Outlander Men's Gear

Cotton Collar Crimes

Today's lesson is on men's collars and we start with the Classic Button Down. This collar generally adorns shirts that are not meant to be worn with ties although they can be. There are better shirt options for a shirt and tie combo than this one, the Classic Button Down collar comes fairly close together in the center and doesn't leave much room for a tie with girth. 

Here we have the Buttoned Spread Collar. If you like to be more specific, an English Spread Collar. This one, unlike the Classic Button Down is meant to be worn with a tie. The Spread Collar was originally designed to accommodate knots such as the Windsor, which needs some space. You might have noticed that this shirt is a bit dressier than the previous one and it has collar meant to be use by a tie.

This one is called the Granddad collar. Originating in the Victorian era, the granddad collar shirt suited a detachable collar that was taken off and was then laundered. These shirts were washed maybe once a week but the collar would get quite dirty and needed replacing daily. Whether you are aware that European design is best or not, it usually is. This one in particular is a great mid-way point between a tee shirt and a collared button down shirt. 

The Hidden Button: Shirts with Hidden Collar Buttons have a separate smaller flap beneath the collar that hooks onto the buttons so that they do not show. This is great, the collar stays in place and you don't have to see the buttons. This collar is extremely versatile and can be found on dress and casual shirts.

Transit comes into the picture with a sort of Pointed Flat Cutaway which is pure fashion. There is no way this could contain a tie and there is no way that it has any other function than to be interesting. Modern simplicity at it's finest.