We often get customers asking what the standard dimensions of our collars are. Whilst we claim never to standardize anything, historically the industry norm is 3.00” point length and 1.75” collar height. This is the default setting when choosing this through the website.

These dimensions, like a lot of aspects of dress shirts, became the norm for some very basic reasons. The height of 1.75” ensures that a tie and be comfortably concealed without slipping down during the day. It also means that just about the right amount of collar will show above the collar line of a suit.

The 3.00” length of the collar points generally gives a good balance between the size of a standard tie knot and the size of the average man’s head!

Over the past few years a lot of designers are making their shirts with smaller collar dimensions. This has gone hand-in-hand with the reintroduction of slimmer ties; a smaller knot suits a smaller collar (and vice versa). This trend has also passed over into the button-down dress shirt collar.

The look is less complicated when applied to a casual dress shirt because there is less consideration for ties.

The dimensions of these ever more common smaller collars are generally 2”–2.25” in point length and 1.25”-1.50” in height. If you are going to want to wear a tie with the collar ever then you will need 1.50” of height.

There is something sharp and unpretentious about this style in a dress shirt. So next time you are ordering your perfect dress shirt from NiAlma, mix up the collar dimensions and add some diversity to your range.

Here is a great example from Armani on GQ.

For some men and women the white contrast collar seems a little pompous. Images of an ego-driven New York lawyer or London banker have put you off the idea. These days though there are more subtle variations of this traditional look that suit more people across different professions.

Traditionally this shirt is made with a bold blue stripe or sharp solid blue poplin. To tone down the contrast and create a less “in your face” look choose a toned down blue like this Classic range end-on-end.

If you prefer a stronger blue fabric and want the white contrast collar, consider reducing the dimensions of the collar to 2.5″ x 1.75″. This will create a better balance in your dress shirt between the blue fabric and the white collar. A timeless fabric choice for this look is this stunning Thomas Mason Black Label end-on-end.

There is great versatility in this famous style of dress shirt, it suits just about everyone and makes a feature of that favorite tie of yours.

A very common reason for customers wanting to use our service is to create a slim fit dress shirt. The fit of a dress shirt through the torso and sleeves is critical to the look of the shirt on someone.

All bodies are different in length, width and depth. Ready to wear brands have to err on the side of caution when sizing their dress shirts. This means that the dress shirts will almost always be on the larger side of the scale. This makes it very difficult to buy a genuinely slim fitting dress shirt.
Through our online service customers can ensure that they get a shirt that is designed to fit them and not fit a cross section of the community just because they have the same neck size.

A slim fit dress shirt should not be like a second skin, it is not a t-shirt. A well designed, slim fitting shirt should follow the contours of your body but still allow room to breath and move comfortably. There is nothing worse than a dress shirt that has the buttons pulling laterally across the chest and stomach area.
We generally allow about 4.00” of room from a customer’s submitted waist measurement. This can be reduced to 3.00” if an extra slim fitted cut is requested.