The Gorge – What is it and how do we use it to make you look better?
Ahhhh the beloved gorge….what is it you ask? The gorge of the jacket is the point at which the collar and lapel intersect. Theoretically, the standard gorge height should be even with the bottom of your tie. Is that always the case? No. Should that be the correct height? It depends. As tailors, the manipulation of the gorge is one of the many tools we would use to either lengthen or shorten your frame. I’ll give a few examples of body type below and suggest how we might alter the gorge accordingly:

Customer is very tall and thin (6’-6” tall, 190 lbs, low waistline) - The goal here is to make the jacket appear proportional to the customer's height. Although high gorge is fashionable at the moment, we would aim to lower the gorge slightly as to shorten the customer’s frame. A high gorge will only further accent the long length of the customer’s upper torso.
2. Customer is short and portly (5’-6”, 240 lbs, low waistline, short inseam) – In this situation, we would once again look to provide a lower gorge height. A high gorge will only make the customer’s belly appear larger and his legs shorter.
3. Customer is average height with a high waistline (5’-11”, 185 lbs, 33” inseam) – With this scenario the customer is obviously very short waisted. We would aim to lengthen his upper frame by provided a higher gorge. This will help create the illusion of a longer upper body.
Hopefully this brief scenario has helped broaden your knowledge of the gorge! As always feel free to forward your questions or comments! We’re happy to help you dress better!