Mandarin collar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mandarin collar is a short unfolded stand-up collar style on a shirt or jacket. Mandarin collars start at the neckline and typically rise vertically two to five centimeters. The style originated from Western interpretation of Manchurian dresses.
The length along a mandarin collar is straight, with either straight or rounded edges at top of the centre front. The edges of the collar either barely meet at the centre front or overlap slightly. Overlapping mandarin collars are often a continuation of a shirt's placket and have a button on the collar to secure the two sides of the shirt together.
[edit] Related nomenclature
A nearly identical style known as the Nehru collar is also found in some modern Indian men's clothing, such as the Nehru jacket. (Named for Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India 1947–1964, who commonly wore clothing with this type of collar.)
A band collar is often a mandarin collar. This term is also used for shirts that have only a flat finishing around the neckline; originally such garments were designed for use with a detachable collar, a largely-forgotten usage.
[edit] Usage
In contemporary Western dress, mandarin collars are found in fashion-forward oriental-styled and minimalistically styled clothing. Women's mandarin-collared jackets often include other vaguely oriental elements, such as silk knots as closures instead of buttons.
Since mandarin collars are short and do not fold over, neckties are not worn with mandarin-collared dress shirts. It is socially acceptable (and fashionable) to wear a mandarin-collared shirt with a suit at many moderately formal occasions — even though no tie is worn.
Mandarin collars are also utilised heavily in modern-day military combat uniforms like the US Marine Corps's MARPAT uniforms and the US Army's Army Combat Uniform. The presence of the mandarin collar on both the MARPAT uniforms and the Army Combat Uniform makes the wearing of body armour more comfortable by lifitng the collar up while the wearer is wearing body armour.
Lastly, mandarin collars feature in costumes in some notable films, where they are employed to create a distinctive appearance for sinister characters. For example, the title character in the 1962 film Dr. No (see picture), parodied by Doctor Evil in the Austin Powers series of films.
