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• The Handbook

Suit Shoulders

There are a lot of differentiators when it comes to suits—lapels, buttons, vents—but few shape the suit's silhouette as much as the shoulder. Herewith, a field guide to the international order of jacket shoulders.

American

Referred to in tailoring as the "natural shoulder," this has little to no padding and thus, follows the slope of your body's shoulders naturally. The definitive preppy jacket style.

British

The English have a proclivity for the stiffer things in life—drinks, upper lips and yes, suiting. A suit cut on Savile Row will have a slightly "padded shoulder." This defines the shoulder and compliments the suit's signature nipped waist.

Italian

While this "roped shoulder" can be found on bespoke British suits, it's the Italians that really embrace the sharp style's accentuated shape—as if the sleeve were laid over a piece of rope. The effect makes shoulders appear broader.