A
detachable collar is a
shirtA dress shirt , or simply shirt is a shirt with a collar, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and sleeves with cuffs. Dress shirts are predominantly used by men, since women usually wear blouses...
collarIn clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck.-Origins:...
separate from the shirt, fastened to it by studs. The collar is usually made of a different fabric than the shirt, in which case it is virtually always white, and, being unattached to the shirt, can then be specially starched to a hard cardboard-like consistency.
Some believe that Hannah Lord Montague invented this collar in
TroyTroy is a city in New York, U.S., and the county seat of Rensselaer County. As of the 2000 census, the population was 49,170. Troy's motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Ilium was, Troy is."...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1827, after she snipped the collar off of one of her husband's shirts to wash it, and then sewed it back on.
A
detachable collar is a
shirtA dress shirt , or simply shirt is a shirt with a collar, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and sleeves with cuffs. Dress shirts are predominantly used by men, since women usually wear blouses...
collarIn clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck.-Origins:...
separate from the shirt, fastened to it by studs. The collar is usually made of a different fabric than the shirt, in which case it is virtually always white, and, being unattached to the shirt, can then be specially starched to a hard cardboard-like consistency.
History
Some believe that Hannah Lord Montague invented this collar in
TroyTroy is a city in New York, U.S., and the county seat of Rensselaer County. As of the 2000 census, the population was 49,170. Troy's motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Ilium was, Troy is."...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1827, after she snipped the collar off of one of her husband's shirts to wash it, and then sewed it back on. The Rev. Ebenezar Brown, a businessman in town, proceeded to commercialize it. The manufacture of detachable collars and the associated shirts became a significant industry in Troy.
It was later that the benefit of being able to starch the collars became apparent, and for a short time, various other parts of the shirt, such as the front and cuffs, were also made detachable and treated to rigid stiffness. As comfort became more emphasised in clothing, this stopped, and the stiff collar is the last surviving use of such heavily starched cotton in daywear, while a full dress shirt (worn with
white tieWhite tie is the most formal evening dress code. It is worn to events such as balls, the opera, and formal dinners...
and occasionally
black tieBlack tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events, and is worn to many types of social functions. For a man, the major component is a jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo , which is usually black but is also seen in midnight blue...
) still has a stiff, but attached, front and cuffs to accompany the stiff detachable collar.
Using a detachable collar
The collar is attached to the shirt by a pair of studs like those shown. The shirt has a tunic collar, a short upright band of fabric with a hole at the back and one on each side at the front. The stiff collar is attached at the back before the shirt is put on (and the tie placed under the collar for a turndown collar), then the shirt is put on, after which the front stud is pushed through the collar to fasten it.
Detachable collars are often used by barristers in the UK and Canada, many of whom wear a winged collar when in court, specifically Criminal Court, to allow the use of
bandsBands are a form of formal neckwear, worn by some clergy and lawyers, and with some forms of academic dress. They take the form of two oblong pieces of cloth, usually though not invariably white, which are tied to the neck. Bands is usually plural because they require two similar parts and did not...
, however, on the way to and from court, a turndown collar and tie is worn. Another common use of detachable collars now is a
clerical collarA clerical collar is a piece of Christian clerical clothing. It is a detachable collar that buttons onto a clergy shirt or rabbat , being fastened by two metal studs, one attached at the front and one at the back to hold the collar to the shirt. The collar closes at the back of the neck, presenting...
(or "Roman Collar"), though these are now often made from flexible plastic for ease of washing, and are not always now attached in the traditional way with studs. Also, at
Eton collegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent boarding school for boys aged approx. 13 to 19. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, all pupils wear stiff collars, mostly turndown collars, but students in positions of authority wear 'stick-ups', which includes a wing collar.
Outside these situations, detachable collars are less common. Stiff collars in particular with daywear in the twenty-first century are generally rare, but if one is worn, it is usually a turndown collar, though
morning dressMorning dress is the daytime formal dress code, consisting chiefly for men of a tailcoat, waistcoat, and striped trousers, and an appropriate dress for women. Men may also wear a morning suit, a popular variant with all parts solid grey...
is seen still with a wing collar. Older styles, such as the imperial collar (a high collar with no wings last worn by the Edwardians), are not now seen. A more common use of detachable collars is with eveningwear, in which case a high wing collar is worn.
To starch a collar, it must be rinsed in boiling water to remove any starch, then laundered as normal. After soaking in a concentrated warm starch solution, it is left until nearly dry, then ironed until hard. While ironing, the shape is added by curling, or using a collar press.