Dear Messires,
Now that my fellow islanders have blogged about their fashion pet peeves here and here, I figured it was time for me to jump onto the bandwagon and grouse about what irks me the most.
Popped collars!
For those of you unversed in American urban slang, a “popped” collar is, quite simply, an upturned collar, such that the back of the neck is covered and the adjunct flaps of fabric left to flop around the neck, like two dysfunctional flippers. Usually pastel, always neck-high, and sometimes even layered (oh the horror!), the popped collar is a perennial favourite on my list of unforgivable dressing faux pas.
A quick search on Google reveals that the popped collar has existed in fashion since the 19th century. According to Mark Pantoja, a San Franciscan science and environmental consultant who blogs at heuristiks.blogspot.com, the popped collar was first invented by Walter Makepeace Scantleberry in 1889, during a cold windy night in London while stagecoaching. Legend has it that Scantleberry mentioned to his passengers that the wind was whipping up and that he was going to “pop up my collar” in order to shield himself from the cold.
I was unable to verify the authenticity of Mark’s claim, but the fact remains that yes, the popped collar does indeed date back to the 19th and early 20th century. Writer H. G. Wells once remarked in his 1902 book Kipps that popped collars “made [the] neck quite sore and left a red mark under [the] ears”. Cracked.com goes on to affirm their deadly appeal, claiming that “these killed people”.
To be fair, men’s collars then were very different: they were detachable, connected to the shirt by two removable collar studs, and terribly stiff – either standing straight up (Hamilton collar) or pressed over an ironed-in, starched crease (Fremont collar). I imagine they would look something like this:
The original popped collar
Image courtesy of CollegeHumor
These days, popped collars are associated almost exclusively with polo shirts and, together with the Sharity-Elephant-shade of pink, belong to the domain of frat boys and preps. René Lacoste (seven-time Grand Slam singles champion) first got the ball rolling in 1929 with his invention of the Tennis Shirt, but it wasn’t until 1980, when Lisa Birnbach published her satirical The Official Preppy Handbook, that the popped collar officially cemented its status as a signifier of elitism, wealth, and leisure.
Look no further than any college campus or sleazy local bar and you’re bound to see a popped collar. Personally, I was drop-dead aghast to witness a prime example parading in front of my eyes last weekend at the shopping mall. He had two Ralph Lauren shirts on, both collars popped, and was strutting around with a skimpily-dressed girl on his arm and aviator shades perched on his spiky head.
Gentlemen, I understand that pulling off a fashion-forward look is a somewhat mysterious and heretical art for many of you, but remember this: unless you’re Andy Roddick and playing tennis under the hot, scorching sun, there’s no material need for you to pop your collar. The legitimacy of your upturned collar should be determined solely by function, not by form. If you’re sauntering around an air-conditioned mall with your collar flapping slovenly below your ears, you’re a poser. If you take the additional twenty seconds to starch your collar, you’re plain uncool. Either way, it’s a public disgrace, for crying out loud.
So, gentlemen, please – make a conscious effort to reserve your Count von Count tendencies for the tennis court or golf course. And only on a sunny day. My ravaged eyes thank you.
Sincerely,
Ima Indie Rocker
President of the Anti-Pop Culture Society
