The Club Collar

I like club collars on shirts. Also known as the Eton or golf collar, the former because a large version of it was worn as part of the Eton school uniform and the latter because Brooks Brothers designated it that when Brooks still had influence on what things were called in the United States, the club collar isn't seen much today. That's probably because there's only so many different styles of ready to wear shirts that can be inventoried by a rational retailer. Fortunately, they are available from most shirtmakers, with the conspicuous exception of Turnbull & Asser.

I learned that when I bespoke one from T&A some years ago. My first clue should have been when they didn't have a collar template to show me, and I had to sketch what I wanted. So I half expected that what I got would be something other than what I ordered (to their credit, they were kind enough to replace the unfortunate result with something they knew how to make). That failure causes me to believe that the club is worn more on the American side of the Atlantic, to the extent it is worn at all.

The club can be worn pinned or unpinned, like the gentleman in the drawing to the left. Unstarched, it's better with odd jackets and less formal suits in flannel and tweed than it is with worsteds. And like the ticket pocket or lapels on a vest, it says that you pay attention to your clothes without being obvious about it. That's a good thing.