[AS676]

Dress shirt collars can give off different ideas about people and can vary differently, from a Eton collar to a button-down.
Recently, having come across Proper Cloth's plethora of collar options, I have thought about which one looks more appropriate and fitting for a headshot picture and/or interviews.
With their option of the traditional English collar, the collar comes off as being smaller than the norm at 2 3/4" point lengths with a 5" spread. Similarly, the President spread has a similar look but with 3 1/8" point lengths and a 5 1/2" spread. On the other side of the spectrum, their conservative cutaway comes in at 3" point lengths and a 6" spread.

Which of these looks best in a LinkedIn profile picture or Interview setting (Banking)?
Note: with half-Windsor knot and a navy suit

I have attached pictures.

Also, what is the formality of a collar by spread and point lengths? relation to one another?
Would a more "symmetrical" collar be more aesthetic? elegant...classy? formal?
Is there a rule on "tucking in" the points below the lapels? (obviously not sticking out but rather the tip of the points staying hidden) Should you want the points to be seen or not?

 

[Matt S]

Wider spreads are more formal, but in practice they're all about the same. I'm not sure what you mean by symmetrical, since any properly made collar is symmetrical. Whether or not the points are visible is a matter of taste. I prefer them to be hidden because I think it looks neater. A point collar can still have hidden points if the points are long enough and there is enough tie space to spread the points apart.

Ultimately, you need the collar that works best with your face. A 90-degree spread is the easiest for most people to wear. Narrow faces can wear wider spreads, while wider faced should wear medium spread and point collar, though I find that narrow collars on wide faces look unbalanced. Point length and collar height is very important as well and is often overlooked. To wear a 2.75" point length you need a small head. 3" to 3.125" is a fairly moderate point length that looks good on many men. The height of the collar needs to balance your neck height. Most men wear collars that sit too low on their necks. A higher collar gives a man more presence. The President Spread there would be my pick over the other two.

 

[Charles Dana]

Stay away from the cutaway for a LinkedIn photo—it’s too formal. Go with a medium or “President” spread because moderately spread collars hit the sweet spot between formal and ho-humness.

 

[AS676]

Wider spreads are more formal, but in practice they're all about the same. I'm not sure what you mean by symmetrical, since any properly made collar is symmetrical. Whether or not the points are visible is a matter of taste. I prefer them to be hidden because I think it looks neater. A point collar can still have hidden points if the points are long enough and there is enough tie space to spread the points apart.

Ultimately, you need the collar that works best with your face. A 90-degree spread is the easiest for most people to wear. Narrow faces can wear wider spreads, while wider faced should wear medium spread and point collar, though I find that narrow collars on wide faces look unbalanced. Point length and collar height is very important as well and is often overlooked. To wear a 2.75" point length you need a small head. 3" to 3.125" is a fairly moderate point length that looks good on many men. The height of the collar needs to balance your neck height. Most men wear collars that sit too low on their necks. A higher collar gives a man more presence. The President Spread there would be my pick over the other two.

By symmetrical, I meant both by visually suiting the body/ face shape as well as I suppose point length to spread ratio. Think the spearpoint collar from Goodfellas compared to a two button milano collar or extreme cutaway.

Originally, I set my eyes on the medium spread but after consideration, I'll probably go with the President spread

 

[EclecticSr.]

I can only add to the good advice above, something Matt touched on.
Long thin necks benefit from a wider band and spread collars, shorter heavy set necks benefit more with point and less wide bands.

It seems the trend lately pushing skimpy collars that land a good 1/2" from jacket lapel.
Regardless of collar type, the points should be long enough to reach the lapel and actually go under.

Big fan of proper cloth, I have several, I've never been disappointed.

 

[Flanderian]

I will be a bit of a contrarian to the truly excellent advice offered above as a result of my experience with a shirt make and my endless need to experiment with variety.

But first, as to the OP's question, a simple spread collar with points that meet the lapels of a properly fitting suit cannot go astray.

I had always read and subscribed to the fine general advice offered above until I began using a shirtmaker. I then found I could wear may more collars of different sizes and styles to good effect than I thought I could through the subtle manipulation of some variables when aided by the certain eye of a talented shirt maker to produce these collars. Among these variables were neckband height, lengthening (In my case.) the points of club and tab collars. And the size of the knot of the tie I wore with the collar. More subtle variables included the texture of the cloth of the suit. For example; fluffy flannels tended to fuzz up a pinned club collar making it appear less strict and confining.

 

[EclecticSr.]

Once again Flanderian is correct and for keeping me on track.

