Drape suit

Drape suits are a 1930's British variation of the lounge suit. The drape cut, sometimes called a "London drape" was popularized by Frederick Scholte, tailor to the Prince of Wales (later the Duke of Windsor). Scholte observed that adding cloth to the shoulders of a jacket made many men look trimmer and more athletic. The new suit cut was softer and more flexible in construction than the suits of the previous generation; extra fabric in the shoulder and armscye, light padding, a slightly nipped waist, and fuller sleeves tapered at the wrist resulted in a cut with folds, or "drapes," front and back that created the illusion of the broad-shoulders and tight-waist "V" figure of the very fit.

The British drape was taken up by men around the world. The American Zoot suit was an extreme exaggeration of the drape popular in some sub-cultures in the 1940s.

More recently the drape suit has been popularised by the well-known clothing authority Michael Anton.

Further reading

• The Gentleman's Gazette provides more information and illustrated pictures about the Drape Suit.