The London Lounge

I am on the verge of ordering one or two new suits and have been considering the extent of curvature/flatness of the lapel roll, which I believe is sometimes called "belly".

I have been concerned that one or two tailors who I am considering using might sometimes fail to achieve the nice full curve that others do. Of course, it may be deliberate (perhaps to achieve a more smooth, sleek look?) or I may be wrong for other reasons.

I was reading this thread on another forum about full canvas construction:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/foru ... -explained

It suggests that the best tailors use a machine which rolls and pads the lapel, but that this machine is very expensive.

I would be interested in any thoughts that people have on this aspect of a suit in general. In particular, are there some tailors (especially UK-based) who do this better than others? Is this machine important? If so, is it something that is beyond the reach of smaller tailors and something only found at the larger, more established places?

Sammy, "belly" refers to the curvature of the lapel line from the buttoning point up to the notch (or peak). It is best kept subtle, so that the line of the lapel APPEARS almost straight (if it IS straight, it appears slightly concave, which is not desirable). The belly should add some visual tension to the lapel line, without being obvious.
The roll of the lapel is where it turns over above the buttoning point. If it is cut too "dry", the lapels tend to look glued on, rather than naturally belonging there. As it is often the case, machines are built to imitate the human hand. An experienced tailor rolls the lapel between his fingers as he pads them, needle in hand. It is then also a matter of proper ironing to put the lapel roll naturally into evidence. Therefore, a machine is needed only where an experienced hand is missed.

Thanks, that's very helpful.

As to terminology, I was concerned with the extent of the curvature of the lapels (i.e. the extent to which they roll away from the body in a nice round curve rather than simply being bent back flat).

I was not concerned with the shape of the lapels (i.e. the curve of the line from button to collar) or the depth of the roll (i.e. whether the roll extends say to the second button in a three-button suit).

So, whatever term I should be using, is this something that differs significantly from tailor to tailor? I was in town today and thought the suits in the window of A&S had a much more pronounced roll (in the sense I am talking about) from some other places.

Am I imagining things?

No, you are not imagining - some tailors / houses / traditions prefer a richer roll, others (some of the Italians, generalizing) significantly less. You should specify it, no matter what tailor you choose. Show him a picture, too. It can easily be done as required, no need for special equipment and no need to choose a tailor on the basis of roll displayed on shopwindow or previously made coats.