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The tab collar is an eccentric detail that stands out from the rest. A small tab, closed with snaps, a loop or magnets, is sewn between its sides and this bit raises the tie knot upwards. The collar type was born in Great Britain sometime in the 1920s but its inventor has been forgotten by my reference books. The collar gained fame and popularity when the Duke of Windsor (who else?) took a fancy to it. The Duke’s outfits were closely watched by all media and menswear shops grew their selections when the future king was seen wearing something novel. On the shoulders of the young prince, the tab collar travelled across the world on state visits. With him being the most photographed man of the times, tab collars spread to commonwealth and friend state stores in no time, ending up gracing the necks of thousands of others.

The most common tab collar have sharp, fairly long points, but rounded club collars have also been popular. The popularity of the tabbed collar continued to the 1930s, but waned after these times just to wax again in the ’60s. Frank Sinatra particularly favoured keeping tabs as part of his style and men followed his suit. The tab collar has its uppers and downers. The finer points include the fabric piece that nicely raises the tie and keeps it in place well, no matter how the head turns during the day. At the same time it also keeps the collar points close to the body of the shirt, a look that’s always clean. Still, tabs lose their shape and appeal if worn without a tie, the tab usually calls for a tiny knot and the collar has become rare. Like all rare and thus eccentric things, it attracts attention — not always for the better. Signs of the tab collar’s return have been in the media for a while now. James Bond, for one, has chosen it for his use in the latest films as this collar has long been the darling bud of Tom Ford, the latest Bond stylist.

The Mad Men series, as well, gathered great popularity in America, depicting the crazy years in advertising during the 1960s, and tabs were commonplace clothes during the times and thus in the series. Boardwalk Empire told stories about America’s prohibition years and marched numerous criminals onto screens, doing evil things in stylish shirts. Despite the ramifications of Donald Rumsfeld’s political positions, the fervour of his tab collars cannot be denied. Finally, Suitsupply, a popular young adult clothier, has offered the shirt for several years. While the collar type is still rare, it has better stayed alive in the USA than Europe, which it only visited to be born.

In historical light, we are living an age of a young shirt type. The current one has buttons from the neck down to the hem, but for centuries before this, men’s shirts were simply dragged on. Closure was handled with cords, strings or with the help of a few buttons – in any case, the shirt could not be opened fully. This shirt cut has later on taken the name of popover. It was originally used for formal shirts and humble work garments, but as stiff detachable collars were left out and buttoning moved lower during the early 1900s, popovers became rarer. Thanks to their peculiar shape, they were worn for leisure almost without excetions.

During the 1960s, the American company GANT became known for shirts whose buttons ran out at the middle of the torso. To dress into them, the shirts had to be popped over the head — and this act gave its name to the shirts. Since then, the company has manufactured or has had made popovers from one year to another, but in random amounts and as part of varying lineups. Ralph Lauren’s company has done likewise, but theirs have popped up so randomly that fans of these shirts have been forced to hunt things down or have them made. Italy’s greatest style icon Gianni Agnelli was a fan of the popover in his off-time and style mavens followed suit, but for some peculiar reason the masses have not taken to popovers. Whatever was left of the shirt’s popularity after the Victorian times was cut off by World War part I and Redux. Afterwards the shirt was most popular in America as part of the Ivy League uniform, in Europe it has mostly died off.

The popover’s buttoning is shorter, so these models must be cut looser to allow ease of dressing and stripping. If they’re worn loose and over the trousers, however, the hem should be fairly form-fitting, and this adds difficulty for the maker. The length of the placket has been a matter of taste, but most companies have favoured 2-4 buttons. While regular shirts allow buttons to be moved a few cms to make room for changing guts, popovers are intolerant for such manoeuvres. Despite a few limitations, the popover offers any man an eccentric look that has been able to appeal for a few centuries now. Few garments achieve the same.

“If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.”

— Albert Einstein

Alamy’s large stock photo collection holds over a thousand more-or-less candid shots of Savile Row, reaching from the 1940s to this, our 2010s. Several famed cutters are shown doing their thing, crafting two-dimensional cloth into 3D-garments that hide the weak points and boost the strong ones. Highly recommended for all tailoring nerds.

Oh, and while you’re at it, do have a look at Alamy’s selection of more than 700 shots from Jermyn Street.

With my thanks to Voxsartoria for the tip.

Savile Row on Alamy

Jermyn Street on Alamy