I should have pointed out that my opinion was centered around spread and point collars.
I too am/was a fan of tab pinned and point collars , in fact still have several of the latter with sewn pin holes. Naturally those types of collars would fall short of the lapels and I should have pointed that out.

I require/prefer a wider than average band regardless of style and more often than not can only be fulfilled by custom shirt makers who provide such options. Many of my shirts have two button collars with zero tie space. While I'm able to tie many knots, my go to is usually a four in hand dimpled without that dreaded space between collar closure and tie knot and to stand proud. no carrot or footballers knots here.

Don't forget monograms tastefully placed at or below left side breast, hey we're talking MTM, why not.




I'm sure Flanderian recalls the custom shirt shops, they were a great gateway into custom and bespoke shirts, I'm talking early to mid 60's Manhattan, 6th. Ave. garment district.
Funny I can recall such but can't remember what all I cooked last night😟 just kidding.

 

[Flanderian]

Once again Flanderian is correct and for keeping me on track.

I should have pointed out that my opinion was centered around spread and point collars.
I too am/was a fan of tab pinned and point collars , in fact still have several of the latter with sewn pin holes. Naturally those types of collars would fall short of the lapels and I should have pointed that out.

I require/prefer a wider than average band regardless of style and more often than not can only be fulfilled by custom shirt makers who provide such options. Many of my shirts have two button collars with zero tie space. While I'm able to tie many knots, my go to is usually a four in hand dimpled without that dreaded space between collar closure and tie knot and to stand proud. no carrot or footballers knots here.

Don't forget monograms tastefully placed at or below left side breast, hey we're talking MTM, why not.

I'm sure Flanderian recalls the custom shirt shops, they were a great gateway into custom and bespoke shirts, I'm talking early to mid 60's Manhattan, 6th. Ave. garment district.
Funny I can recall such but can't remember what all I cooked last night😟 just kidding.

My recipe for shirts included a 1/4" for tie space. In part because new shirts with a locked collar actually had collars that overlapped intending to shrink to locked (No tie space.) once fully laundered. Not wishing to wait, mine started of closed with up to 1/4" of space evolving once fully laundered. It also better suited the knot I preferred for most uses, the half Windsor. Also essential was that my shirtmakers cut the ends of the neckband where the shirt buttons in a curve creating a slight gap which gets covered by the tie knot, rather than straight across such as Brooks used to do, and is evidently the custom in England. I've found that shirts made in the later matter inevitably had the neckband eventually ride above the knot irrespective of which, or how,, you tied it. As seen below Parisian bespoke shirtmaker Daniel Levy cuts his as I prefer. Though the tie space is more than double what I prefer. (He apparently can do it anyway you wish, however, as many of his shirts feature none.)

I certainly do remember The Custom Shop which I first patronized in the early '70's. I worked in Newark briefly where they had one. A truly bewildering selection of fabric, the fellow running this shop claimed to be the son of the founder, Mortimer Levitt. I was young and generally ignorant and results were questionable.

Eventually I wound up with the Gamberts, first Mel, then Skip working as SGA. Skip pleased me very well. Unlike The Custom Shop shirts their shirts did not require darts as the panels were shaped to my body.

As you do, I prefer to have my shirts monogrammed in the same location. My preferred style is the small rectangle on its side, first on left, second row.

 

[EclecticSr.]

Just as an aside, I can recall a firm that did hand monograming at the time for about $5.00 per shirt. If memory serves, 33rd 0r 32nd off 6th. One flight up and when entering you found 2 women in an office the size of perhaps 4 telephone booths square plying their trade.

Now if I could jump into one of those time travel machines I would love to revisit those days in the early 60's through the late.

 

[Flanderian]

Just as an aside, I can recall a firm that did hand monograming at the time for about $5.00 per shirt. If memory serves, 33rd 0r 32nd off 6th. One flight up and when entering you found 2 women in an office the size of perhaps 4 telephone booths square plying their trade.

Now if I could jump into one of those time travel machines I would love to revisit those days in the early 60's through the late.

Now it would be $35, except there aren't any!

 

[Flanderian]

If you are going tieless with a suit . . .

You need to go out and buy one?

 

[Flanderian]

Very Flanderian circa late '80's -

 

[solemnidadmortality]

Hey, AS676! Thank you for sharing these photos with us here. I think the first three photos look great. In my opinion, you should stick to the classics. Or you can look on the internet for a combination of the modern style and old classics. I think designers need to return to the 80s and get more interesting ideas from this fashion decade. I was surprised when I saw some classic fashioned clothes in the mileycyrusmerch.com collection(i believe they got models for men as well), and I wish more people paid attention to old classics.