The round or peter pan collar (what's the diff?)

OK, so I googled "peter pan vs. round collar" because eShakti offers both options on some of their styles and guess what came up? This 2012 post by Angie, The Pros and Cons of Peter Pan Collars.

A couple of thoughts:

I'm still not exactly sure what the difference is between the round and Peter Pan collar for women but have noticed some of the male characters in 1920's - 1930's era shows like Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire wearing a round as opposed to a pointed collar. And while at first I didn't love the look it's grown on me and now I like it very much.

Also, I was surprised to read so many strong opinions in Angie's post from people who don't love the Peter Pan collar. Wondering if people's thoughts have softened in the intervening years? I associate the look in the pics below with vintage elegance and don't really see it as juvenile or twee.

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9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welome, greenjeans. The gents here are wearing shirt collars with round tips. Peter pan collars are wider, softer and flatter. See below.

I don't mind peter pan collars because they have a fun Modern Retro and somewhat romantic appeal. But they can also look juvenile - just because these collars are strongly associated with infants wear - and I watch out for that.

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Greenjeans

Veteran

Ah, thanks for clarifying, Angie. I was thinking of the two styles interchangeably but do see the difference now. It's the round collar I am connecting with at the moment.

rachylou

They're pretty darn close. I'd say tho that the Peter Pan is even rounder, bigger, and lies on the chest below the neck actually...oh wait, Angie just said that! Lol. Both can make you look like a big baby, I'm afraid I agree.

My brother and I once went on a tour given by a very elderly lady. She wore a dress with huge flowers and an even bigger Peter Pan collar. I'm afraid we coined the phrase 'father complex dress' after that. Her voice I suppose didn't help. She stood us in front of a 20ft tall statue of Jesus and asked us in a sing song voice, 'Do you know who this is?' Like you might do with very small children. Made us nervous, because you really couldn't miss it...

Suz

Angie's got you sorted. Great question, though!

Now I want to see some babies wearing pointed collar tips.

Sal

It might really age them LOL....

I used to wear a lot of Peter Pan Collars - I am a collar avoider now. I have a certain fondness for the CHinese collar as I grew up in the 1980s.

Staysfit

I like them, but I work with children, and I also have small features....

I just realized that I don't have a single Peter Pan collar in my closet so maybe I don't like them as much as I thought, although every time I see them they are on something black or dark navy which are not my colors, so I would never purchase....

Aziraphale

Thanks for posting this, Laura. I didn't know the difference either.

I think of Peter Pan collars as cute and retro, but I can see how they could look juvenile because of the resemblance to infants' wear. I don't have any rounded collars of any kind in my closet, but then I don't have a whole lot of collared items at all -- maybe 7 or 8 shirts? -- and while I like them, they are not the mainstay of my wardrobe. I also tend to shy away from things that are too girly because I'm very petite, and at 43 I'm not a girl anymore, and I don't want to look cutesy or twee. It doesn't work on a middle-aged woman.

Thanks, people. These are all interesting and helpful observations.

Another thought: While I buy the round collar on actors in period dramas (like Peaky and so on), there's another show, Elementary, where the main character played by Jonny Lee Miller sometimes wears a round collar and I am not buying what he's selling because it looks affected to me.

Weird, huh, how the context changes things?

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MsMaven

Peter Pan collars bring back memories of high school, mostly of the "Ugh!" variety. Very prim. Most of us had a separate collar that we would put on top of a plain round-neck sweater. I could find some examples in my high school yearbook.

cjh

A round collar like you picture is constructed on a band. The Peter Pan collar generally is not on a band.

StyleFinder

Active Member

Hola Greenjeans, The collar that looks best on you is determined by your faceshape. Who knew?

Do you have a more angular face shape? Steer clear of the round or Peter Pan collar. It will look juvenile and out of place.

However, if you have a contoured face shape then it will echo the curves of your face and look 'right'.

The other aspect to consider is your own personal style. A Peter Pan collar could be a bit too cute for someone who is Dramatic or Contemporary, however if you're feeling drawn to it chances are it's more your style. Try one on - you should know within seconds whether it's right for you or not! Trust your intuition.

xo Mary Michele, Founder of StyleFinder (http://www.shopstylefinder.com)

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