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Vintage Point Collars

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#1 ·
Hello friends,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I watched The English Patient the other day and was struck by the collars of Ralph Fiennes' shirts. They reminded me of the collar of my favorite shirt, an old Troy Guild of Shirtmakers shirt made for Julian's of Chapel Hill. Both shirt collars seem to have a sort of concave cut, in contrast to the straight or convex shape I see in most point collars. See below:
Clothing Face Shoulder Dress shirt Neck
Outerwear Dress shirt Sleeve Grey Collar
Dress shirt Sleeve Textile Collar Blazer
I took some pictures as well of some unlined shirt collars that don't have the shape I'm talking about:
Dress shirt Sleeve Grey Collar Clothes hanger
Outerwear Sleeve Dress shirt Collar T-shirt
I measured the Troy shirt, and the rear collar is slightly shorter than that of the Mercer shirt (1.75" vs 2"). Could that account for the difference? Am I crazy, or is this distinction actually a thing, and where can I find more of the concave kind of shirt collar?
 
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#2 ·
No, you aren't crazy. Over the years, I have owned a number of shirts with the concave collar you mention in your post. In the nineties, I picked up a dozen white, royal blue and dark red shirts all made by Lands' End, and all of them sporting soft, unlined long point collars which were curved in a manner identical to the BB shirt in the third photograph. I still have a few of those left, the others I may have donated to thrift shops.

The concave collar does follow the curve of the area near the collarbone, and tends to lie snug along that part of the shoulder closest to the neck.

I think many other companies made such collars in the past. They do echo the collar styles prominent in the first half of the last century. Perhaps the best place to find them is a thrift or vintage shop.

Love the military-style WWII khakis worn by Ralph Fiennes in the film.
 
#3 ·
Darn, I was hoping there would be an OTR option, but it looks like all my favorite clothes have only gotten harder to find. I was lucky enough to thrift the BB and Troy shirts, so hopefully I’ll get lucky again.

Following the curve of the collarbone definitely makes sense as well. I feel like contemporary lined and fused collars with their angular geometric points remind of detachable celluloid collars, and not in a flattering way. Quite stiff in both senses of the word.

Re: the gurkha pants, I definitely agree. I’ve always been a ‘flat front and a belt’ kinda guy, but I’ve been thinking about trying some pleated side-tab pants. Ralph Fiennes certainly does look comfortable.
 
#4 ·
My dad used to have those old-fashioned shirts with the detachable celluloid collars, back in the middle of the last century, in a faraway colonial outpost. But then, he used to shave with a straightedge razor too.

I have Gurkha pants, although mine was made by Bill's Khakis, LOL. I did serve in a paramilitary outfit in India, and our instructors were Gurkhas. Splendid chaps, very tough, and fearless. I have a few Gurkha items picked up later in life to honour my association with them -- a kukri, a hat, a cap badge.

Glad you have jumped in with posting messages. Welcome to AAAC!
 
#8 ·
You're right, they do look promising. I'll need to take a look in-person to see if they're lined or fused, but this pic from the website has that certain curve.
Outerwear White Dress shirt Sleeve Grey
Also found another vintage shirt in the wild, English this time. I passed on it due to the price and double-cuffs, but it has the dream unlined point collar.
Product Clothes hanger Dress Sleeve Dress shirt
 
#9 ·
LOL, the price on the Gitman shirt seems pretty high to me personally, since I have become so used to the prices on shirts and other items of clothing at thrift shops. Let me hasten to add that I don't, even for a moment, think it is unfair -- it is quite competitive with other US-made shirts. Maybe if Gitman's has a sale...
 
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