Detachable Collar
According to what may be an apocryphal sartorial legend the detachable collar was invented in 1820, by a woman named Hanna Montague from Troy, New York. Fed up with the hassle of washing her husband’s collars, one day during a moment of inspiration she decided to cut them off with a pair of scissors to make them easier to clean and then reattached them with string. Although her husband, Mr. Montague, a blacksmith, was initially uncomfortable with his wife’s innovative approach to laundering, the detachable collar quickly caught on among the residents of Troy, both male and female, and local merchants who saw this collar as a red hot business opportunity. Not long after Mrs. Montague’s fateful snips, Troy was turned into the collar capital of America, as small workshops and large factories alike began producing detachable collars for an ever expanding market. In fact, many of the biggest names in dress shirts today (Arrow, Van Heusen) got their start making collars in the Troy Area.
For nearly a century, detachable collars became the standard for men’s dress shirts, and no gentleman’s wardrobe was complete without a selection of separated long point, rounded, wing-tip and cutaway collars. The detachable collar industry in the United States was eventually dealt a major blow by World War One, as millions of men donned uniforms with soft attached collars. As the Great War came to an end though, many men began wearing the same kind of soft attached collars they had worn during war time, and by the 1920’s detachable collars had fallen out of favor among American men (although they remained popular in Europe for at least a few more decades).
During the 21st century though, as more men turn their backs on trendy fashions and become interested in timeless style, the detachable collar has experienced something of a revival. Men who turn to tailors for custom sizing and personalized style are beginning to realize the potential of the detachable collar shirt once again. With a pair of collar studs and a small collection of detachable collars, a single shirt can be restyled in a matter of seconds. Although it may have a history stretching back nearly two hundred years, the detachable collar proves the old adage that true classics never outlive either their appeal or usefulness.