All About Collars
Traditional Shirt CollarThe forward point collar (or just ‘point collar’) dress shirt is possibly the most traditional shirt in the menswear lineup. Distinguishing Quality: The narrow distance between the collar points, which is often not covered by a jacket’s lapels. What It Says About You: You’re a no-nonsense traditionalist who appreciates the classics. Our Advice: The forward point collar shirt is your everyday, basic, workhorse kind of shirt. Every guy should have one, no matter whether he’s an only-wear-dress-shirts-’cause-I-have-to kind of guy or someone who invests a great deal of time into cultivating his personal style.
| ||||||||||||
English Spread OR Semi SpreadThe spread collar is very much the middle ground of dress shirt collars. If the forward point collar is for the strict traditionalist and the cutaway collar is for the sprezzy trendsetter, the spread collar falls comfortably in the sweet spot between the two. Distinguishing Quality: The elegant and symmetrical way the collar points end and disappear right where they meet the jacket. What It Says About You: You enjoy putting time and effort into your style but are still more conservative than you are Italian. (Or, you work in a corporate environment and want to stand out, but not too much.)
Our Advice: The spread collar shirt is really your “no wrong answer” kind of shirt. It works in just about every situation imaginable, won’t get you in trouble for any kind of employer dress code/style violation and just looks damn good. Too easy.
| ||||||||||||
Extra Wide SpreadSometimes called a Windsor collar because it originally was developed to fit Windsor tie knots, cutaway collars are made at an angle that “cuts away” from your face. It was developed as a reaction to the rigid styles found in the 1920s, and it is meant to be much bolder and more modern than those types of shirts were. Because of the “V” shape in the top and center of the collar, it is more spread-out than most other traditional collars. They do a great job of emphasizing your face and neck, and best of all, they are perfect for almost any occasion, both personal and business-related, casual and formal. If you have a slimmer or elongated neck and a face that is angular in shape, the cutaway collar will look good on you. Although they are perfect for nearly any occasion, these collars are not for everyone. If you’re unsure about the look, try one on before you make a permanent decision because you may prefer other looks instead, such as shirts with a spread collar. Our Advice: The cutaway collar is not for everyone. If you’re at all on the fence about it, go with a spread collar instead. But if it’s your thing, it can be easily become “your look” for just about every kind of occasion, ranging from office to date to wedding.
| ||||||||||||
Hidden Button DownSimilar to the straight collar in look and multi-functional wear, it buttons down on the underside of the collar for a hidden tip control. This type of collar looks great with and without a tie, so it is perfect from day to night. The hidden button-down collar is perfect for an office situation in which you need to dress up and look professional, without the traditional suit and tie.
| ||||||||||||
Button DownLike many classic menswear garments, the button-down collar was first and foremost a practical innovation. Polo players introduced them as a way to keep their collars from flapping in their faces while riding. It was first offered to the public by Brooks Brothers and has been a staple of classic, preppy style ever since. Distinguishing Quality: The buttons. What It Says About You: You prefer to stay tailored but don’t always want to wear a tie. Plus, you like to keep a little prep in your step. Our Advice: Like the forward point collar shirt, the button-down shirt should be a staple of every guy’s wardrobe. It’s more relaxed, very American and looks great with, or without, a tie. Yes, you can wear a tie with a button-down shirt. We asked the style of gods. They said it was cool.
| ||||||||||||
Tab CollarThough we’ve called the forward point collar the OG dress shirt, In all actuality, the tab collar has been around even longer. We’re talking like before the development of the modern shirt collar, back when collars were removable and not attached to the rest of the shirt. It’s a rare style these days and hard to find, but for the true style buff, it’s worth the hunt.
| ||||||||||||
Club CollarThe club collar emerged as a way for students at Eton college to “distinguish” themselves and their uniforms from that of other schools. They took the standard collar points and merely rounded them off. Et voilà! The ‘Eaton collar’ was born. The collar style soon became knows as the ‘club collar’ in reference to that “special club membership” it signified. Distinguishing Quality: The rounded ends of the collar. What It Says About You: You know that style is about having a little fun now and then, and you know exactly when it’s the right time for it. Our Advice: There are definite time and place for a club collar shirt. You’ve kind of got be a bit of a style veteran and go by feel to know when it’s right. By nature, the club collar is a little dandy. In the wrong environment, it can come off as a costume piece. Works best for an elegant night out, cocktail party or semi-formal event.
| ||||||||||||
Rounded EdgeMainly called as a Chinese collar but sometimes called as Band collar also.
| ||||||||||||
Pin CollarFunctionally, a pin collar shirt is right in line with a tab collar. While tab collar has an extended tab of fabric that buttons under the tie, a pin collar shirt replaces the tab with a bar. The bar elegantly lifts the tie knot, creating a luxurious and sprezzy arch below the tie knot while also holding the knot itself firmly in place. Distinguishing Quality: The eyelets on each collar point that are fastened together with either a collar bar or a collar pin. What It Says About You: You’ve devoted years to the study of classic tailored menswear and have found sartorial nirvana. Our Advice: The occasion needs to be right for a pin collar shirt, especially if you’re using a collar bar. It’s dressy and is great for formal and semi-formal occasions as well as business, if you’ve established yourself as a sartorially-inclined individual. Substitute a collar pin for the bar to tone down the formality and increase the shirt’s versatility.
| ||||||||||||
Band Or Chinese CollarBand collars are great for that you know they're not too formal but they do they have that button up and down feature so they give it a little bit more formality so it's not too so casual that it looks like a t-shirt. Whether a standard band collar, a Mandarin, or Nehru collar, band collar shirts are quite simply shirts with just a band for the collar (i.e. no collar at all). More elaborately, it’s a shirt that eschews the go-to turn-down collar, instead being formed from a singular, flat band of cloth that runs around the neck. Distinguishing Quality: A complete and total lack of collar. What It Says About You: Rules do not weight heavily on your mind. You like to experiment, take risks and are confident enough in your personal style to do so.
| ||||||||||||
Mao CollarMainly called as a Chinese collar but sometimes called as Band collar also.
| ||||||||||||
Clerical CollarClerical collar, clergy collar or Roman collar, is an item of Christian clerical clothing. The collar closes at the back of the neck, presenting a seamless front.
| ||||||||||||
Wing TipThe wing-collar, so-called because of the two ‘wings’ at the front, is popularly associated with the turn of the last century. Wing-collars are typically worn with more formal attire, such as White Tie, but they were also popular everyday collars. This particular type of collar retained its unique shape thanks to copious amounts of starch used in the ironing process that helped the collar stay stiff, even in the hottest, soggiest weather. As you may have guessed, the wing-collar doesn’t fold down. So if you’re going to wear one, you better know how to tie a good necktie or bowtie, because any imperfections in the knot will be extremely visible.
| ||||||||||||
