The perfect fit of a shirt is important, however, variation in the shirt collar and style according to your face shape can leave a huge impact on your appearance at your workplace.
And how do I know this? Me and my husband work at the same office and we both prefer to shop our clothes together. So, when you tried different types of collars for fun, it turned out that some of them can be real stylish and adds a different style statement although we were wearing formal shirts.
Therefore, I am going to share with you how to level up your styling game with different types of shirt collars for both men and women. Whether you are prepping for a formal meeting, or a wedding reception, let your shirt collar steal the show.
10 Men’s Shirt Collar Types
Let’s talk about the men’s short collars first since you may hardly see any man wearing a different collar other than the usual button down collars.
My husband used to wear the same fit and collar with every shirt. Although he doesn’t seem to be bothered with it (as he is quite comfortable with what he wears), I started getting bored to see him in the same designer shirt with different colors only.
So, here are the list of collars for The Boys!
Club collar
Club collar was initially worn by the students of Eton College and is a perfect style for young adults with small face shape. The interesting part of this collar is that the collar has a round shape instead of a pointy one.
If you are a fresher joining your new office or a student, style your shirt with club collar. Style your shirt with a V-neck sweater or t-shirt as it shows a smooth and soft feeling.
Ainsley collar
At the beginning of 19th century, Prince Edward VIII, started wearing this shirt which gained much popularity. Another name for this collar is Medium Spread collar.
Due to its versatility, both for formal events and everyday office wear, the white Ainsley shirt collar once dominated the dress shirt market. The spread length is 4’’ (point to point distance of a collar).
This shirt collar is preferable for men with narrow faces and you can wear it with or without a tie. In both ways, you will look professional without even trying.
Tab collar
Men with longer neck usually feel cautious about their neckline. Therefore, if you are someone like that, you need to choose tab collar.
It is better for longer neck as this collar has a small fixed tab tagged with the collar points. However, this collar is suitable only for wearing with a tie.
And when you knot the tie, make sure you do that right as the collar draws attention to the tie knot. It is better to keep this shirt collar for a wedding or party invitation as it is popping up more as a new fashion statement.
Pin collar
The tiny holes on the tips of the Pin Collar let you insert a pin or bar behind your tie, bringing it forward and drawing attention to your knot.
The empty holes and flapping tabs of a pin collar are unsightly, thus it’s necessary to wear a tie with it. You can replace the pin with bars, clips or designer pins. And similar to the tab collar, pin collar is also worn by men who have medium and longer neck.
Button down
Button down shirt collars are the most popular type as a casual style. It creates a sporty look for a beach party, or Sunday dinner date.
This collar with tie is not so suitable option as it looks better with crew neck sweater or coat.
However, if you still want to give it a go and want to wear button down collar with suit, make sure you choose dressy material or Italian-woven fabric.
Cutaway
Unlike the regular shirt collar, cutaway is least conventional. Cutaway form a shallow V at the base of a person’s throat. Similar to the club collar, it also has a smoother outline and no sharp edges and more gap in between the two points of the collar.
Furthermore, it is the best shirt collar for people with narrow face shape. Make sure you are wearing thick tie material with this shirt collar. You can wear this shirt with a tie for a formal look and without a tie for a casual one.
Wing Collar
Among different types of shirt collars I prefer men wearing wing collar as it suits all face shapes. Although formal collars pair better with a bow tie and suit, you can choose different colors to wear on different occasions if you want to keep the style same.
The wing collar is named like that because the collars resemble wings of birds. It is also called winged or wingtip. Check out different types of pants for men you can pair with wing collar.
Contrasting Collar
It is rather a fun idea to style your regular collar. The idea is to wear a different collar contrasts to the rest of the shirt or similar to one of the colors of the shirt.
For example, if you are wearing a blue shirt, you will have to wear a white collar with the shirt to make it look formal. Try not to experiment with this collar too much as and try to wear colors with light color.
Narrow Collar
When dressed formally, men with narrower jaws and chins should choose a narrow collar. It’s fantastic for taller men because it broadens their shoulders and chest.
