BackCollar clues
The world of collars can confuse even shirt connoisseurs. These pointers can help you decide which one to pick for your workplace and what to avoid on a night out
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The correct collar is a sign of a man’s good taste in clothing, says Bengaluru-based Tejinder Singh, chief operating officer of Arvind Internet Ltd, which launched Creyate, an online bespoke tailoring venture, last year. Arvind Internet Ltd is the online arm of textile and branded apparel maker Arvind Ltd.
A good collar not only grips your neck perfectly, but also drapes and falls precisely. Picking the right collar type for an occasion isn’t always easy.
For starters, the fundamental rule while selecting collars is to stay away from droopy ones, says Mumbai-based Punit Chokhani, founder of online portal 16 Stitches, which allows you to design your own shirt. Chokhani says there are probably a zillion collar styles but it’s better to go with crease-free and upright (stiff) collars.
The most common collars available, he says, are the button-down, spread, widespread, banded and wing tip.
Vito Dell’Erba, creative director of worsted fabric manufacturer Raymond Ltd, adds point, full-cutaway, semi-cutaway, Mandarin, penny button-down and Peter Pan to this list. Mumbai-based Dell’Erba stresses on the importance of keeping the occasion, your jacket and shirt fabric in mind while selecting the collar. “For example," he says, “a tweed jacket looks good with an extreme cutaway collar, and power suits (stiff office suits with sharp cuts and wide shoulder pads) with a chairman collar."
Bengaluru-based Jayanth Gurumurthy, head, design, Allen Solly, slots collars under two heads—business and casual. The business collars, he says, are more conservative and come with formal shirts (that bankers and stockbrokers swear by). They are forward-point, medium-spread, contrast, formal button-down, and two-button (at the band). The casual collars, on the other hand, are fashionable variations of these styles. They are button-down, club, wing tip, narrow or slim, and band or Mandarin.
Button-down
Spread
Half- or semi-cutaway
Mandarin
Forward-point
Point collar
Wing-tipped
English spread
We asked some sought-after brands to list their collar rules
u While trying a collar, adopt the one-finger rule. If you can fit one finger comfortably between the collar and your neck, it’s perfect. If the gap is more, say, two fingers, the collar’s big for you
u Another way to know if you are going for the right fit is to lay out the shirt and measure the distance from the centre of the collar button to the outer edge of the buttonhole. Ideally, it should be half an inch more than your actual neck size
u The collar’s tips and outer edge should be covered by the blazer or suit jacket’s lapels. To ensure this, always fit your dress shirts and button-downs before fitting your jackets and blazers.
—Karunesh Vohra, creative director, Louis Philippe
u Flaunt perfect collar points for a professional and sharp look
u While storing shirts, always use collar stays (sticks, bones, knuckles, tabs or stiffeners).
—Vani Kannan, creative director, menswear, Van Heusen
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