I was reading the Wall Street Journal today and came across this article in the Style & Travel section and thought it might be of interest to the guys here who are building a more masculine wardrobe: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324468104578250150034142598.html?mod=lifestyle_newsreel 

"What's Your Collar ID? A guide to the broad range of collars in stores this spring" by Ray A. Smith

I had no idea there were so many collar options available, I just honestly never looked that closely at shirts I suppose...
So far, I am not much a fan of "The Cutaway" collar, I think it looks too much like the collars on some of the girl shirts I have, and the "snap-tab" seems like a PITA. I think I like the "Spread" look without a tie for more casual office days, and the "Forward Point" for more formal looks. I really had no idea how many rules there were for the "Button Down" collar.

I kind of wish detachable collars were still popular, it seems much more convenient and economical to just change your collar for whatever occassion you need it for instead of buying a whole new shirt.

I like a forward point. I don't like a fat knot on my tie that's commonly used to a wide spread collar.

I obsess over these details. Also, it bothers the hell out of me when guys can't tie ties properly.

I'm an English Spread fan though I don't get a chance to wear them outside of the house yet.

I've been working on this lately too, and am practicing (ahem--failing?) tying different kind of knots for ties. It ain't easy! For example, has anyone mastered the four-in-hand??   

I did read on a gentlemen's fashion site that spread collars are NOT good on short guys, so short guys beware!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is obsessing over these details, lol. I, for one, never gave a hoot about stuff when I was dressing female--who'd a thunk?

Tie quality matters too for some of the knots. Crap ties produce crappy knots. Sadly, the Slytherin tie I own was made from sub par material so I can't do much with it other than to wear it sloppily like Ron and Harry.. Haha. The Four-in-Hand shouldn't be hard if the tie isn't too wide or flimsy. Latest knot I worked on was the Eldredge knot, which doesn't fly in professional settings, but totally crazy looking for semi-formal partying!

I've kind of been this way since I was a kid. Hee. Ah, I just thought of another thing--men who wear huge untailored shirts and suits...WHY?!! I'll shut up now.

The Eldredge knot is pretty neat.

The abbreviated spread looks like it'd be my style-- casual and laid back with a hint of cocky intellectualism. 

Right now, though, I only own two male dress shirts-- both of which I got at WalMart for cheap, which is good because I only wore them once each and now they're too big on me.

I really don't know how to tie anykind of tie. Someone once showed me the Windsor knot, but I forgot how to do it. I have one tie at home, but I think it's too big for me. Do ties come in different sizes, or do you just have to look around?

Quote from: LearnedHand on January 25, 2013, 07:50:11 PM
I really don't know how to tie anykind of tie. Someone once showed me the Windsor knot, but I forgot how to do it. I have one tie at home, but I think it's too big for me. Do ties come in different sizes, or do you just have to look around?

Generally there are different widths to ties. Sometimes there's different lengths but it's generally broken up into big+tall (very long ones), regular, and kids. Then there's different thicknessess. There's skinny ties, fat ties, knitted ties, ascots, bowties, etc.

This should have been about bdsm or cats or dogs.

Shirt collars and ties, though, idk. All that jargon is intimidating. I have a couple of ties but I've never worn them. I have several button up shirts. The collars look like...my gosh those collars in that link all look alike. Ima go ahead and risk a faux pas or two and not try to memorize or understand that stuff. I am not very classy. <--see that's me walking around without style XD