The History of Men’s Shirt Collars Is All About Social Class and Avoiding Laundry
<p>Despite our modern association of epic shirt collars with old-timey garb, collars didn’t really show up in the Western world until the mid-1400s. As Sarah Lorriane, an art and fashion historian who writes and talks about historical fashion for <a href="http://www.frockflicks.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Frock Flicks</a> told me in an email interview, “Up until the mid-15th century, menswear tended to have necklines that varied from the base of the neck to what we modern people would call a ‘boat neckline,’ or scoop neckline, and likewise, their undershirts kept a similar profile.” As an example, Lorraine points to this painting from the 1200s where, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maciejowski_Bible#/media/File:Hanun_humiliates_David%27s_ambassadors.gif" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">according to Wikimedia</a>, “Hanun humiliates David’s ambassadors, by having their tunics and beards slashed.” I take this to mean that nobody would’ve wanted collars in the 13th century anyway because they would’ve just been cut off with what appear to be the 1240 version of those oversized ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors.</p>
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