When I first started getting more interested in menswear one of the first things I started to notice was when other guys had shirts with different collar styles. Learning the basic 5 collar styles you’ll see how they differ, when they can be best utilized, and you’ll immediately take your “shirt game” up a notch. Shirt collars are a subtle but not so subtle way to differentiate yourself from others, or choose to fit in most easily with people around you.
Before progressing further, I must give credit to Proper Cloth, my go-to custom shirt maker, whose collar images I used for this article. You can visit their website here if you’re interested in seeing even more collar options or are generally interested in custom shirts.
The Point Collar
Description: The Point collar has been around a long time, and has generally been the default collar when you buy a generic dress shirt from a department store. It is completely inoffensive but is also extremely boring and old man-ish. Generally I would not recommend this shirt collar style to anyone under 50, but if you are extremely concerned about dressing conservatively for some reason (perhaps a job), this collar will never look out of place or generate a 2nd glance from anyone for being to gaudy / showy / etc.
When / How to Wear: As stated above, I wouldn’t recommend anyone use this collar style unless dressing for the the utmost of conservative atmospheres. Generally I would suggest you wear this collar with a tie. If you look at the open neck picture, the collar ends go down so far the collar starts to lift off the shirt itself, which leads to a sloppy look.
The Semi Spread Collar
Description: The Semi Spread collar is what I would suggest if you work in a very conservative office environment and you want to blend in all the time. These days this tends to be the default collar on most dress shirts, as it isn’t overly offensive while still offering a tiny bit of spread compared to the Point collar.
When / How to Wear: I prefer the Semi-Spread with an open neck as the collar has a nice significant “stance” while open that collars with more spread start to lack. For a tie, a slightly more spread collar looks better, but this collar is completely standard and inoffensive in a conservative work environment.
The Spread Collar
Description: The Spread collar is the best all around. It offers a nice collar spread with a tie where the ends tuck into your jacket lapel and nicely shows off your tie without the collar being so spread that it’s obvious.
When / How to Wear: This collar is excellent whether you wear a tie or always wear it with an open neck. There’s a reason it’s the best all around collar, and that’s because it looks good no matter how you wear it.
The Cutaway Collar
Description: The Cutaway collar is where to draw the line in conservative work environments. It does look “dashing” and “rakish” but it veers more into use for someone who wants to wear a shirt and tie for pleasure rather than office work. Most people will immediately recognize your collar is different, thus not great for fitting in, but sometimes you might want that look/vibe. For creative fields I assume it’s okay, but no matter were you are, you’ll probably get a couple of “why are you so dressed up” comments.
When / How to Wear: The Cutaway runs extreme in both directions where you either have to wear it with a tie, or only wear it open with the most casual of shirts, namely a flannel or linen. Some people like the fact that you can see the thin section of the tie coming from both sides of the knot and some people think it’s a bit garish/incorrect. If you want to make a bit of a statement and don’t mind the occasional sneer from conservative/traditional dressers then this collar makes sense.
The Button Down Collar
Description: The Button Down collar is in an area a bit on its own. It technically is very versatile, but is somewhat old man-ish. This collar is mostly found on the East Coast and usually on older guys or people who dress very “preppy / trad”.
When / How to Wear: I personally use the button down collar very often for casual shirts, and never for proper dress shirts. Shirts I use this collar with include flannels, linen shirts, and thicker oxford shirts. The Button Down is found mostly on the “OCBD” aka Oxford Cloth Button Down shirt. This style works well for a casual fit and you can throw a tie on with it if you need to, or even along with a sport coat. I actually prefer the button down collar matched with a sport coat if I’m not wearing tie as the collar sticking up a bit adds some interesting detail compared to a normal Semi Spread or Spread collar.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!