What is Collar?
A collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. It is a man’s most revealing gesture of personal style. Collars contribute to the style and ultimate look of garments. A collar may be permanently attached to the main body of the garment (e.g. by stitching) or detachable. The season’s fashion trends decides the collar design, style and shapes. Collars can have square or pointed corners or adjusted edges. Collars could be in one piece or cut in two pieces or as a portion of the variety of the pieces of garments. Collars come in different shapes and styles ranging from simple collars such as the stand collar, frequently known as a Mandarin, to more complex collar such as the shirt collar but the majority types of collars have the same basic construction. Each collar style will require a particular method of assembly and application to the neckline and front opening finish.
The under collar pattern should be slightly smaller than the top collar. As a general rule, the under collar should be 5mm smaller when cut from bulky fabrics and 2mm smaller when cut from medium to lightweight fabrics. Having the top collar larger enables the leaf edge seam of the collar to roll under.
A fusible interfacing should be applied to the top collar excluding the seam allowances. This will provide stability and shape to the collar. Select an interlining that is the same or lighter in weight than the fabric that the collar and garment are made from. When using knitted or stretch fabrics, select an interfacing that gives when the fabric is stretched.
Different Parts of a Collar:
Flat Collar VS Standing Collar:
These diagrams help illustrate the differences between a flat collar and a standing collar. Refer to this illustration to identify the names of the different collar parts.
Flat collar:
The simplest collar to draft is a flat collar. It will work on any neckline. Flat collars are attached to the neckline and lie flat against the bodice. A flat collar can be any shape you dream up. The flat collar drafting methods are the foundation for more complex collars. This collar goes best with a facing but can be sewn with a placket.
1. Flat collar:
A collar that sits against the garment and has no height off of the neckline.
2. Break point:
Where the collar meets the garment front.
3. Standing collar:
A collar that sits up from the neckline and then falls down over the neckline seam and shoulders.
4. Upper collar:
The part of the collar that shows when worn.
5. Under collar:
The upper collar’s facing; the part of the collar that does not show when worn.
6. Outer collar:
The outer edge that is farthest from the neckline; where the upper and under collar are sewn together.
Standing collar:
Any collar that is not flat has a stand. A standing collar is attached to the bodice neckline, stands above it, and falls over the bodice, forming a tent-like shape. There are several styles of standing collars, including camp, notched, and shawl. Within each style is a wide array of shapes and sizes. Some collars are combined with lapels and some are simpler. Start with a simple collar and facing and later combine a lapel. Again, you can draft a standing collar to include a facing or placket.
1. Collar stand:
The same as the height, but often the exact point of the roll line.
2. Collar fall:
The part of the collar below the stand.
3. Roll line:
The foldline of the collar; where the stands turns into the fall.
4. Lapel/facing:
When the facing of a garment front is folded out to be seen when worn.
5. Gorge point:
The point between the lapel and the collar on a notched collar.
Different Types of Collars in Garments:
1. Flat collar:
Lies flat and close to the garment along the neckline. When the corners are rounded, they are called Peter Pan.
2. Full roll collar:
The fall and stand of this collar are the identical height at the center back.
3. Partial roll collar:
These collars have less stand and more fall.
4. Convertible collar:
This is analogous to a full roll collar, but cuddles the neckline closer at the sides of the neck.
5. Shawl type collar:
This is identified by its center back seam. The under collar is cut as part of the bodice.
6. Mandarin collar:
A stand-up collar (complete stand with no fall). Mandarin collars start at the neckline and typically rise vertically two to five centimeters.
7. Shirt collar:
A distinct neckband serves as the stand. A shirt without a collar is like a house without a roof.
Different Styles of Collars for Dresses:
There are numerous varieties of collar styles like Chelsea, sailor, bertha, Puritan, stovepipe, tie and Peter Pan.
Determination of collar stand:
The form of the neckline edge decides the collar stand. If the neck edges are straighter, the collar stand will be more. If the curve of the neck edge is more, then the collar stand will be less.
References:
- Apparel Manufacturing Technology by T. Karthik, P. Ganesan, D. Gopalakrishnan
- Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method: Customize Fitting Shells to Create Garments in Any Style by Sara Alm
- Guide to Basic Garment Assembly for the Fashion Industry by Jayne Smith
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_(clothing)
Image sources:
- http://mediumhairstyleupdate.com/
- http://surefitdesigns.blogspot.com
- http://propercloth.com
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
I love learning about different types of collars and their different parts! This blog post was very informative.