Traditional Civilian Highland SHIRTS

[MacLowlife]

At one point, men's shirts were made with removable collars. You would probably wear the shirt more days than the collar. Some collars were even made to be worn, reversed, and pitched out.

And that brings me to my next point. An attached collar that is the same on both sides can be "turned" to put the frayed side underneath and a fresh (relatively) surface against the wearer's neck. It takes a sure hand with the seam ripper and about 20 minutes using a sewing machine. Note Well: a collar with pockets for stays can not be turned because the back is not like the front. I do not know how long shirts were made with attached collars before stays and stay pockets emerged. They may still exist somewhere. Of course, there ARE shirts with permanent stays, but I do not think these can be readily turned, either.

On the other hand, a button down collar usually can be readily turned, because it is the same on both sides. And, coincidentally, it requires less construction in the first place, as it does not require stitching for the stay pockets or any other means of getting the stays in. That is a long way of saying button down collars are simpler and cheaper to make. I do not know how much time is added by the buttons or button holes, but I expect less than is saved by eliminating the stays and their little dens.

Before you jump on the bandwagon and turn all of your collars, I would warn you that the laundry can do it for you. Usually one wash cycle before they tear the sleeve of your shirts.

[ThistleDown]

Ah yes, and in the days before plastic stays and their little pockets spoiled an entire collar reversing industry there were spring-loaded u-shaped wire things that ran up from one collar point, under your tie and down to the other point. With just the right amount of starch, it made for a perfect collar.

[creagdhubh]

Ah yes, and in the days before plastic stays and their little pockets spoiled an entire collar reversing industry there were spring-loaded u-shaped wire things that ran up from one collar point, under your tie and down to the other point. With just the right amount of starch, it made for a perfect collar.

Used that process whilst on active-duty in the U.S. Marine Corps - Creighton khaki service uniform shirts, awww, superb quality!

Cheers,

[MacLowlife]

Mine are getting gently bleached as I type this and are unvailable for photographs. I have just checked and the eBay pics show a folded shirt, so you can't gauge much from them. The bib is just like the bib on any other boiled/ formal/ pique / marcella front shirt, except there is no fly.

There is a style of ladies cardigan sweater that some clever girl figured out could be worn buttoned up the front or the back. This is the theory behind a button-up-the-back shirt. If a shirt is a tube, the closure of the tube can be anywhere you want it to be. Most of the time, the front makes the most sense. But for the formal bib front shirt, the studs are purely ornamental. As many people have figured out, manipulating the little spring mechanism on some shirt studs through two layers of stiff, but moving fabric can be tricky. Here is the genius of the single bib, as explained by MoR above. As he also pointed out, there is no risk of Gap-Osis. Nobody will know if you are an AC or a Champion guy, or whatever company sponsors your tee shirt.

I don't think anyone dreamed of removing one's jacket while wearing such a shirt.