Dress Shirt Collar Styles

Hi all,

I couldn't find a post that mentioned this but I'm sure its been discussed before.... the level of formality/preference on dress shirt collar styles, specifically in regard to stitching.

Most shirts I see standard have a "1/4 inch thread" on the collar, i.e., stitching 1/4 inch in from the edge. As a matter of preference, I prefer an edge stitch myself but am wondering if there is any faux pas in wearing one stitch vs. the other in different business casual/business formal settings?

The reason I got to thinking about this comes with a bonus question: I found a shirt today that had the exact silhouette I was looking for but the collar was understitched (technically a tuxedo shirt). I asked the salesperson her opinion on wearing that shirt with a suit and she indicated that it would definitely look too formal with the understitched collar so she didn't recommend it; thoughts from the gurus?

Thanks all!

The collar will be fine, nobody will care, but a tuxedo shirt will probably have a stiff front and unusual placket, and that will look odd.

The only real formality distinction that matters in collars is the shape of them. Button down versus spread and whatnot.

Hi,

Anyone know if there are any off the rack options for semi-spread shirts with longer collar points? I am looking for something like this - http://putthison.com/image/76969037610 . Most of what I see off the rack are in the range of something like this - http://shop.kamakurashirts.com/goods_en_usd_949.html
Just want to try out the longer collar point and see if it is something I would add to my wardrobe.

Interesting cptjeff, I always viewed collar shape, spread, forward point, modified fwd etc as not expressing a level of formality but as an individual choice based on the shape of your face..... what's your thought process here?

But yes, the placket on that shirt was a french front placket but it was a little stiffer... everything else looked like a regular dress shirt.

and JdeeJ.... I've ordered longer forward points from brooks through the MTM program... if you have a 15% discount card they're had for about $140 starting price, the same as their regular price shirts for the most part, anything beyond that, I don't have a recommendation, sorry.

NickinAtlanta said:

Interesting cptjeff, I always viewed collar shape, spread, forward point, modified fwd etc as not expressing a level of formality but as an individual choice based on the shape of your face..... what's your thought process here?

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I think most people would say that, all other factors being equal, the broader the spread, the dressier (less casual, if you prefer) the collar.

Think of it this way: the wider the spread, the closer the collar gets to approximating the effect of the wing collar worn with formal wear.

You might prefer one over another based on your face shape, but that's an entirely separate issue. No matter what the shape of your face, a button down collar is more casual than a spread (again, other factors being equal), for example. At least that's the conventional wisdom, and it's consistent with the history of the collar.

Cheers,

Ac

Thanks... interesting note on spread = formal... the original shirt I was looking at, at the beginning of the thread is a Hugo Boss Tuxedo shirt, which actually has a forward point collar and not a traditional tux collar

http://store-us.hugoboss.com/boss/e...ollar-tuxedo-shirt/hbna50182398,en_US,pd.html

Go figure for farther the spread equaling more formal, not that HB is the epitome of following traditional stylistic "policy"

Academic2 said:

...

Click to expand...

I think most people would say that, all other factors being equal, the broader the spread, the dressier (less casual, if you prefer) the collar.

Think of it this way:  the wider the spread, the closer the collar gets to approximating the effect of the wing collar worn with formal wear.






Where did you come up with this formula? Name your authority.
It is obviously incorrect.
See attached, many non-spread options:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...ts&qpvt=mens+pleated+evening+shirts&FORM=IGRE