You can wear it as a formal shirt or informal one.
Spread Collar
Have a thin face? Spread collars are the perfect ones for you to style your shirt. The spread collar is a modern styled one that have longer distance between the points of a collar.
With the suitable distance of this collar, your thin face will even out. You can also choose from full, semi or medium spread collars.
What is the Difference Between a Spread Collar VS Point Collar?
There are two visual differences when it comes to spread collar vs point collar. One of them is that the spread collar is to widen a thin face to visually balance the proportion of a face. They also make faces appear a little bit longer.
The second difference is the gap between the collars. You can tie a wider knot with the spread collar whereas you must tie a small knot with a thin tie with a point collar.
How to Choose a Shirt Collar for Men?
Whether you are a male or a female, you must try to choose your shirt collar according to your face shape. Check out the list given below and find out what’s your face type:
- For a diamond face shape, try to wear cutaway collars.
- For an oval face shape, you can wear any collar style you love.
- For a round face, button-down collars or classic shirt collars are the best.
- For an oblong face, wing collars will help you look dashing yet formal.
10 Types of Shirt Collars for Women
Always feel like you have nothing to wear? Do you keep staring at your wardrobe for half an hour before deciding what to wear for the day? Well, not anymore because I have just the thing for you!
So, what I have found while trying to rearrange my work wardrobe I found that it’s quite easier for women to style their shirts and blouses only by changing the shirt collars they usually wear.
You can also have some detachable shirt collars to make a casual outfit look formal which is a fun thing to do every other day with different shirts. You can also change the pant with a skirt or add a blazer with the same shirt to add variety to the dress.
I am almost certain that you have the iconic white collared shirt in your closet. However, I have picked ten more women’s shirt collar types that will turn daily styling up for your work outfit a piece of cake. Thank me later!
Wrap Collar
It is one of the most classic picks for women shirt collar. Unlike the traditional collars that stays only around the neck, this collar will wrap around your neck and join to the lapels to create a curve line.
Since the wraps around your neck and finishes off at your chest (you can reduce or lengthen the length of it), another name of this collar is shawl collar.
Moreover, this collar is a round one that creates a V-neckline while rolling over; it draws attention gracefully to the collar bone, which accentuates the feature and gives you a chic look. You will easily find this design in dresses, jackets and blouses. Pair with formal pants or tuck in with jeans and voila! Your outfit for the day is complete.
Peter Pan Collar
Are you the new intern in the office or a college student preparing for a presentation? You must be getting crazy for a soft look and stay formal at the same time.
I found this look adorable when one of my female colleagues wore it at an office party. I loved the collar the first time I have seen it on her although this was a popular collar trend for women in 1950s.
After Maude Adams wore the outfit with nearly same collar, it became popular and tailors started making blouses with this collar inspired by her look. It is a wide, soft, and rounded shape. Many women tend to choose the collars created by lace.
If you have broad shoulders, this collar will lengthen your neckline so that it visually changes and reforms your body proportion. Nevertheless, it cover the beauty bone and these wide designed collars usually look so elegant that you don’t need to worry about wearing any necklace with it. So, you can save time dressing up as well.
This collar is actually my personal favorite.
Mandarin Collar
If you are looking for a comfortable dress to wear without any heavy neck wraps, mandarin collar can be your go-to wear.
Although it goes well with tops that are longer than shirts, with proper fit and pairing with skirts can create a different look for you whether it’s an evening date or a morning training session.
The collar is a stand-up-short-unfolded collar style that are perfect choice for women with a longer neck. It can typically reach up to four centimeters of height. If you are cautious about your neck, this collar will cover one-third of it so that your face can be the focus of attention (and not your neck!).
The style was a high demand around 17th century and till now, tailors have come up with different varieties of this collar to create new style statements to make any woman stand out with grace.
Since the collar rounds up your neck and goes a little bit higher, it is better to not wear any heavy jewelry with this collar style.
