Fitzwilliam

Object Type
Men started wearing detachable collars in the 1820s. Most were made of heavily starched cotton or linen. They were attached with studs and stood up stiffly above the tie or cravat.

Ownership & Use
The correct choice of shirt, collar and tie to suit the occasion was a matter of extreme importance. In the 1890s a white collar with a coloured shirt was normal for morning or business wear. A high white collar with white shirt was correct for evening dress and weddings. During the first decade of the 20th century flannel collars became popular for day wear, in keeping with the fashion for soft-finished shirts.

Matierals & Making
Some collars were made of paper covered in linen, but these could not be washed. The Nahob (1864), a novel by Alphonse Daudet, described a petty clerk who, not wishing to appear to 'lack shirts', spends days making his own collars, cuffs and shirt fronts in paper to give the impression that he has 'impeccably white shirts ... even if at the slightest movement - when he walked or sat - they crinkled around him as though he had a cardboard box in his stomach'. Celluloid collars and rubber collars, which could be cleaned easily, existed but were frowned upon.

Social Class
The height of the collar steadily increased in the late 19th century and often reached 5 inches or more for more formal occasions. The social significance of the restrictive collar as a symbol of class distinction had persisted through the centuries. In the 19th century they were given names to heighten their status, such as 'Dux', 'Eton', 'Piccadilly' or 'Rosebery'.