There is a version of this shirt that looks fussy and overdone, and there is a version that looks like exactly the right call. We are interested exclusively in the second kind. The contrast collar shirt has been a fixture of Italian and British tailoring for decades, and when it is done well it adds a layer of intention to a suit or a blazer that a plain white shirt simply cannot replicate. The trick is proportion. The collar needs to be substantial enough to hold its shape under a tie or over a lapel, and the contrast needs to be considered rather than theatrical. White collar, striped body. That combination has not gotten old and it is not going to. We have been looking specifically at shirts where the construction matches the ambition, because the collar gap problem is real and it kills the look entirely. The ones here are well made, well fitted through the shoulder, and genuinely worth reaching for when the occasion calls for a little more.
Claire's Picks
← Tops Worth Adding to the RotationContrast Collar Shirts You'll Be Glad You Found
There is a version of this shirt that looks fussy and overdone, and there is a version that looks like exactly the right call. We are interested exclusively in the second kind. The contrast collar shirt has been a fixture of Italian and British tailoring for decades, and when it is done well it adds a layer of intention to a suit or a blazer that a plain white shirt simply cannot replicate. The trick is proportion. The collar needs to be substantial enough to hold its shape under a tie or over a lapel, and the contrast needs to be considered rather than theatrical. White collar, striped body. That combination has not gotten old and it is not going to. We have been looking specifically at shirts where the construction matches the ambition, because the collar gap problem is real and it kills the look entirely. The ones here are well made, well fitted through the shoulder, and genuinely worth reaching for when the occasion calls for a little more.
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