From Collar to Cuffs

Oval, the shape of most masculine faces, is compatible with almost any collar style, as shown at right, top to bottom: business shirt with medium-spread snap-tab collar, appropriate in coordination with four-in-hand necktie knot, Continental or British-influenced jacket; classic long-pointed buttondown, best with British or lvy suit; bold-stripe shirt with pointed widespread collar, worn with Windsor or four-in-hand tie knot, Continental or English suit.

Front The Abundance of shirt Styles available on the haberdasherial market -- tailored variously with long-point, short-point, round-point, widespread, medium-spread, buttondown, tab and pin collars --it behooves the fashion-wise male to select those styles which best befit not only his mode of attire (Ivy, Continental. British) but his shape of face. A collar style unsuited to his facial outlines can mar the effect of the most tasteful tie and suit ensemble; while the correct collar style for the contours of his face -- and for the proportions of his neck -- will handsomely enhance his appearance with a custom-tailored look.

Those men with oval faces -- the majority--can wear almost any collar style to advantage, but those with rectangular, round or long faces would be well advised to stick with styles specifically designed to complement their facial features. As a rule -- though most rules of aesthetics are proven by their exceptions -- spread, buttondown and long-pointed collar styles are those best suited for rectangular-and round-faced fellows; the long lines of the collar points help to create the impression of a leaner, longer face. (On men of such proportions --often endowed also with short or broad necks--the trim lines of pin, tab and short-point styles would look incongruous and pinched.) Those with long necks and slim faces, on the other hand, acquire the appearance of a fuller, less angular profile with these same styles--and with the emergent high-roll collar with a neckband height of 1-1/2 to 2 inches which effectively de-emphasizes the length of the neck by covering part of it.

But collar styles can't be judged by face value alone. The cut of the coordinate suit must share equal weight in the final selection of an appropriate style. The traditional buttondown, pin and snap-tab collars, for example, blend most naturally with the Ivy League silhouette, while Continental and British-influenced suits look best with round and spread-style collars of medium to regulation length.

The choice of necktie knot is a matter of individual preference, but we give the nod to the four-in-hand for all collar styles except the widespread, which requires the more triangular Windsor knot to fill the collar opening. (The step-by-step procedure for tying both of these knots is diagramed on page 111.)

Of the several collar styles fitted for faces of rectangular shape, those illustrated at left most effectively create the illusion of a leaner, less square profile. Top to bottom: checked shirt with widespread white collar, Windsor-knotted tie, suitable in counterpoint with solid-color jacket; pin-striped Ivy buttondown complemented by black tie with four-in-hand knot; business shirt with long-pointed, medium-spread collar, correct with Continental or British-inspired suit.

Moving south from the collar to indulge in a few choice cuff words: barrel and French culls are equally acceptable -- according to taste, mood and social occasion -- with every collar style except buttondown, for which the informality of the barrel cuff is considered de rigueur. The convertible cuff -- a barrel style with a second buttonhole beside the button for conversion to link wear -- is a dual-purpose convenience best suited for the wardrobe limitations of jet travel. Only the French cuff is properly worn starched, though we prefer a soft cuff even in a dress shirt both for comfort and longer-lasting freshness. Sleeve length -- determined by measuring from the nape of the neck across the shoulders and down to the wrist with the arm held naturally at one's side -- is entirely optional; the amount of shirt cuff showing below the jacket sleeve may vary tastefully from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch.

Before purchasing a shirt for its cuff or collar style, however, it's wise to appraise its true quality by scrutinizing the tailoring with an educated eye. First, the shirt should be cut full enough to allow adequate room for movement, but not so full that it blouses out. Many of the new Ivy League styles are tailored with tapered bodies for a trimmer, slimmer fit that doesn't ride up over the belt. You should also check the stitching along the collar, cuffs, front panels, pockets and shoulders; it should be smooth and flat, threaded in single rows, never chain stitched. Assure yourself as well that the stitching around buttonholes is adequately back-stitched to minimize fraying.

From a material point of view, the hardy perennials in shirting for business wear are those two classic cottons: broadcloth, the popular favorite -- a lustrous, closely woven fabric; and Oxford cloth, the Ivy League pace-setter -- a soft-textured, wide-weave fabric. Though both are comfortably correct for winter or summer wear, increasing numbers of warm-weather shirts are appearing in the office and on the town in breezy, featherweight batistes, voiles, piqués, Pima cottons and Dacron mixtures.

