Kinds of Shirt Collars

A shirt collar is a folded piece of fabric near the neck opening. Collars may appear to be made solely for function and not as one of the more creative aspects of fashion design, but they do come in a variety of styles. A particular collar generally has a specific purpose behind its design. Collars are often designed to accommodate men's neckties, but they also appear on women's shirts.

Point

The point collar is one of the most traditional types of collars for dressy business shirts. It is sharply folded over, and the edges come to a sharp crease with pointed ends. The points do not have a set length and can vary depending on the shirt designer. A point collar leaves room at the neckline to comfortably knot a necktie, but it can also be worn without a tie for a more casual look.

Button-Down

This type of collar is made with a small button located at the bottom of each point to anchor down the collar and prevent it from flipping up. The buttons are often visible on the outside of the collar, but they can be placed underneath a layer of fabric to hide them. The button-down collar is typically found on American designs for women and men. Button-down collars on men's shirts have room to knot a tie, but they can be worn without ties, too.

Band

The band collar, also known as a mandarin collar, is one of the more informal collar styles. This type of collar is located at the neckline but does not fold down. It is positioned upright to encircle the neck and can be buttoned snugly against the neck or left open. Band collars are often seen on the shirts of priests and clergymen, but they can also be found on casual shirts for women and men.

Tab

A tab collar is a higher fitting collar designed strictly to be worn with a necktie. It is a folded-down collar with an attached tab on each side. The tabs can pulled together and secured to lower the front of the collar and raise the knot of the necktie for a more dramatic look. It can also be left unbuttoned for an informal look. Tab collars can be customized by tailors to achieve the desired lift.

Shawl

The shawl collar tends to be designed most often for women's shirts. It differs from other collars because it is part of the actual shirt and not an attached piece, more like a lapel. A shawl collar is round, drapes loosely around the neck and extends down the shirt rather than being tightly secured around the neck. Men's tuxedo jackets often have a round shawl collar as a way to highlight the shirt underneath.

References

• Valet Magazine: Shirt Collars
• Threads Magazine: Understanding the Basic Shawl-Collar Pattern
• Execshirts.com: Dress Shirt Collars