There are over 15 shirt collar types for men’s dress shirts, how do you choose the right shirt collar to match your face type? A shirt collar frames the face and highlights a man’s facial strengths and hides irregularities. There can be said to be three main types of collars and several other collar types that are derivatives of the three main types of shirt collars.
Anatomy of a Collar
We must first understand the make of the shirt collar.
The Point Collar
The Point Collar is perhaps the most popular type of collar for dress shirts. In this type of collar the “points” are closer together. The point collar is for a men with round facial features. The long collar helps even out the look of the face. If you have a thin face, you should avoid this collar, as this will accentuate the thing face.
Here are the types of point collars:
- Classic Straight Point Collar – it contains a ¾ inch tie space with a collar point length of about 2 ¾ inches.
Classic Point Collar
- Narrow Straight Point Collar – this contains an even smaller spread between the collar points, the collar points are closer to 3 ½ inches. This collar makes a round face look less plump.
- Button Down Point collars – this type of collar buttons the points to the shirt. This is considered a less formal shirt and can be worn without a tie. It is considered a faux pas if you leave the buttons unbuttoned.
The Spread or Cutaway Collar
These types of collars on men’s dress shirts allows for more revealing of the upper shirt area. It also allows for larger knot ties such as the Windsor. This type of collar accentuates wider faces, therefore it is ideal for thinner or longer faced gentlemen, to make them look more proportionate. Men with round faces should avoid the spread or cutaway collar.
Here are the types of spread collars:
- Medium Spread Collar – similar to the point collar, only the spread is wider. You cannot go wrong with this type of collar.
- Classic Spread Collar – this is also a traditional collar, this type of collar is especially recommended for thinner faced men or small boned men.
Classic Spread
- Wide Spread or Curved Spread Collar – with this collar, the spread has been increased to 3 ½ inches. A man must be confident that this type of collar looks food on him as this type of collar does not suit everyone.
Wide Spread
Other Collars
Two other collars that you may or may not see are the tab and pin collars. The tab collar contains a small tab extending from the middle of each point. The points are then fixed together to make a hook and loop look behind the tie. This pushed the tie forward and up, highlighting elaborate knots.
The tab collar is suited for men with long necks. The tab collar should also never be worn without a tie.
Classic Tab Collar
The pin collar contains small holes for each point. This allows for a decorative pin or bar behind the knot which also pushes the knot of the tie up and forward. This provides extra decoration to the collar. This type of shirt collar should never be worn without a tie as you leave empty holes and flapping tabs. This collar again is not for everyone.
Which collar to choose?
At RH Custom Suits we have a selection of 15 types of collars to choose from when designing your custom tailored shirt. Clearly there are two main type or “classic” collars, the point or the spread collar. Here are two simple rules:
- If you have a round or rounder face, choose the point collar (RH Custom Suit Collar Style 1,2, or 3) to even out your face.
- If you have a think or longer face, choose the spread collar (RH Custom Suit Collar Style 5 or 7) as this will proportionate your face.
For all your Custom Tailored Suits and Custom Tailored Shirts, contact RH Custom Suits for a free consultation. Now accepting appoints for custom tailored suits and shirts in the Washington DC area.
References: Men’s Shirt Collars - Antonio Centeno
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