a shawl collar? The lapels and collar are one continuous piece of cloth? If so, then the you can't simply cut notches. The facings have to taken off and recut, and a collar has to be made.

I think such a suit would, even today, be too far outside the mainstream for most business enviornments.

Have you ever seen this done? (I mean a business suit with a shawl collar.) I've wondered before about the possibility of it, but figured that it would not only look out of place for actual business, but would simply look "off" in general (even were the suit intended purely for recreation). But I'm a big fan of shawl collars, so I can't help wondering.

 

[Toiletduck]

I agree that it would look totally "off"...and I can't imagine what it'd look like w/ striped fabric...Imagine that, a striped shawl collar!

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by King Francis

Have you ever seen this done? (I mean a business suit with a shawl collar.) I've wondered before about the possibility of it, but figured that it would not only look out of place for actual business, but would simply look "off" in general (even were the suit intended purely for recreation). But I'm a big fan of shawl collars, so I can't help wondering.
Thierry Mugler made suits like this. Hardly conservative, of course.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by King Francis

Have you ever seen this done? (I mean a business suit with a shawl collar.) I've wondered before about the possibility of it, but figured that it would not only look out of place for actual business, but would simply look "off" in general (even were the suit intended purely for recreation). But I'm a big fan of shawl collars, so I can't help wondering.
A colleague of mine has one by Ozwald Boateng RTW. It took me a few seconds to realize what was out of the ordinary about his suit. So it didn't jump out as much as you would think it would. However, I don't know that I would dare it, let alone that I would wear it when I was meeting clients. It actually looked kind of cool, though.

 

[Philip1978]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

I agree that it would look totally "off"...and I can't imagine what it'd look like w/ striped fabric...Imagine that, a striped shawl collar!



1+