How Wide Should Lapels Be?

A lapel is the matching parts on each side of the jacket, right below the collar, where the fabric folds back towards the shoulders. The average width for a lapel is 3.5 inches, but they can range anywhere from 2 to 5.

How do you measure lapel width?

A lapel is measured perpendicular to the roll line at it's widest point. A tie is measured straight across at its widest point. In this look they all measure exactly 2.5″, which is on the quite-narrow side for all three, but together the narrow lines complement each other.

How wide are suit lapels?

Regular Lapels

Lapels of regular width tend to measure around 3-3.5” at their widest point, so not too skinny or too wide. This is the lapel width that most off-the-rack jackets are made with which is why it's the most recognized width out there. Here's a great example of a 3.5" notch lapel paired with a waistcoat.