What is a pinned collar dress shirt
There are many collar styles available for your dress shirt and a pinned collar is one of the options you have when you decide what kind of collar style you want.
But what makes the pinned collar different from all other collar styles? What exactly is a pinned collar dress shirt?
A pinned collar utilizes a pin (three common variations) that is seated through the collar tabs and behind the knot of your necktie.
What is the purpose of a pinned collar
Unlike pointed collars or button down collars a pinned collar is more “dressy” because of the pin which can be seen as an extra piece of men's jewelry. The purpose of the pinned collar is twofold: the pin will bring the collar tabs closer together, making for a unique, decorative look and, second, the pin will prop up the knot of the necktie which makes the tie more prominent-looking.
What are the styles of the pins for the pinned collar dress shirt
Safety pin style and how to install the pin on your collar
There are three common styles of pins for the collar. The first style looks like a safety pin a mother would traditionally use to pin together a cloth diaper. However, the safety pin style is far from its lookalike.
While this style's mechanics are identical to the safety pin used to hold together diapers, you can be assured that the resemblance is anything but! The producers of this style are sure to design and produce a fancy piece of decorative jewelry.
To use this style pin collar, you simply push out the pointed side just like you would with a safety pin and push it through the collar tabs and secure the point back into its holster.
Dumbbell style and how to use the pin on your collar
As the name suggests, the dumbbell style pin collar looks like a miniature dumbbell. Usually one end of the dumbbell style pin collar is threaded with very fine threads.
This style functions the same as the safety pin style because it goes through the collar. However, the ends of this pin collar are blunted so to use the dumbbell style pin collar will require a dress shirt with metal-lined holes in the collar tabs.
To use the dumbbell pin collar you carefully unscrew the removable end (make sure you do not drop this tiny, but vital, piece because it will be difficult to find). Slide the pin through the pin holes of the collar tabs and screw the end back onto the threading.
Clip style collar pin and how to use the pin on your collar
The third pin collar style, unlike the previous two, relies on clips to pull the collar in rather than pointed ends. The clip style collar pin grabs hold of the edges of the collar tabs and pulls them towards each other. If you are hesitant to put holes (see closing section below) in your collar, then the clip style collar pin is for you.
To properly wear the clip style collar pin, attach one end first and pull it to the center. After that, pull the other collar tab and attach it to the collar pin.
Selecting the appropriate collar pin
Selecting a proper collar pin depends on a few things. First, the pin length must be sufficient to guarantee a natural look; too short and the collar will looked too crimped; too long and the pin will be too visible.
It is not a life and death situation because the easiest way of overcoming an incorrect pin is to put it through the collar in a closer to the neck or farther down to assure a proper-fitting collar pin. Second, the collar width. Wider collar spreads will require longer collar pins; narrower collar spreads will require shorter collar pins.
Because pinned collar dress shirts are not too common, the selection of collar pins is not too great. However, gold and silver finishes are the most popular. Let's face it, the collar pin is such a small piece. Manufacturers undoubtedly have more difficult time styling collar pins than they do with men's cuff links. Whichever collar pin catches your eye will work for you.
Can you use any dress shirt or do you have to buy a pinned collar dress shirt?
Generally, you do not have to buy a specially made pinned collar dress shirt just to wear a collar pin.
Depending on what type of collar pin you use, you can poke the pin through the collar. However, if you want to use the dumbbell style collar pin, then you will need to use a specially made pinned collar with collar pin holes.
You might be concerned about poking holes through your shirt. There is no problem, however, because when you wash or dry clean your dress shirt the fibers will cover up any holes. A word of caution: to prolong the fibers in your collar, should you find yourself repeatedly wearing a collar pin, avoid poking the collar pin through the same place time after time. By moving the point of
By moving the point of entrance a few millimeters, you can be sure that the fibers in the collar (and the collar itself) will retain its integrity.
Closing thoughts on the pinned collar dress shirt
The devil is in the details or how the saying goes. Wearing a pinned collar adds a subtle touch of style which a plain pointed collar lacks. Somewhere between a winged collar and a button down collar, the pinned collar dress shirt shows elegance with dignity.
If you want to have your coordinated necktie receive more attention, then wearing a pinned collar dress shirt is one of the ways to accomplish a put-togethered look.
