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Collared Women

Women have a lot more variety in their collars than men do. When you consider the fact that they can wear collarless blouses and still look formal, the variety widens further. But, in this post, we will talk about women’s shirts with collars.

Women not only have a wide choice, you can also add a stole or a scarf to bring greater color and variety. Or they could leave the collar open and complement it with accessories. So the traditional men’s collar rules don’t apply to women.

But what factors should women consider when buying their formal collared shirts?

  • Is the occasion formal or semi-formal?
  • What is my face shape?
  • What is my neck shape?
  • What is my shoulder width?

Point Collar

The Classic Point Collar is one of the most common Turn Down Collars worn by women. Turn Down Collars are the ones where the collar is turned backwards, allowing the person to wear a tie, scarf, stole or simply leave it open in case of women. Their collar tips end in sharp points. The collars vary in the spread between the collar tips and in the length from collar tip to collar band. Long collar lengths and smaller spread is good for round faces, heavier necks and shoulders. Narrow faces, necks and shoulders would be better off with short collar lengths and wider spread.

Beyond that, narrow faces can leave the collar open and accessorize with a complementary chain around the neck.

Button Down Point Collar:

Button Down Collars carry small buttons at the bottom of each collar tip and keep the collar down. Since they can be worn without a tie or scarf, women wear them easily. But, remember, shirts with these collars are considered semi-formal. Always keep the tips buttoned.

Mandarin Collar:

Also known as the Nehru Collar, these stand up and are not folded like Turn Down Collars. They are more on the casual end of the dressing scale for women. The band itself can be worn buttoned or unbuttoned. The neck line carries more variety for women with these collars. It can be closed or leave a little room between the two ends to make it less severe or have a V-shaped neckline.

 

Winged Collar:

These aren’t the traditional men’s winged collar used in tuxedos, but one with wide lapels. The curved collar edges mean that they give a more semi-formal look. With the spread becoming extra wide due to the wide lapels, they suit narrow faces.

Peter Pan Collar

: The collar has rounded edges and tips and the collar material is soft, lying flat against the shirt as opposed to the stiff stand-up collars. The rounded edges and soft collar make it a semi-formal collar going down on our Style Scale from formal to casual. It looks good on narrow frames and faces because of the wide look of the collar.

Turtle Neck Collar

: Part of winter clothing, they have high collars that can be worn high completely covering the neck or turned down to reveal part of the neck. Given the cold weather, they can be part of winter formal wear. They look good on slim women.

 

So go ahead, choose from the wide range of collared shirts and have fun.

Collar Rules

  • Round or Wide faces – Long collars with small spread between collar tips, V necks
  • Narrow and Long faces – Short collars with wide spread between collar tips, wider necks
  • Formal Collars – Straight lines, No Button-downs
  • Semi-Formal Collars – Curved lines, Button-downs, Soft Collars.
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