Men's Cutaway Collar (Dress Shirts)

A cutaway collar pushes the spread collar as far as it goes. Its points run almost level with the neckband and sweep back toward the shoulders instead of angling down the chest, so the gap at the throat opens wider than on any other dress shirt collar. Some shirtmakers call it a Windsor collar, since the wide opening was cut with the Windsor knot in mind.

Short points make the angle possible. A cutaway point often measures under two inches from the neckband to the tip, shorter than a spread and far shorter than a point collar, because a long point thrown that far sideways would collide with a jacket lapel. Firm interlining, the stiffening layer sewn between the two faces of the collar, has to do all the work of holding the points flat, since nothing on this collar anchors the tips down the way a button-down collar does. Stay slots on the underside take collar stays, thin strips of plastic or metal that stop the points curling by midday.

Set beside a spread collar, the difference is degree rather than kind: a spread opens four to six inches at the throat, and a cutaway opens wider still. Set beside a point collar, the two sit at opposite ends of the same ladder, since a point collar closes the gap down to two or three inches for a small knot. A button-down collar solves the tie question a third way, fastening its points to the shirt front so it needs no knot at all. Only a full Windsor or a half Windsor, tied thick enough to fill real space, looks right here, since a plain four-in-hand knot gets lost in the middle of all that open cloth.

Narrow or long faces gain the most, because points running almost horizontal add width exactly where a long face is short of it. Thicker necks read cleanly here too, since the low points never draw a vertical line up toward the chin the way a point collar does. Round or wide faces should look elsewhere, as the sideways sweep only widens a face that is already wide. Skip this collar entirely if you go tieless most days, because an open cutaway collar has almost nothing holding its points down and gapes across the chest without a knot to anchor it.

Buy this collar on neck size the same way you would any dress shirt, and check the point length before anything else, since a cutaway under an inch and a half can look like a costume rather than a shirt. Confirm the interlining is firm by bending a point between finger and thumb, since it should spring back rather than fold soft. Pull any collar stays before washing, because heat warps plastic stays and a warped stay leaves a permanent ridge in the cloth. Press the underside of the collar first and finish on the visible face, then hang the shirt with the top button closed so the neckband holds its shape between wears.