Should Body Style Influence Jacket Collar Style?

[tblay]

I'm planning on having another jacket made (don't tell my lady! ). I'm trying to figure out if I want a "dress collar" style or a "Mandarin collar" style, which ultimately means I'm trying to decide between something like a 1930's half-belt vs. a cafe racer. I already have a half-belt, and so I'm leaning towards the cafe racer. But I have a worry about it, which is that the Mandarin collar doesn't seem to look good on me. I'm wondering if something about my body makes this so, or if I'm just seeing it differently.

I'm 5'7" and 145 lbs., with a thin, athletic build. I feel like a dress collar style has the effect of making me look a little taller, where as the Mandarin collar tends to make me look more squat. So I guess I'm just asking if that's possible, or if I'm imagining these affects.

I'm also curious if the cafe racer style would look okay with what I usually wear, a lot of button-up, but very casual, shirts, denim, and boots.

What do y'all think?

 

[Monitor]

I actually have noticed what you speak of, that the mandarin style collar does indeed make one appear... well, sort of slimmer, in a way - which is why I prefer it over dress collar. But then again, I am terribly biased against dress collar because I find myself looking incredibly boring in a jacket that has one of those.

As for what works with a cafe racer, that's exactly what I wear with mine and personally, I can't think of much else I'd want to wear with it. Though I think that the cafe racer is a very forgiving jacket and can go just as well with something more formal.

 

[tblay]

Thanks for the info, Monitor. That's very helpful as I agonize over this choice.

 

[ykurtz]

I think if you feel that a Cossack collar makes you look squat, and being squat looking isn't something you're after, then that's reason enough to avoid that particular collar. Lack of self-awareness (re: clothes) is a good thing; it makes you look comfortable in your own skin. Or, in this case, a leather jacket. That said, do you have a picture that captures this perceived squatness you're willing to share?

 

[Seb Lucas]

I'm 5'7" and 145 lbs., with a thin, athletic build. I feel like a dress collar style has the effect of making me look a little taller, where as the Mandarin collar tends to make me look more squat. So I guess I'm just asking if that's possible, or if I'm imagining these affects.


What do y'all think?

If you believe you look squat at your modest and trim size maybe it's not about the jacket. Generally a tailor will tell you that lapels and collars make people broader. At 6 feet 2 and 185 pounds I've always thought I looked trimmer and neater in a cafe racer. But the real decider it jacket length and pattern.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

No.

 

[IXL]

I feel like a dress collar style has the effect of making me look a little taller, where as the Mandarin collar tends to make me look more squat. .

What do y'all think?[/QUOTE

My experience has been the complete opposite. As for looking okay when pairing the jacket with your stated choice of clothing, I think you'll look fine. I often dress this way myself and no one has thrown rocks at me, yet....

 

[HoosierDaddy]

...And if you notice there are different shaped cafe collars that give their own unique look to a jacket. Aero's tend to be lower and curved where some other brands or designs have a more 'Nero' type style that sets higher on the neck. I think the lower (less of a collar) makes the body look stockier or broader where the higher cafe collar..not so much.
HD

 

[IXL]

I think you are right: The amount of slender that a lower cafe collar gives, is less than the amount of slender offered up by a taller cafe collar.... (My wife is an English teacher and boy, am I gonna catch hell for this sentence!) which would still be less than the amount of broader imparted by a lapeled collar.

 

[tblay]

I think you are right: The amount of slender that a lower cafe collar gives, is less than the amount of slender offered up by a taller cafe collar.... (My wife is an English teacher and boy, am I gonna catch hell for this sentence!) which would still be less than the amount of broader imparted by a lapeled collar.

Well...I'm an English teacher, too. But I'm not that kind of English teacher.

I appreciate the input. ykurtz, I think it is, ultimately, about what makes you feel comfortable and confident.

HD, what are you riding in these days? I'm riding in an Aero Cossack mostly, which has a dress collar confused. Love the FQHH, but not quite satisfied with the fit, so I'm looking to have something made by Johnson Leather. Just trying to decide on style and hide.

 

[johnnycanuck]

First of all you can go either way with the collar the way you dress. In fact when you told me what you wear I automatically thought of Hugh Jackman in the X-men movies. I find the Cafe Racer collar to be very "now" or "modern". Most leather jackets seem to come like this and its what the younger people are wearing. In fact I have seen this collar style folded down and it dramatically changes the look of the jacket. A good forum to check out to see lots of pictures of different leather jacket styles is https://www.filmjackets.com/forum/ I have spent a fair amount of spare time cruzing threw this web page. One of my pipe dream jackets is the Logan X1 offered threw this web page. https://sites.google.com/site/loganscloset/ Being I have two Wested leather jackets (one last crusade in cow the other raiders in goat), when they wear out I may have to go for a style change.
In the end its really its up to you, but I would be leaning towards the Cafe Racer style myself.
Johnny

 

[tblay]

In the end its really its up to you, but I would be leaning towards the Cafe Racer style myself.
Johnny

Good points. I think I am leaning in that direction, ultimately. At least, that's the way the wind is blowing right this evening.