Contrast-collar and cuff shirts: use and abuse
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 6:35 am
Good day all,
I have a particular question about the above topic, which I thought may serve as a useful springboard for discussing this much-maligned style, which is nonetheless a personal favourite of mine.
I have recently acquired a specimen of same, admittedly RTW, but of the highest order (Finamore Napoli). It has a beautifully striped body of white and two shades of blue, a collar which is nicer and fits and flatters me better than I ever thought possible and...barrel cuffs.
Herein, predictably, lies the dilemma to which I refer. This is not the first Neapolitan shirt I have come across with contrasting barrel cuffs, it will not be the last, I'm sure. Both the frequency with which I've seen them, and the provenance of firms such as Finamore Napoli (no Gianni-come-lately, to borrow an excellent turn of phrase I picked up here), makes me reluctant to dismiss the style out-of-hand.
I generally prefer French cuffs in virtually all cases, but this specimen was too nice to pass up. The thought of having the cuffs replaced crossed my mind, but may prove unsatisfactory, and seems unnecessary. The shirt, worn with suit and tie, does not look out of place.
I recalled my contribution to a debate of the use of button-down collars with businesswear some time ago, which in brief was the proposal that it is the heritage of the style, and not its inherent design features, which make it "casual" rather than "formal" (though admittedly, this heritage informs the styling of most button-downs, so that their materials and cut tend toward the casual end of the spectrum).
I wondered whether the answer lay in this direction: specifically in Anglo-American preconceptions based on the historic usage of contrast-collar shirts (specifically detachable stiff collars), which is either absent (unlikely) or less influential and/or more mutable in Italy (more likely). There is also, frustratingly but inescapably, the association in Western popular culture of the style with plutocratic business and finance types - spearheaded by the film Wall Street and its real life imitators - which put some people off wearing the style entirely. Although similar factors, I note, have not dissuaded anyone in our community from wearing braces, to my knowledge.
I myself am very fond of the contrast-collar shirt, as it allows me to wear a cloth that is on the bolder side of my taste spectrum, but not to overwhelm the more restrained ties which I prefer. The white collar does frame one's face rather nicely, it also provides a visual link back to the white linen pocket square when one is wearing a coloured/striped shirt.
So, to summarise, I am both wondering about my fellow Loungers' views on wearing the shirt which I have purchased, and the usage of the style in general, and the rationale behind such views and potential cultural factors influencing same.
Kind regards,
EB
I have a particular question about the above topic, which I thought may serve as a useful springboard for discussing this much-maligned style, which is nonetheless a personal favourite of mine.
I have recently acquired a specimen of same, admittedly RTW, but of the highest order (Finamore Napoli). It has a beautifully striped body of white and two shades of blue, a collar which is nicer and fits and flatters me better than I ever thought possible and...barrel cuffs.
Herein, predictably, lies the dilemma to which I refer. This is not the first Neapolitan shirt I have come across with contrasting barrel cuffs, it will not be the last, I'm sure. Both the frequency with which I've seen them, and the provenance of firms such as Finamore Napoli (no Gianni-come-lately, to borrow an excellent turn of phrase I picked up here), makes me reluctant to dismiss the style out-of-hand.
I generally prefer French cuffs in virtually all cases, but this specimen was too nice to pass up. The thought of having the cuffs replaced crossed my mind, but may prove unsatisfactory, and seems unnecessary. The shirt, worn with suit and tie, does not look out of place.
I recalled my contribution to a debate of the use of button-down collars with businesswear some time ago, which in brief was the proposal that it is the heritage of the style, and not its inherent design features, which make it "casual" rather than "formal" (though admittedly, this heritage informs the styling of most button-downs, so that their materials and cut tend toward the casual end of the spectrum).
I wondered whether the answer lay in this direction: specifically in Anglo-American preconceptions based on the historic usage of contrast-collar shirts (specifically detachable stiff collars), which is either absent (unlikely) or less influential and/or more mutable in Italy (more likely). There is also, frustratingly but inescapably, the association in Western popular culture of the style with plutocratic business and finance types - spearheaded by the film Wall Street and its real life imitators - which put some people off wearing the style entirely. Although similar factors, I note, have not dissuaded anyone in our community from wearing braces, to my knowledge.
I myself am very fond of the contrast-collar shirt, as it allows me to wear a cloth that is on the bolder side of my taste spectrum, but not to overwhelm the more restrained ties which I prefer. The white collar does frame one's face rather nicely, it also provides a visual link back to the white linen pocket square when one is wearing a coloured/striped shirt.
So, to summarise, I am both wondering about my fellow Loungers' views on wearing the shirt which I have purchased, and the usage of the style in general, and the rationale behind such views and potential cultural factors influencing same.
Kind regards,
EB