Dallas Fashion Consultant, Julie Bartlett with Colour IQ, offers some guidance on how to select the right collar for the man.
Understanding the different parts of a man’s shirt collar is the first step towards selecting the best collar to frame your unique face. Below is an illustration taken from Antonio Centeno’s website http://knoll.google.com./k/men-s-shirt-collars#
- Collar Points – The tips of the collar.
- Collar Point Length – The distance from the Collar Points to the Collar Band.
- Collar Band – the piece of fabric that wraps around the neck.
- Collar Height – The height of a folded collar as it fits on the neck.
- Tie Space – The distance between the top of the folded collar parts when the shirt is buttoned.
- Spread – The distance between Collar Points. There are as many as ten collar styles for the folded-men’s collar. The most common and popular styles are discussed here. My goal is to assist men with choosing the proper collar style for their face and to help men understand what makes them look their best. Whether dressing for an interview, business meeting or an important evening out a man can not go wrong with looking his best.
The Classic-Point Collar
- Representing about 90% of men’s dress shirts, the Point Collar is the most popular in today’s business world. A man who has a round face will benefit most from this style collar as the distance between points (1) is close together and helps to elongate the face. This elongating effect means that these type collars should be avoided by men with long, thin faces. There is a visible tie space (5) when the shirt is buttoned allowing for large knots or ties with thicker material.
Narrow-Straight Point Collar
- This collar style is very similar to the Classic Point Collar with the exception of the lack of a visible tie space (5) which allows for smaller knots or ties with thinner material. The slimming or narrowing effect is still present and is worn well by men with round faces.
Cutaway Collar
- Cutaway Collars are the second most popular style of men’s collars and can be distinguished by the wider distance, or spread (6) between the points. This wider spread works well for men who are thin or have narrow faces but tend to widen already wide or round faces.
Classic Spread Collar
- With a fashion history that goes back over 100 years the Classic Spread Collar has been made famous by influential men from all over the world and can be seen today being worn by Royalty in London and male stars in Hollywood. This exaggerated-spread style allows for very large knot types and even accommodates bow ties well. The points are very far apart meaning this collar style is best worn by men who are slender or have a very narrow face. This style does not flatter those men who are heavily built or have round faces.
Button Down- Point Collars
- Having buttons which attach the collar to the shirt at the points this collar style is mostly associated with casual shirt styles and should not be worn with a tie. It is, therefore, not considered appropriate as business apparel unless the wearer is intentionally going for the no-tie look. Even with the no-tie look, these collars should always have the buttons buttoned to avoid the appearance of being unfinished.
As your Dallas Fashion Consultant, it is my mission to help my clients always look fabulous, without being a slave to the whimsical ways of fashion trends. I am passionately committed to making sure my clients always look their very best in order to help them achieve their personal and business goals. If you have any questions or are interested in a personal consultation, please give me a call at 214-223-2200.