• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Two-button shirt collars

jester

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
187
Reaction score
0
I have several shirts with two-button collars. Typically these have two buttons spaced extremely close, aligned vertically on the collar band; one of them has the buttons in a slightly slanted alignment. My first such shirt was from Robert Talbott; then my wife got me an Armani like this (which has a pattern not very conducive to neckties, so it matters less because I rarely button the top); then I tried a Jantzen collar because I liked the way it looked. I have finally come to the conclusion that I can't stand this. They are all incredibly difficult to button. This is particularly true for the one that's a little bit tighter than it should be, but really all of them are a pain. And I don't see any real advantage--they don't hold the collar any flatter, or anything like that. Is there any genuine functional purpose for this, or is it just to look cool? Have I had several rounds of bad luck, or just low finger strength and dexterity?
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
The theory, I believe, is that if the collar is unusually high (that is, the band is high, and the collar sits high on the neck), and you have only one button, then the button either has to be placed near the top, or near the bottom.  If it's up high, the pressure of the tie band (or whatever you call the part that goes around your neck) and knot can cause the collar band to buckle, and the collar to be pulled downward.  If the button is down low, then the tie might cause the collar to pull open and gape above the knot.  I suppose shirtmakers who use two buttons simply believe that there is no perfect middle.  Either that, or it's a gimmick.

I have a long neck, so I get shirts with fairly high collars.  Some shirtmakers recommend two buttons.  I don't mind them, but I also admit that my shirts which don't have them don't suffer from either of the above problems.  Their collars are not so high, though.

The highest collars in the business are the ones that Kabbaz makes for Tom Wolfe.  So, Alex, can you tell us how many buttons those take?
 

boston

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2005
Messages
127
Reaction score
2
Yeah, they are for high collar bands -- one button would not be enough to keep the collar upright and closed.

I agree, they can be a pain, but what else are us guys with long necks supposed to do?

-boston
 

uriahheep

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
260
Reaction score
1
The highest collar I've ever seen is this one worn by Karl Lagerfeld:
lagerfeldprofb.jpg
Here's a picture of Wolfe:
wolfe.jpg
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
I stand corrected. Kabbaz is gonna be jealous when he sees that.

You can see why Wolfe gets tab collars. It's the only way to get the knot in place. That low hanging knot on Lagerfield looks silly. Of course, it could be argued that that's the least of his problems, style-wise.
 

Thracozaag

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
3,093
Reaction score
9
I just got a very nice two button collar by Barba. The buttons are slightly askew to facilitate the buttoning, but is still a slight hassle. On the plus side, I find I don't need to limber up my fingers for practicing after wrestling with the collar buttons.

koji
 

uriahheep

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
260
Reaction score
1
Lagerfeld looks comical in a manner different from that of Wolfe, though the picture of Wolfe in a NY Times article from a few months ago was almost scary.
As you pointed out, Manton, Lagerfeld would be better off with a tab collar so that his tie won't be forced to sit at the base of the collar band.
 

Fashionslave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2004
Messages
215
Reaction score
1
That's not a collar Lagerfeld's sporting,it's a neckbrace with starch.
tounge.gif
 

Alexander Kabbaz

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
1,276
Reaction score
12
MAnton
The highest collars in the business are the ones that Kabbaz makes for Tom Wolfe. So, Alex, can you tell us how many buttons those take?
None. They use two collar studs.
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
None. They use two collar studs.
One in the front and one in back, or two in the front?
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
I was sorry to see that Herr Lagerfeld was in a car accident. Must be a bonus of the trade that he can design a shirt collar to hide his whiplash appliance. I recall that Hockey Night in Canada commentator, Don Cherry, favored exaggerated collars, but not quite to the degree displayed by der Karl. He'd need more than two buttons on that expanse.
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
Wow. Nicely cut clothes, but ...
 

BjornH

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
497
Reaction score
1
I just got a very nice two button collar by Barba. The buttons are slightly askew to facilitate the buttoning, but is still a slight hassle. On the plus side, I find I don't need to limber up my fingers for practicing after wrestling with the collar buttons. koji
On aug 25 2003 thracozaag wrote in this thread:
Quote (aybojs @ 25 Aug. 2003, 2:25) Here's a Likewise, the two button collar I ordered was pretty tricky to button up, Then it wasn't constructed properly.
Do elephants have good memory ? What about me then
smile.gif
B
 

Thracozaag

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
3,093
Reaction score
9
Busted, heh. To explain though, the tricky part isn't the fact that it's a double button collar perse, it's because the buttons are so damn thick (not that I'm complaining about that at all though)

koji
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,161
Messages
10,578,984
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top