On the man with a rounded face, the collar that imparts the look of a longer, leaner visage is the one to wear. At right are three such styles, top to bottom: business shirt with modified-spread collar, correct in combination with olive- or brown-tinted Continental and British-inspired jackets; trim, short-point buttondown, worn with four-in-hand necktie knot; wide-weave shirt with pin collar, impeccably appropriate with four-in-hand necktie knot, any suit style.

While white remains the indisputable standard in urban shirtwear, muted shades and patterns both enlarge and enliven the workday wardrobe in terms of contrast and co-ordination with the tones and patterns of suits and ties. The selection of suitable shirt shades should be determined by hair color as well as personal taste: brown-haired men look best in pale blues, light browns, grays, greens, yellows and black pinstripes; brunets in sand tones, azure, olive, charcoal and pencil-striped reels; blonds in earth and sky tones lighter than the suit color; redheads in any hue of blue or green; and gray-haired men in muted shades of every tint but tan.

To co-ordinate shirt color tastefully with tie and suit, simply match tie and shirt with contrasting suit, shirt and suit with contrasting tie, or tie and suit with contrasting shirt. At its subtlest, the art of blending patterned shirts and patterned ties with imagination as well as propriety is largely a matter of personal flair. Quiet contrast is the basic premise: small-patterned shirt with large-patterned tie, wide-striped shirt with narrow-striped suit or tie, figured tie with subdued striped shirt or solid-color suit, bright-figured shirt or tie with muted-tone plain suit, etc. As a harmonizing and unifying counterpoint for any such combinations, at least one of the three wardrobe elements -- tie, shirt or suit -- should be an understated solid color.

On page 110 you'll find the other end of our shirt tale: a compendium of tables, diagrams, fundamental facts and practical pointers about shirts, shirt-wear and ties for your further guidance. In your final selection of styles, fabrics, colors and patterns, of course -- for shirtwear, as for any wear -- our sartorial suggestions can serve only as advisor, not as arbiter. They must ultimately acquiesce to the dictates of your own personal taste.

Out of the myriad collar styles available in shirts for business and social wear, slim Jims should select those designed to offset their lean lines with the impression of a fuller face and neck, as shown at left, top to bottom: bold-striped shirt with widespread, high-roll collar, worn only with Windsor knot; clean-lined English pin-collar shirt with short rounded points; business shirt with snap-tab collar, trimly tailored for wear with Ivy, Continental or British-cut suitings.

Glossary

Of Basic Shirt-Styles, Shirting And Neckwear

Barrel Cuff: Single attached cuff style worn unstarched with buttonhole closure on dress or sport shirts.

Batiste: Fine-weave, cotton shirting named after Jean Baptiste, the linen weaver who introduced it to Renaissance France.

Bedford Cord: Finely corded shirting fabric with the same crisp look as piqué.

Broadcloth: Closely woven, lustrous cotton shirting cloth invented in Britain in the 1920s; originally made on a loom wider than the customary 20 inches, hence the name "broadcloth."

Challis: Pronounced "shalley," a lightweight, soft-textured wool or cotton tie fabric of East Indian origin; characterized by small floral or geometric patterns; also designates the patterns themselves.

Collar Rise: Height of neckband at the back of a shirt with the collar attached.

Collar Stand: Height of neckband at the front of a shirt with the collar attached.

Convertible Cuff: Barrel cuff with second buttonhole beside button for conversion to cuff-link wear; worn unstarched.

Dacron: DuPont's trademark for its washable, quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant polyester fiber; widely used in shirting.

Demifront: Short shirt front, stiff or pleated, for formal wear.

Dress Shirt: Properly, a shirt for formal wear with plain or pleated front (starched or soft), medium-spread collar, French cuffs, buttonhole front closures, worn with studs, black bow tie; term also loosely applied to entire category of nonsport shirts.

Foulard: Sleek lightweight fabric printed with small design on plain ground, used in fine cravats and English ascots; also designates the design itself.

