Express yourself through your shoulders
Known as shoulder expression, the shape and detailing of the jacket shoulder helps define a men’s suit silhouette. Shoulders are the style equivalent of political parties, think Republican or Labour. They express your stylistic point of view.
Shoulder expression broadly fits into three categories: Italian, British and American. Within these, there are a variety of options including soft, roped, padded, lightly padded, rounded, knocked-down, shirred, concave and convex.
Of the three main styles, the American is typically the most natural and follows the shape of the shoulders with little or no padding. This works well for those with strong or bulky shoulders but not for men with sloping or narrow shoulders. It is most often seen on the American sack suit and is a signature aspect of J Press or ‘preppy’ style.
The British shoulders complements the typical suppressed waist silhouette and is stiffened by light padding.
The Italian style tends to be more fashion forward. Often with a roped shoulder, Italian suiting can also be broken down into Neapolitan, Milanese and Roman. All three also have their own hall marks. In Neapolitan style, you find shirring – which creates a lovely and subtle pleat where the sleeve fabric meets the jacket on the shoulder. The shirring provides greater comfort and freedom of movement in the shoulder and sleeve.
Choose the shoulder that suits your style when you order the K Dark Blue Glen Plaid. The exquisite large glen plaid check is bold without being flamboyant, with a flawless finish and beautiful drape. Which shoulders would you like to see in this suit on you?