Jabot Collar
Jabot collar was a popular and dramatic neckline style of 19th century. Although the typical collar used to be embellished with laces or ruffles and worn with long fluffy dresses at royal parties, the 20th century edition has rather cut down on the lace and often only with two elongated lace or ribbon forming a bow at the front.
It also covers the entire neck; and at weddings or dinner invitations, a sparkling brooch can bring out the best of this collar. However, wearing it at your workplace may not be a good option in my opinion… you can end up looking like you came to a fancy dress competition (insert awkward laughter) if not styled right.
Bow Collar
Remember I was talking about the detachable collar at the beginning? Bow collar can be one edition of them. No, I am not talking about the bow only that you see the waiters wearing at a restaurant. I am talking about a wide or thin layered tie like piece of cloth.
You can tie a bow with a peter pan collar or manage a clip-on with the same color of your shirt to minimize the color pop up. Your tie can be bordered with a different colored liner.
This collar will elevate your collar style and let you play with your outfit within the limitations of work outfit.
Dickie or Bib Collar
Another amazing addition to your wardrobe can be this bib collar. This is also known as a fake collar as it is not attached to a shirt.
There are many variations of it. For example, you can wear the short ones with only collar and an elongated portion under it covering your chest that you can wear under a sweater or full-sleeve t-shirt.
Otherwise, you can also pick the ones that goes above your shoulders and covers them like a scarf which also looks good on formal wearing. Bib collar provides formal look for you without wearing a shirt. So, save it for the days when you are late for work and needed to leave home in a hurry!
Chelsea Collar
If you want to convey a bold yet feminine look through your outfit, you must try out the Chelsea collar. This collar creates small v shape at the end of the collar and a deep v shape around your neck.
You can wear it with both and short sleeve, long fluffy sleeves, however, looks good on this outfit. Women usually prefer to wear wide width sized collar though you can change or reform it according to your preference.
Pairing different types of jackets with Chelsea collar will make you look stunning.
Bertha Collar
Looking for dress shirt collar types for the historical character themed party this weekend? You may want to take a sneak peek at your grandmother’s closet. You will find this amazing floral collar called bertha collar.
Bertha collar is the one with a huge-circular collar. The shape of the collar is still in your hands and you can try either the round one or the squared one.
Most of the time the collar is made with net or lace with flowery designs. And the most fun part is that if add a ribbon in it, you can tie it around your neck or off-shoulder which will show off your neckline, and beauty bones.
Wear this collar with pendants and earrings and clip your hair at the back for a look just like your grandmother when she was young.
Cowl Collar
It’s not every day you like a hard collar wrapping around your neck. For a change of style, check out the cowl collar.
Your collar will be made with the same fabric as your shirt and a substantial amount will be folded over from neck to chest. The folding style of this collar forms a cowl, thus the naming.
This collar is another favorite collar for me to wear as a formal wear in my workplace. The drape adds extra luxury to the dress and when you wear it with high heels and pants with a leather bag, it will look fabulous.
Regular Collar
Although I have added all the different style collars, a regular collared shirt is a must have in a women’s wardrobe. You really cannot ignore this timeless piece of clothing that goes well with almost every pants whether it’s casual or formal.
To replace your regular white shirt, you can pick different types of cloths with an array of color for example. You can pick from loose fitted linen shirt or a cotton fit shirt according to your comfort.
However, don’t forget to wear a crisp white regular collar if you are wearing a blazer when you want to show off the bold side of you and it looks more professional that way.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s a silky collared shirt or a peter pan collar, pair it up with your favorite skirt, tights, jeans with boots or a nice pair of heels.
From now on, you will steal the show and draw attention only by your looks with these outfit!
Again, for men, shirts are a must! Try to match up different types of shirt collars according to your face shape and fill your work wardrobe to wear a different style every day.
Our founder, Emily Naomi, is our rockstar. She is infamously known as a hardcore fashionista. ‘Fashion’ is her middle name.
She pursued her fashion design degree from the Academy of Art University with the desire to learn more about fashion and lifestyle and serve more people with professionalism.
Her core strengths:
- She can turn anything into fashion.
- She is obsessed with effortless styling.
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