(Woodward High School. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1969)Each morning men around the world awake to ritual. Automatic behaviour without censorship, a pattern ingrained. In Berlin an architect rubs his left eye with the back of his right hand while a Pasadena store owner massages both temples with his index fingers. A Sicilian farmer takes a sip of still water from a bedside glass as a Manchester retail clerk whistles 'shadowplay'.
Such unconsidered actions extend to our sartorial decisions. Have a think about it, I'm sure you have a few. Personally, I keep my collar inside my jacket. Inside my sweater. Inside my blazer. There is no quandry. No second guessing or thought. It's an automatic behaviour I don't question regardless of season or occasion. As long as the sun continues to rise in the east my collar will remain nestled inside.
My opinion is that an inside collar preserves the lines of the jacket or sweater and works with its natural angles. It complements, rather than competes. It makes sense. A collar breaching the jacket's territory is akin to the invasion of a neighbouring country. A crossing of borders, an annexation of the upper body!
Of course, like the pleated trouser, there are still those proudly carrying the torch. Men who get their kicks with their collars flapping in the breeze like parrots drunk on fermented mango. However, without being too dismissive, a quick poke into previous decades shows that the outside collar was once a popular choice.
In the nineties Tom Cruise coloured outside the lines with Pistachio:
(Kidman and Cruise, 1996)
While in the eighties the Golden Bear takes the outside collar outdoors:
(Nichlaus, Scotland, 1980)
My guess is no one noticed Jack's collar with those pants. And as far as I'm concerned you can wear whatever you want when your wife looks like N.Kidman.
I was once offered an unpopular thought that an individual's penchant for the inside or outside game is a direct reflection of their personality. The outsiders are like their collars: free and easy, life of the party guys spilling beer on your lounge without a care in the world. An insider is tightly wound and inhibited, mulling over the details with careful consideration.
As a rebuttle to this hypothesis I present exhibit A:
(Clooney & Zellweger, 2008)
Want to be an astronaut? keep your collar in, that's a start. Inside man Neil Armstrong enjoys a pre-mission nightcap.
(Armstrong & Collins. Houston, 1969)
Of course, there is one sure-fire way to keep your collar on the inside line: button it down. This is particularly useful when partaking in recreational activites requiring physical extertion (I'm looking at you Jack).
So tomorrow morning when the you're rudely woken by the alarm or slapped by the sun take a moment and note your unconsidered sartorial behaviours as you start the day. What's a non-negotiable in your ledger? And more importantly, why?
As always, I want to hear your opinions.
