dress shirt question

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

davidg is correct ... a wing collar shirt exposes the band of the tie and was only ever intended to be used with white pique tie & vest, where the band would be unnoticed. That's where the designations "white tie" or "black tie" came from, indicating the degree of formality of an occasion.

Actually, while wing collars are required for formal evening dress (white tie) they are, and always have been, proper for semi-formal attire (black tie) as well. Fold over collars really don't make much of an appearance with black tie until the mid-to late 1930s, and were not firmly entrenched as part of black tie until after WWII, at which time collars tended to become attached to the shirt, rather than a separate item.

The choice between a standing collar or "turnover" collar with black tie is really up to the individual, although the following guidelines (from the 1950s) may be of some assistance in making the choice. Generally, turnover collars are best suited to less formal black tie events; dinners, the theater or opera, etc. Wing collars should be worn if the invitation states white tie/black tie, or one is attending a more formal evening event, and this would include any dinner where the hostess/host has indicated the presence of a "guest of honour".

These days, when men's formal dress is most often seen as only an accessory to what the ladies are wearing, AND when formal dress is not a regular part of most men's lives, we often see men looking like they are in costume rather than dressing with the elegance of former days. Ron.

I agree that it's sad that men (and women) no longer dress for the occasion, as it takes little or no extra effort to dress well and dress properly.