With detachable collars re-emerging on the formalwear scene as a fashionable alternative to the Oxford shirt.
How to Wear the Detachable Collar and Studs
The detachable collar must always be worn with a collarless shirt.
When purchasing your collar, you will need to allow additional room around the neck for the collar studs that are worn at the front and back of the neck.
We recommend that you choose half a collar size above your usual measurement to allow for them.
There are three different types of starched collar: the winged collar, the traditional cutaway with sharp edges, or cutaway with curved edges.
This offers you the flexibility to select the collar of your choice for your formal occasion.
You will notice that one side of the collar is longer than the other, this is called the tongue, it needs to sit in front of the smaller side.
The purpose of the tongue is to stabilise the collar, keeping everything in its place.
There are three buttonholes on the collar, which correspond with three buttonholes on the collarless shirt.
You will require two studs - one with a longer pin, and one shorter.
The longer one is for the front of the shirt as it needs to penetrate four layers of fabric.
The shorter stud only needs to penetrate the two layers of fabric at the back of the shirt and will sit in a stud pocket to prevent it from scratching the back of the neck.
We recommend that you attach the collar stud at the back of the shirt before you put the shirt on.
Once your shirt is on, use the longer stud to attach the collar at the front, starting with the right side of the collar and then the left side.
Hey presto, you have mastered your detachable collar and are ready for whatever the day brings!
A Brief History Of The Detachable Collar
Detachable collars made their debut back in the 1800s when a woman named Hannah Montague came up with a time-saving plan.
Processing laundry in this era was a laborious task that required hard manual labour.
Her husband requested a fresh shirt each day resulting in much of her day being consumed, until she realised that in reality it was only his collars that needed a daily clean rather than the whole shirt.
This prompted her to invent the removable collar, reducing her workload significantly.
The detachable collar, usually made with 100% cotton, would be soaked in a starch solution, dried and then ironed.
In those days the collar was designed to sit quite high up the neck to allow room for the cravat, whereas nowadays it is mostly designed with the bow tie in mind.
With the advent of the Oxford shirt in the 1900s which became available in different collar sizes and designs, the demand for detachable collars declined.
Nowadays though, the detachable collar has made a stylish return and is a nod to its rich history, with many men choosing to opt for it over the Oxford shirt.
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At Shepherd & Woodward, we want the modern gentlemen to have access to a range of traditional British formalwear. We believe that history and style combined, produces a very favourable outcome!
If you need any further help, please do not hesitate to contact us via email or visit us in store.