Collars

[ArrowCollarMan]

Now I've been told what kind of collars are apropriate but I still feel a need for a preference. Wing collars. I love those things but nowadays they are for the most formal occasions. I would like to find a wing collar shirt, with no pleated front, to wear but I wanted to know if anyone thinks that very inappropirate for dress wear (as in when you wear suits for church or other occasions)? I really like them alot! The flipped up collarness!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Arrow,

I say, if you like them, wear them. That is the foundation of style. Fred Astair wore neckties as belts! As Will Smith would say, "Make it look good."

Personally, I don't like wing collars, except for Morning Suits. I think that wing collars with tuxedos are a bit Charlie, but that's just me.

I support your choice though; make it your own.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Wing collars paired with black neckties and suits make me think of Neville Chamberlain and Michael Jackson. Guess that's just me. [huh]


.

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

The only suit I currently wear is my grey wool suit. Wish it was vested, but I have one to go with it (light grey) that I wear sometimes. Probably wouldn't be worn with a black tie, I have plenty of others.

*June 7, 2006*
Huge mistake on the wool. I just assumed it was wool, I looked at the tag a while back and it turned out to be mostly polyester with some cotton blend. =(

 

[shindeco]

The only suit I currently wear is my grey wool suit. Wish it was vested, but I have one to go with it (light grey) that I wear sometimes. Probably wouldn't be worn with a black tie, I have plenty of others.

Wingtip collars can look great. I used to wear them a lot. I think they look better with a waistcoat (they are pretty formal). Go for it!

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

Also, on the topic of collars, does anyone know why the detachable collars came in style and why they faded out? What was their purpouse?

 

[Grimstar]

Also, on the topic of collars, does anyone know why the detachable collars came in style and why they faded out? What was their purpouse?

Quite simple, really, detachable collars were created because it was much easier to launder and starch the collars by themselves (think...ring around the collar) also, the collars and cuffs on shirts wear out much faster than the rest of the shirt...if they are detachable, they are easily replaced. The reason they went out of fashion (though you can still get them, for a price) is that they just were not as convenient as shirts with the collar attached.

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

There isn't much of a difference between the collars for me (except that I like the styles of the detachable ones) but what I do love is when you unbutton the detachable collars they have a genuine deshevled look.

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

Has anyone ever worn one of the reproduction shirts with detachable celluloid collars (and perhaps one with a startched bib)? I've been wondering how uncomfortable those would be or if they arn't really at all.

I have a fondness for the high collars and I wanted to know if it would kill me? [huh]

 

[Grimstar]

I've made (and worn) several of the tunic style, bib front shirts...some with detachable collars. They are not uncomfortable at all, in my opinion. The secret is to make sure the collar fits, they came in different heights as well as neck sizes. The amount of starch is also key...you want enough to keep it looking crisp and fresh, but you don't want it stiff as cardboard. I've never worn one of the celluloid collars, they might be a bit uncomfortable, as they are basically plastic. But I could be wrong on that....I know that at one time a place called Amazon Drygoods (don't have the link handy) had some of the disposable paper collars. They were basically cloth bonded to paper so there was no need for starch, and they could be made cheaply and therefore just thrown away when they got dirty. I love the look of the pull-over tunic style shirts, with or without collar (remember the banded collar shirts from the late 90's? ...not so different) I wear them all the time.

 

[John in Covina]

Wing collars. I love those things but nowadays they are for the most formal occasions. I would like to find a wing collar shirt, with no pleated front, to wear.

***********
As you get closer to Christmas the high end department stores will bring in some formal wear, and the wing collar shirts can be found with out pleated fronts but often then have a woven texture called (PIQUE?) The high end tux places have them too. They are higher end shirts going for $80 to a hundred usually. Very classy, and looks & feel a bit more refined than pleats.

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

I found the "Amazon Drygoods" website. It looks like they have pretty good reproduction collars and shirts to go with them.

http://amazondrygoodscollarsandcuffs.com/index.html

 

[Old Timer]

I've always wondered about that...

Quite simple, really, detachable collars were created because it was much easier to launder and starch the collars by themselves (think...ring around the collar) also, the collars and cuffs on shirts wear out much faster than the rest of the shirt...if they are detachable, they are easily replaced. The reason they went out of fashion (though you can still get them, for a price) is that they just were not as convenient as shirts with the collar attached.

I have a horrible problem with the ring around the collar sydrome. For me the actualy body of the shirt wears out first. The arm pits of my shirts turn yellow within a couple of months. Am I freak and do I sweat more than the average person or does anybody else have this problem?

 

[Grimstar]

I have a horrible problem with the ring around the collar sydrome. For me the actualy body of the shirt wears out first. The arm pits of my shirts turn yellow within a couple of months. Am I freak and do I sweat more than the average person or does anybody else have this problem?

Are the shirts 100% cotton, or a cotton-poly blend? If it has any polyester in it, that could be the problem, especially if you send your shirts to the cleaners. I won't bore everyone with why that is, (it has to do with electrostatic charge...and reaction with dry cleaning fluid ) but it's true. Plus, everyone's body chemistry is different. I have a friend with a similar problem, he gets around it by wearing colored shirts, or cheap undershirts (to prevent contact with his regular shirts) that he can replace every couple of months.

 

[Old Timer]

Are the shirts 100% cotton, or a cotton-poly blend? If it has any polyester in it, that could be the problem, especially if you send your shirts to the cleaners. I won't bore everyone with why that is, (it has to do with electrostatic charge...and reaction with dry cleaning fluid ) but it's true. Plus, everyone's body chemistry is different. I have a friend with a similar problem, he gets around it by wearing colored shirts, or cheap undershirts (to prevent contact with his regular shirts) that he can replace every couple of months.

Now that you mentioned it, the problem is more with my cotton-poly blend shirts. I also wear cheap undershirts, which I also go through like candy as you can imagine.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

The arm pits of my shirts turn yellow within a couple of months. Am I freak and do I sweat more than the average person or does anybody else have this problem?

Everybody does who uses a desodorant that contains aluminium, I'm afraid.

 

[John in Covina]

Aluminum Linoleum (A great tounge twister!)

Everybody does who uses a desodorant that contains aluminium, I'm afraid.

I think it's the Anti-Perspirants that contain Aluminum, regular deoderants don't.

I have an alergic reaction to Anti-Perspirants, If I spray them on my armpits, all the skin peels off and the pits are raw. So I use deoderants instead, Brut and Old Spice usually.

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

I've always liked the look of a propped up necktie and I think the thing that does it is called a "collar tab"? They seemed to be quite popular at one point and come in and out of style every so often, but where do you buy them? I never once seen them in a store.

You can see Wild Root wearing one here.

 

[John in Covina]

Support Tech.

I've always liked the look of a propped up necktie and I think the thing that does it is called a "collar tab"? They seemed to be quite popular at one point and come in and out of style every so often, but where do you buy them? I never once seen them in a store.

You can see Wild Root wearing one here.

That is called a TIE BAR, where it clips to the two collars and pushes the tie knot forward a bit.

Collar Tabs are usually hard but a bit flexabile plastic tabs shaped a lot like those postit note arrows that show you where to sign documents. The slip inside a shirt collar to support it down to the point on each side of that collar.

 

[John in Covina]

Tie bars

If a store has them they will be where the cufflinks and tie clasps are kept in a Mens Department of a department store.

I also think they look swell.