Mandarin collar

Amandarin collar,standing collar,Nehru collar,band collarorchoker collaris a short unfolded stand-upcollarstyle on a shirt or jacket. The style derives its Western name from themandarin bureaucratsinQing-era Chinathat employed it as part of their uniform.

A Chinese man, Ye Jinglu, is photographed wearing a traditional Mandarin collar shirt in the early 1900s.

The length along a mandarin collar is straight, with either straight or rounded edges at top of the centre front. The edges of the collar either barely meet at the centre front or overlap slightly.Overlapping mandarin collars are often a continuation of a shirt'splacketand have a button on the collar to secure the two sides of the shirt together.

History

China

In China, the use of the high collar on minority ethnic jackets is typically a Han Chinese influence.The use of high collar in clothing started in the lateMing dynastyand it continued to be worn in theQing dynasty.

In the Ming dynasty, the standup collar were closed with interlocking buttons made of gold and silver,called zimukou (Chinese:Tử mẫu khấu).The appearance of interlocking buckle promoted the emergence and the popularity of the standup collar and the Chinese jacket with buttons at the front, and laid the foundation of the use ofChinese knot buckles.In women garments of the Ming dynasty, the standup collar with gold and silver interlocking buckles became one of the most distinctive and popular form of clothing structure; it became commonly used in women's clothing reflecting the conservative concept of Ming women's chastity by keeping their bodies covered and due to climate changes during the Ming dynasty (i.e. the average temperature was low in China).

In Qing, the use of high collar in clothing was however not a common feature in clothing before the 20th century.During the late Qing dynasty, the stand-up collar was integrated into the clothing of both theChineseand theManchu.The standing collar became a defining characteristics of the long jacket worn with a long skirt (aoqun) or worn with trousers (shanku) for the Han women and it continued to remain so in theRepublic of China.The standing collar somehow became one of the defining characteristics of Chinese dress.

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  Painting of a noble woman wearing a redchang ao(a type of long jacket) with standing collar, Ming dynasty.
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  Painting ofEmpress Xiaojiesuwearing a standing collar garment (in white), Ming dynasty.
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  A woman, Ming dynasty
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  Chinese woman, Qing dynasty painting
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  Ayusi, an officer of the Qing Army, late 1700s.
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  Mandarin collar which closes withpankou,19th century.

Related nomenclature

Jawaharlal Nehruin aachkanorsherwani,a garment which served as a model for theNehru jacketwith mandarin collar

A similar style known as theRaj patternorNehru collaris also found in some modernIndianmen's clothing, such as theNehru jacket.(Named forJawaharlal Nehru,Prime Minister of India1947–1964, who commonly wore clothing with this type of collar.)

Abandis often a mandarin collar. This term is also used for shirts that have only a flat finishing around the neckline; originally such garments were designed for use with adetachable collar,a largely forgotten usage.

Usage

In contemporary Western dress, mandarin collars are found in Asian-style and minimalist clothing. Women's mandarin-collared jackets often include other vaguely Asian elements, such aspankou(silkknots) as closures instead ofbuttons.

Since mandarin collars are short and do not fold over,necktiesare not worn with mandarin-collareddress shirts,apart frombow ties.This lack of ties may have led to the recent rising popularity of mandarin collars.

A US soldier with "Standing Collar" Uniform.

The collar as seen in sport fencing dress.

Mandarin collars are also heavily utilized in modern-day military combat uniforms such as theUS Army'sArmy Combat Uniform.The presence of the mandarin collar on the ACU makes the wearing of body armor more comfortable by lifting the collar up to prevent chafing. Standing collars are also common on historically based military dress uniforms, such as dress uniforms of theBritish Army,US NavyandUS Marine Corps.The Russian Army uses a mandarin collar in their newer VKBO uniforms.

Mandarin collars are also the proper shape for a single-breasted Greekcassock,or anterri, forEastern OrthodoxandEastern Catholicclergy. Russians and other Slavic Churches typically have a high, band-style collar, buttoning to the side or on the shoulder, while Greeks have the "notched" Mandarin pattern with a closing loop or hook at the bottom of the "V" in the collar.

The collar is also used for therequired sport fencing dress.

Police wicking shirts worn by all police forces in the UK excluding theMetropolitan Police,City of London PoliceandMerseyside Policehave a mandarin collar.Blue forPCSOsand black for Police officers.Strathclyde Policewere the first to introduce these shirts in 2003.

In pop culture

Mandarin collars feature incostumesin some notablefilms,where they are employed either as a futuristic style fashion or to create a distinctive appearance for sinister characters. The title character in the 1962James Bond filmDr. No,as well as Bond's nemesis,Ernst Stavro Blofeld,both parodied byDoctor Evilin theAustin Powersseries of films are depicted wearing mandarin collared shirts. The mandarin collar can also be found in the uniforms of both the Galactic Empire in theStar Warsfilms, and the Federation inStar Trek: The Next Generation.Mandarin collarlab coatsand a jacket also feature in the CBBC showThe Demon Headmasterwhen the antagonist known as 'The Demon Headmaster' takes on the roles of 'Computer Director' (Series 1 Episodes 4-6), 'Director of the Biogenetic Research Centre' (BRC) (Series 2) and the 'Controller' (Series 3)

The science fiction seriesDoctor Whofeatured mandarin collars. One was on a black lab tunic worn byDavros,the forger of theDaleks.One was on shirts worn bythe Masterin his first and sixth incarnations. And one was on akenteshirt worn bythe Doctorin herfugitive incarnation.

See also

• Changshan
• Magua
• Tangzhuang
• Collar (clothing)