“There is a kind of confidence, a sureness of ones self…”

A few years ago when my own “Sartorial Revolution” was well underway, I was trawling street style photos online one day. I stumbled upon a few photos of dudes hanging around Pitti Uomo wearing suits and blazers with huge lapels. I instantly fell in love with this rather classic, manly and visualy pleasing sartorial detail, and have embraced it with a passion ever since.

There is a kind of confidence, a sureness of ones self when wearing a garment that has such presence that makes the “skinny” lapel trend look wimpy and insignificant – a thought that most local Australian designers are still struggling to come to terms with.

Alas, there is still hope! Slowly but surely this classic style is taking hold – starting with the Avant Gardes abroad a long while back (some of them never leaving this design behind since the last wide lapel outburst), and filtering through stylish local tailors whose clients request the design. After a couple of seasons of rest to let the new style sink into the market, new local brands wanting to make their mark on the scene (M.J. Bale is an example of this) finally popularise the trend and drag the rest of the local menswear world kicking and screaming out of last decade’s design aesthetic.

Some local brands I would recommend if you’re looking to cop a pair of wide lapels in nonspecific order:

M.J. Bale

Oscar Hunt

Henry Bucks

Patrick Johnson

Twelvetailors

Luxury Menswear brands accessible in Australia worth checking out for wide lapels:

Brioni

Tom Ford

Ermenegildo Zegna

Giorgio Armani

Happy hunting!

Steve Calder