Collar Shapes – A Study in Moderation

Most things in menswear are, in the end, about restraint. Knowing when to go all out, and knowing when to pull back on the reins. Collars are no exception. Finding the right collar is all about honesty, proportion, and moderation. Let me give you a few examples.

Lately “the internet,” if that is in fact a “thing,” has been all over cutaway and huge super-spread collars. Honestly though, these are not great options for most guys. I know they look great on the runway, and cool in your favorite lookbook, but buying a ton that don’t suit you is a mistake, I promise.

If you have a wide face, soft or square jaw, or short or long neck, steer clear. The cutaway isn’t very forgiving. There isn’t much cloth there to help shape the face, and if yours is anything short of Adonic, the cutaway isn’t going to do you any favors. I love them just as much as the next blogger when done right, but priority goes to how the collar looks below your face, not how it looks on a mannequin.

Personally, I find myself drawn mostly to mostly middle of the road collars these days: modest spreads and button downs. The former usually with a tie, the later usually without. You may remember seeing both in my recent post on Mercer & Sons shirts (where the picture is from). Of course there are those of you for whom the cutaway or the straight point will be perfect, so, as always, do what works best for you.

The spread collar comes in nearly infinite varieties, so it’s tough to speak conclusively here, but I’ll focus on the things they have in common. The collar points lead the eye from the lapels up to the chin – they visually connect your face to your clothes. Tie knots have enough space to breathe, and you can almost always find (or have made) a collar with the proper combination of height, length, and curve to keep in perfect proportion with the rest of your wardrobe.

Button-downs are the perfect casual shirt. Though folks like Astaire did wear them with suits, I tend to reserve them for tie-free days and casual sport coats. It’s harder than you think to find a button-down that rolls properly, which, to my mind, is the best thing about the collar. These shirts are easy to wear and let you worry about more important things than how your collar looks all day.

So while some things can ebb and flow with trends, collars should not. It’s a matter of finding what works for you, sticking with it, and tweaking little things as need be. Moderation is key.