The London Lounge

I've been toying with the idea of commissioning a peak lapel business suit (possible midnight blue) and was wondering if this would flout sartorial conventions? Thought that the peak lapel might accentuate height since I'm 1.6m tall.

Will probably be wearing this in a business/office setting, along with another suit I'm having made, which is a navy blue notch lapel suit.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Peak lapel
Midnight blue
Am also deliberating between single, double, or triple buttons.

Peaked lapels on a SB jacket, although not the most common option, are perfectly acceptable and in your case I believe it´s a good one because they will give the illusion of a longer torso (provided the gorge level is high). However, in midnight blue they make me think more of a stylish or formal occasion than just daily office environment. Since your other suit is also blue, why not try a medium grey?
Also - given your height- I would avoid the 3 button jacket. It will make the lapels shorter killing the elongating effect of the peaked lapels. How do you like Huntsman 1 button style? 2 buttons will be the most conservative option for the office.

Thanks. Will rethink the color, and possibly opt for a charcoal. Would a high gorge, or a lower one, for a peal lapel, be ideal for somebody as vertically challenged as myself?

How should I specify the 'type' of peak I want? I'm afraid I'll misdirect the tailor.

Gary Cooper was tall and lower gorge seemed to balance things out for him. For what it's worth, I am lucky to have suits made by 2 exceptional tailors and they tend to make gorges at different heights for me -- both work great, as everything else is proportional and expertly balanced. It does make sense that people of shorter stature may benefit from the longer line of a higher gorge. I agree that 1 or 2 button would be a better choice than 3. A peak lapel SB 3 piece suit is very classic, especially in solid mid-greys or muted patterns (grey self-herringbone with a fine blue or red stripe, etc). "Foyle's War" -- a PBS show about a british detective during WWII -- has very good examples. Sharp contrasted fabrics and stripes, as in your enclosed picture, look very nice, but might be "dandyish" in a district attorney's or most consulting firm offices. On the other hand, they would be right at home in advertising, entertainment or patent law practices. In the end, keep in mind that you wear your clothes and not the other way around.

Cheers,

Michael

marburyvmadison wrote: Would a high gorge, or a lower one, for a peak lapel, be ideal for somebody as vertically challenged as myself?

A higher than average gorge would be ideal in your case. See the detailed discussion below based on the example of Toto's height (aprox. 1m55).
http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... 572#p61589

marburyvmadison wrote:Would a high gorge, or a lower one, for a peal lapel, be ideal for somebody as vertically challenged as myself?

First off I would stop considering height a challenge of any sort: it's just you! If you FEEL challenged, you won't be comfortable in anything that you wear. It's hard to be elegant when you don't feel perfectly comfortable with yourself...
Any kind of coat (SB, DB, peak or notch lapel), if well proportioned to your stature, can look good on you. And a good tailor will know how to get those good proportions. Browse for some pictures of the Duke of Windsor, Toto etc. - elegant men who were not tall, but still looked (and felt!) good in their clothes and take them to your tailor. Have a chat with him.
Those lapels in the first picture are too high, too wide and too straight in my opinion. If you exaggerate with features that supposedly "elongate", it ends up being an obvious effort, which destroys the harmony you would like to project.

Dear Marburyvmadison:

A single breasted peaked lapel suit will look nice on your height.

I would have the suit made with a two button front, and a one button front for a SBPL dinner suit.

Are you going to have vest made up as well? If you do, go ahead and have peak lapels on it as well.

Please keep us updated on your bespoken journey, and photos would be nice as well.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79