The London Lounge

Kind of a technical question here, given that I'm relatviely still new to all this, and don't have direct contact to discuss it with anyone here in the UK, what terms to do people use here for the different styles of lapel?

ON wikipedia for example, I've been given the terms stepped collar, pointed lapel and shawl collar and the British terms, but other than that wikipedia article, I have only ever seen stepped lapels referred to as notched and pointed as peaked (with one exception, where I saw them referred to as double-breasted). Do people here actually still use the terms stepped and pointed, or have the Americanisms with regards to this particular matter largely taken over?

A 'notch' is really just that: the slit between the collar and lapel. Most Brits would refer to a step (or stepped) lapel as the normal single-breasted style and a 'double-breasted lapel' as just that. The shawl collar and lapels is self-evident. However, some Americans call a normal SB style a 'notch' lapel. I think that Angus Cundey of Henry Poole calls DB lapels 'winged lapels'.
NJS

Calling stepped/notch/normal single-breasted lapels normal seems sensible, since they are the natural shape that lapels take when unaltered, but calling a pointed/peaked lapel a "double-breasted lapel" just seems daft - too much of a mouthful. I do like "winged" though - sounds very fancy. Think I'll stick with pointed though, seems the most sensible to me.

"double-breasted lapel" because it is typical of the double-breasted coat, but it can appear on a SB coat, as well.

My tailor always refers to peaked lapels as double breasted lapels, when I request them on a single breasted suit. On a double breasted coat, he always makes a button hole for me on each side, but this would look too much on a sb coat.

Costi wrote:"double-breasted lapel" because it is typical of the double-breasted coat, but it can appear on a SB coat, as well.

Indeed - I currently own two single-breasted jackets with pointed lapels - one in black for dancing, one navy pin-stripe for being dressy during the day.