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Mandarin Collar

The mandarin collar is a "stand-up" kind of collar that originated in south-east Asia. To read more about this collar style and for a picture, please click on the link.

A Mandarin collar is a style of shirt or jacket collar that forgoes the traditional pointed flaps and instead replaces them with a vertical band of fabric that rises up the neck approximately 2 to 5 cm depending on the style. The closest approximation of vertical length would be a typical mock turtleneck shirt.

A mandarin collar can either close tightly to form a solid band around the neck or be left with a gap in the middle. Additionally, the edges of a Mandarin collar can either be squared off or rounded depending on the style.

Slight variations of the Mandarin collar can be seen around the world from traditional dresses worn in Imperial China, to the Mao suits popular in North Korea. Mandarin collars are also extensively used in military uniforms due to their ease of construction, utilitarian ideal and ability to snugly close against the neck.

In Western countries the Mandarin collar is a popular fashion choice among men both for its exotic look at the fact that it can be worn without neckties, yet still remain an acceptable wardrobe choice for formal events and black tie functions. For formal dress codes the mandarin collar is usually worn with a decorative stud button as the top button in place of a bow tie..