From Emilia Wickstead’s AW18 collection to Virginie Viard’s Chanel ready-to-wear debut at Cruise 2020, over the past few years designers from London to Paris have embraced the big collar. Coming in a variety of shapes and sizes – the small and rounded Peter Pan, the pointed tip puritanical, the thoroughly ’70s dog-eared style – the neckline flourish has slowly become a staple of contemporary collections on and off the catwalk.
At first these collars were attached to blouses, one of the many signifiers of the darkly demure and hyperfeminine aesthetic ushered in by Batsheva, Simone Rocha and Cecilie Bahnsen. And then they weren’t. Perhaps the easiest styling trick to refresh your existing wardrobe, detachable collars became the best way to sartorially spice up your Zoom call in lockdown. From Ganni to The Vampire’s Wife’s recent collaboration with H&M, 2020 has seen collars become accessories in their own right.
While the high street offers plenty of affordable options, our favourites are handmade by Etsy sellers using Liberty florals and retro gingham, as well as antique Edwardian pieces found on eBay. Wherever you buy yours, a detachable collar will give everything from cardigans (see Imani Randolph) to quilted coats a new lease of life (we’re nabbing this look), making it the lowest lift wardrobe hack in recent memory. Click through to shop our favourites.
