Purposeful and stylish, the pinned collar dress shirt is one of many collar styles available for gentlemen.
This article has been written to help you better understand the not-so-common pinned collar.
What makes the pinned collar different from all other collar styles? What exactly is a pinned collar dress shirt?
Should you even consider wearing a pinned collar? If so, then which pin style is right for you?
These are just some of the questions we will address.
What Is The Purpose Of A Pinned Collar
The collar pin is another piece of men's jewelry, therefore you can consider the pinned collar dress shirt to be more “dressy” than button down collars, but not as “dressy” as the winged collar.
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.
Always wear a necktie with a pinned collar. You can forgo using a collar pin and wear the shirt like a normal dress shirt. Do not wear a collar pin without a tie. It looks ridiculous.
What Are The Styles Of The Pins For The Pinned Collar Dress Shirt
The Safety pin 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 the 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.
The dumbbell style collar pin 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.
Clip style collar pin, unlike the previous two, relies on clips to pull the collar in. 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. However, the clip style collar pin is not as reliable and secure as the other two.
Why? The clips can come unfastened and you could loose the collar pin. 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
Consider a collar pin to be like cuff links. When putting together your next outfit, keep in mind complimentary color. Collar pins either come in a silver or a gold finish and the correct finish should be chosen to add to your outfit (however subtle it may be).
Which metal finish goes with what outfit? Really it depends on your individual style which is acquired and refined with time and effort. Generally the metal finish should compliment a wristwatch or a belt buckle. Gold with gold. Silver with silver.
You do not have to go out to the store or search the internet for a collar pin dress shirt. Any dress shirt can be used with a safety pin style collar pin or a clip style collar pin.
But if you want to wear a dumbbell style collar pin, then you must use a collar pin dress shirt. There is little problem with poking a pin-sized hole through the collar of your dress shirt. After washing or dry cleaning your dress shirt, the fibers will naturally cover up the holes.
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.
Where it to the office or on a date with your woman. 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-together look.
