Life as a Bespoke Suit Tailor in Pretoria is hard, but fabulous at the same time. Welcome to my personal behind-the-seams blog, from Bespoke Suits to Wedding couture and…
The Perfect Collar fit
Ideally your collar should touch the skin of your neck all the way around, without feeling constricting. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to easily fit two fingers underneath the collar without force. Of course I’d never presume to tell anyone how to wear their clothes, what matters is that you feel comfortable. But poor collar fit can be disastrous to you comfort and image:
Too loose; The weight of your tie till tend to pull the collar forward and down on your chest. This distorts the natural fall of the shirt’s shoulders, and makes it look like you’re slouching. The gap between the top button and your neck is also a definite signal that you’re wearing your dad’s clothes.
Too tight; besides the obvious sensation of strangulation and the red face you’ll experience all day, a tight collar tends to ride higher on your neck. This not only makes you look like a turtle retreating into his shell, but also distorts your shirt’s shoulder joins making it look like your shoulders are really narrow.
Fortunately this is fashion, so of course there’s a cute accessory for you!
The main issue is really technological, as the junction between the collar and the shirt doesn’t mimic the natural form or movement of your neck at all. Poor patterning and grading exacerbates the issue. I looked into this for my last collection Ochre, but that’s another talk show.
Without the wide dissemination of the saccaggi collar, there’s no other solution but a collar extender, and why it isn’t a more common men’s wear accessory is somewhat beyond me. The gimmick itself is extremely simple, and would be completely invisible under a tie.
There’s practically no limit to your options, but if you go here you’ll hit on the Prince of Scotts’ Cochic collection. These, to me, are the most stylish. I reviewed them in more detail here.
A cheaper, though slightly more drab option, is from Wonder Button, where you can also decide on how many you want to buy.
And lastly, Home X makes button extenders for trousers as well, in case your collar isn’t your only fitting problem 😉
Final Word
With ever less stringent codes of dress in our modern age, the tie (and therefore top button) requirement is becoming less of an issue. With the current (or at least, predominant) shirt pattern technology a tighter collar actually sits a lot better on the shoulders when unbuttoned. It’ll also interact more stylishly (says me) with your jacket lapel.
So really your best option is to get a shirt with a collar slightly too tight to look good in your ‘business casual’ life, and use collar extenders where black tie is required.
The Studio is at 625 Levinia Street, Garsfontein, and open every Thursday from 10am to 10pm. You can also subscribe to this blog by hitting the follow button, and join the monthly newsletter here for fashion scandal and exclusive designs.
Saccaggi Tailoring 
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