Tweaking Chan specs--lapel width?

[DandySF]

I'm meeting with Chan in November and am interested in ordering a slightly more contemporary lapel width, something a bit narrower.

For comparison purposes, I checked the lapel width of jackets from Chan and Hickey Freeman. Each of them measures 3.5 inches at the widest point.

What would be a slightly more modern width? Maybe 3 inches or 2.75? Does anyone have an idea of the width of the Polo Black Label lapels or Zegna lapels?

 

[Will]

Narrower lapels have been around for at least forty years. You could request 2.5" lapels so long as you have a source for 2.5" neckties.

But that's replacing style with fashion, which often finds no longer fashionable clothes hanging unworn in the closet while their brethren with 3.5" lapels continue serving.

 

[Get Smart]

under 3" is a good narrow width. I like about 2.5" myself. and there's no reason why you can't wear a jacket with narrow lapels every year for the next 10 years, sometimes in and sometimes out of "fashion" but if the wearer has his own style then it's not gonna matter.

 

[DandySF]

Thanks for sharing your perspectives. In the interest of moderation, I'll probably request a 3 inch lapel, down from a 3.5.

I've noticed older men with gorgeous clothes that are clearly out of date. The stuff doesn't look vintage so much as it does just plain old. I think at some point things do become dated, whether due to color, cut, or cloth.

I hope to keep things relatively current by adjusting my style so that it's somewhat in tune with the times. For this reason I tend to avoid going deep into any single stylistic direction. I think of it as diversifying my wardrobe and protecting it from the risks of concentrated positions, to borrow an investment concept.

 

[Charley]

When considering the lapel width, think of it as a proportion of the distance from the inner lapel edge to the outer shoulder. Different sizes should have different widths to keep the proportion - so that the fixed measurement will be different for different sizes. Hope I have not been too confusing trying to explain my thoughts.

I believe that you will find anything less than 1/3 of that distance to be pretty narrow. Maybe pushing the style edge enough to really go out of style. Something near 1/2 will be somewhat narrow but retain wearability.

Others can better advise you, but I find that a peak lapel should be a bit wider than a notched one for my style preference.