What is Wednesday.

This weekly What is Wednesday post is aimed at answering some of the more basic and critical aspects of tailoring and the terminology we use to describe them. It stems from realizing that I’m constantly throwing out different terms with my clients and quite often they’re unsure as to what I exactly mean.  The goal of this section then is to alleviate this terminology gap and provide you with some know-how to talk tailoring with a little more ease.

What is…a patch, besom & flap pocket?

A pretty simple topic this week – specifically we’re talking about the styles of front pockets found on suit jackets, sportcoats or blazers.  Generally there are three kinds – patch, besom and flap.

On the outsides we have the patch and flap styles – both are easy to remember as they are simply physical descriptions of the pocket.  As for the besom style – if anyone can let me know where the name comes from I’d be much obliged as I can’t seem to find an answer.

The big question though – which style to choose and when?  The easy answer is whatever you aesthetically prefer – today the rules are interpreted quite loosely and you’ll see all three styles with relative frequency.  That said the most formal of the bunch is the besom style – it is typically what you would find on a tuxedo and black tie jackets; however as you can see in the image above it also just as useful with a standard suit.  On the other end of the spectrum is the patch pocket – definitely the most casual of the three.  Traditionally found on sportcoats and blazers; they are presently gaining a lot of momentum and finding their way into more standard suits.  They are in fact a great way to relax a suit and give it a touch more playfulness.  As for the flap style – it sits right in the middle and will forever be the most popular choice for its versatility which enables it to be equally appropriate in both formal and more casual environments.

As always I’d love to hear your opinions on this or any sartorial subject for that matter.  Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com