Curved Cutaway High Collar Stand

Lately I have been experimenting with higher collar stands coupled with curved cutaway collars. The collar is to me more important than any other details on a shirt because it frames the tie or bow tie.  A shirt's beauty is often in its simplicity but the collar is often very intricate to make and can require a variety of fusing (yes, that's right, fusing) to structure it correctly in order that it might appear 'effortless' and 'simple'. Purists of the Charvet-set often espouse that there should be no fusing in the collar but that the collar should be made instead by layering many pieces of shirting inside the collar. No glue is used so there will never be any bubbling, and since the collar is made up of numerous pieces of the same quality of cotton, it tends to have a very natural feel in the hand. This is, however, a very expensive way to make a shirt and very time consuming for the maker. It does create a lovely collar but it often lacks the same structure that you can achieve when using a variety of different weights of fusing to bring the right balance to a particular shirting fabric. For example, a heavy oxford will not require the same fusing to build it's structure as opposed to a light weight 180 2 ply by Carlo Riva.

Amongst fusing enthusiasts there is a great deal of difference between the makers of fusing. One German maker, supposedly, offsets their German production of high grade fusing with a lesser grade Chinese make. The Chinese make is then used in bulk production either in China or in low wage paying countries. This is what usually ends up in your off the rack make. 

There really is nothing quite like a great shirt made from a great maker. When the cloth, the buttons, the fusing and the cut is spot on - which invariably takes a few goes to get right - you just want to sing when you put your shirt on. 

Monti 200 Lusso range cotton with high collar stand and curved cutaway by Le Noeud Papillon Of Sydney