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Choosing your shirt collar is always a delicate exercise. Not all collars go to everyone depending on your size, the morphology of your neck and especially depending on your style and how you wear your shirt, with or without a tie. We give you hereby some ways to choose the right collar of your made to measure shirt.
Choose high collars that will provide more balance to your facial features. For example, you may choose spread, Neapolitan or Milano collars. Tab collars are also particularly suitable for this combination of features.
Choose a ‘straight’ collar, or similar straight designs. Avoid collars that sit too high such as Neapolitan, Milano or tab collars. We also recommend that you avoid very wide, cut-away collars.
If you wear a tie, go for a straight collar, a spread collar or the must-have – a tab collar to highlight the tie. Finally, avoid button-down collars except with a blazer and a club tie.
Two-button collars have been in fashion for several years, but this type of collar is not recommended if you have a short neck, as it risks covering your entire neck and this just looks wrong.
On the other hand, if your neck is fairly long, don’t hesitate: the modern, elegant look of a two-button collar adds a finishing touch to the top of the shirt, and is particularly recommended if you choose not to wear a tie. The “authentic” two-button collar is our Neapolitan collar, with a 4.5cm base.
Collar stays are small, rigid strips that allow the edges of a collar to be held firmly in place.
When stays are built into the collar (the “with stay” option) you don’t have to worry about them ever again, while they allow the collar to remain sufficiently flexible so that it won’t bend when washed.
Removable collar stays are stiffer, creating a better fit at the edges of the collar, but you have to remember to remove them each time they’re washed, and to put them back before wearing the shirt.
Finally, you have the option of selecting a shirt without any stays in the collar. This is the default option for button-down collars. It is also highly recommended for soft, casual collars to be worn during the summer or on weekends. This greatly increases the comfort of the shirt, but at the cost of giving it a less elegant, more casual look.
The stiffness of your collar is defined, quite simply, by the amount of stiffening that is used in the collar. The more stiffening, the less likely it is that the edges of the collar will furl up. Nevertheless, bear in mind that stiffer collars are much less comfortable, and the collar is also heavier, which affects the fit when worn without a tie. You should generally offer for standard stiffness, which is more than sufficient.
For sportier, more relaxed shirts, you can choose a soft or ultra-soft stiffness.
The white “Wall Street” collar was the height of fashion in the 80s… and like all fashions, it makes a comeback from time to time. It gives the shirt a more formal appearance and highlights the style of the collar in particular. It’s ideal for wearing on special occasions, at formal ceremonies, or for a foppish style worn without a tie on top of skinny trousers.
We recommend that you combine it with light coloured shirts, such as a white shirt with blue or pink stirpes, or try combining a white collar with stronger colours if you like to stand out.
A classic: a solid blue poplin shirt with contrasting white collars and cuffs.