BEWARE BAD COLLARS
Sara Hollamby
Style
Counsel
More and more men are discarding their ties at work. You may feel more comfortable, but business casual can too easily become “business untidy” if you’re not careful – and the key is the shirt collar. A quality collar will have good interlining – that’s the fabric between the layers – that keeps it standing up in a good crisp shape. The stand (the bit that stands up between the shirt and the collar) should be slightly narrower for people with short necks than for those with long necks – and necks do vary enormously. Jacob at Green & Jack’s recommends a 4.5cm stand for long necks, 3.5cm for average and 3cm for short necks. Stiffeners will help keep a collar from curling up, but remember to take them out before laundering – a 60 degree wash and a steam iron will melt them. The key to business casual is to look relaxed in a very sharp way.
Sara Hollamby is an image consultant at workingvoices.com.Email her at sarahollamby@ blueyonder.co.uk.