Patent ID: 8001619

Claim:
A stiffener strip for a lapel of a garment, comprising: a stiffener strip; and a strip retainer pocket being formed on an inner surface of the lapel with a strip of material, a perimeter of said strip of material is attached to the inner surface of the lapel, said perimeter including a top perimeter portion, a bottom perimeter portion, a first side perimeter portion and a second side perimeter portion, an inner perimeter of said top perimeter portion, said bottom perimeter portion, said first side perimeter portion and said second side perimeter portion form a strip cavity, said strip cavity is sized to receive an outer perimeter of said stiffener strip, at least one of said first side perimeter portion, said second side perimeter portion and said top perimeter portion includes a strip opening being located at a leg of a corner of said strip retainer pocket, said strip opening is sized to permit the insertion of said stiffener strip into said strip cavity, said strip opening is sized to permit the removal of said stiffener strip from said strip cavity, said strip of material covering all of said stiffener strip when inserted into said strip cavity, said strip retainer pocket being positioned to retain said stiffener strip below a collar of the garment.