French Cuff: Turned-back double cuff attached to shirt, worn soft or starched, with cuff links.

Formal Shirt: Sec Dress Shirt.

Fused Collar: Processed collar with interlining laminated to outer layer of shining to minimize wilting and wrinkling.

Gingham: Yarn-dyed, plain-weave, long-wearing cotton shirting fabric, usually woven in plaids and checks, sometimes in solids and stripes.

Grenadine: Open-weave tie fabric, usually silk, available in a variety of intricate textural self-patterns.

Handkerchief Linen: Sheer, plain-Weave shirting cloth.

High-Roll Collar: Collar with neckband rise 1-1/2 to 2 inches in height.

Hopsacking: Rugged, loosely woven sport-shirt fabric in basket weave.

Jacquard: Weave named for the jacquard loom, which creates a raised figure on the fabric; popular in tie patterns and white-on-white shirtings.

Lawn: Light cotton shirt fabric which derives its name from Laon, France, where it was first made.

Long-Staple Cotton: Any of several superior breeds of shirting cotton characterized by unusually long fibers; extremely fine, lustrous and durable.

Long-Roll Collar: Low-front collar with points 3-3/4 inches to 4 inches in length.

Low-Slope Collar: Attached collar on which upper line has forward slope and neckband is set low.

Madder: Any of several deep, rich colors derived from old Eurasian dyeing herbs which give tie and sport-shirt cloth a dusky cast and suedelike feel.

Madras: Fine cotton necktie and shirting cloth woven in countless plaid, striped, print and solid-color patterns on East Indian handlooms; fades slightly in sunshine, colors tend to run or "bleed" somewhat in water.

Neckband Shirt: Collarless British shirt style with buttonholes in front and back of neckband, worn with separate collar.

Oxford Cloth: Loose-weave, long-wearing, soft-textured cotton shirting.

Paisley: Candle-flame tie and sport-shirt design in vibrant colors; an Oriental pattern copied by the shawl makers of Paisley, Scotland.

Pima Cotton: Fine-fibered crossbreed of cottons from Egypt and Arizona's Pima County: used for cool, airy shirting.

Pin Collar: Style in which rounded collar points of short to standard length are joined by pin hooked under tie, usually through stiched eyelets.

Piqué: Crisp cotton shirting fabric produced by weaving two layers of cloth together on the same loom; comes in variety of patterns, including spirals, pigskins, ribs and waffles.

Placket: The neck opening at the front of a pullover shirt.

Pleated Front: Dress-shirt front made with pleats of identical or varying widths, worn starched or soft.

Pullover: Shirt with partial front opening, closed with buttons, toggles or zipper, which must be pulled over head.

Rep: Lustrous, durable, diagonally ribbed necktie fabric, usually silk; the classic Ivy tiecloth. (See also Stripes:Rep.)

Round-Point Collar: Style in which traditional triangular collar points are replaced by short or standard-length rounded points.

Sea Island Cotton: Strong, lustrous shirting fabric, silklike in texture.

Short Rounded Collar: Shirt collar with rounded points 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length.

Single Cuff: Starched shirt cuff of single thickness worn with cuff links.

Starched Front: Shirt style for white-tie formal wear with two or three thicknesses of fabric -- usually piqué -- on set-in front; tailored with one, two or three stud closures.

Stripes:

Club: Any three-color tie stripe pattern of equal width.

Regimental: Diagonal tie stripe pattern, ranging usually from 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch, designating the classic colors of well-known British army regiments.

Rep: American version of the regimental stripe; diagonal, but nonregimental in widths and colors.

Pin: Pencil-thin vertical shirt striping.

Studs: Shirt fastenings -- usually set with mother-of-pearl or semiprecious stones -- worn with formal wear.

Tab Collar: Collar with points fastened to neckband by attached tabs held in place with snaps or collar button.

Tartan: Plaid tie and sport-shirt patterns inspired by kilts worn in the Scottish Highlands circa 1600.

Viyella: A pedigreed lamb's-wool and cotton mixture used in certain British-loomed knits and flannels; warm but lightweight, it won't shrink, rumple, mat or fade.

Voile: Costly lightweight fiber of cotton, silk or wool with a crisp texture.

Widespread Collar: Collar style with wide spread between points.