The Shirt Cuff & Collar Guide: Single, Double, Spread and Beyond

The shirt is the closest garment to your face, which makes its collar and, to a lesser extent, its cuffs disproportionately important. Get these details right and the whole outfit coheres. Get them wrong and no amount of quality elsewhere will compensate.

This guide covers the collars and cuffs worth knowing, with practical guidance on when and how to wear each.

Collar Styles: A Practical Guide

The Spread Collar

The most versatile collar in contemporary menswear. The points angle outward at roughly 90 to 120 degrees, creating an open, balanced frame for the face. Works with or without a tie. With a tie, the spread accommodates a range of knots naturally. Without a tie, it sits open cleanly without looking undone.

Best for: Business dress, smart casual, suits worn open-necked. Flatters most face shapes.

The Semi-Spread (or Classic Spread)

A narrower version of the spread, with points at roughly 60 to 80 degrees. The traditional workhorse of business shirting. Ties well with a four-in-hand. More conservative than a full spread but less severe than a straight point.

Best for: Business and formal occasions. The safe, elegant default.

The Straight Point (or Point Collar)

Points angled downward, close together. Creates a narrow, elongating frame. Once ubiquitous, now reads as slightly dated in business contexts, though it retains a place in formal tailoring and vintage-influenced dressing. Pairs best with a four-in-hand knot, as larger knots overwhelm the narrow spread.

Best for: Slimmer faces and longer necks. Formal dress and traditional tailoring contexts.

The Button-Down Collar

The collar points are fastened to the shirt with small buttons, giving the collar a slight roll. An American innovation, originally sporting, now firmly casual-smart. Should not be worn with a tie in a formal business context. Excellent with chinos, odd trousers, and unstructured jackets.

Best for: Smart casual and relaxed business casual. Oxford cloth button-downs (OCBD) are a wardrobe cornerstone.

The Cutaway (or Extreme Spread) Collar

Points spread very wide, sometimes nearly horizontal. A strong, confident choice that frames the face boldly. With a tie, a four-in-hand sits cleanly in the wider opening and moves with the collar rather than fighting it. Without a tie, works best on men with broader faces and shorter necks.

Best for: City dress, power dressing, men who know exactly what they want.

The Tab Collar

A small tab connects the two collar points beneath the tie knot, pushing the knot upward and forward. Creates a very neat, elevated silhouette. Requires a tie and looks incomplete without one. A four-in-hand is the correct knot here: it sits cleanly above the tab without overwhelming the collar's geometry.

Best for: Formal business and occasions where precise, polished dressing is the intention.

A Note on Tie Knots

Across every collar style in this guide, Mike ties a four-in-hand. It is asymmetric, slightly tapered, and entirely natural in character. It works across every collar from the narrowest point to the widest cutaway, and it never overpowers the shirt. If you are looking for a single knot to master, it is the one.

Collar and Face Shape

A useful general principle: the collar should complement the proportions of your face and neck.

• Round or wider face: A spread or cutaway collar opens the frame and creates the illusion of length. Avoid narrow point collars, which can make the face appear rounder.
• Long or narrow face: A spread collar works well. A very wide cutaway can over-emphasise length, so a semi-spread is often the most balanced choice.
• Short neck: Avoid high collars with extreme spread. A mid-spread worn open-necked is usually the most flattering option.
• Long neck: Can carry higher collars and wider spreads with ease.

Cuff Styles: Single, Double and Beyond

The Single (or Barrel) Cuff

A single layer of fabric fastened with one or two buttons. The standard cuff on most shirts. Clean, practical, and appropriate for almost every context from casual to business. When a shirt is worn without a jacket, the single cuff is almost always the right choice.

When to wear: Daily business wear, smart casual, any situation where ease and practicality matter.

The Double (or French) Cuff

The cuff folds back on itself, creating a double layer of fabric fastened with cufflinks rather than buttons. More formal and more ceremonial than a single cuff. Requires cufflinks, which add an additional layer of considered dressing. Shows well beneath a jacket sleeve: roughly half an inch of cuff should be visible.

When to wear: Suits, formal business, events, and occasions where dressing well is the explicit intention. Pairs naturally with a watch worn over or under the cuff depending on the cufflink profile.

The Convertible Cuff

Can be worn with either buttons or cufflinks. A practical compromise that offers flexibility without fully committing to the formality of a French cuff. Less elegant than a true double cuff when worn with cufflinks, but useful on travel or business shirts.

The Cocktail (or Kissing) Cuff

A rounded single cuff, typically fastened with two cufflinks rather than one. Sits between a single and double cuff in formality. Less common but worth knowing: it has a quiet, distinctive elegance.

A Note on Cufflinks and Watches

A double cuff and a dress watch are natural companions. Whether the watch sits over or under the cuff is a matter of personal preference, though over the cuff is the more classic approach for formal occasions. Slim dress watches generally sit under the cuff with ease.

Cufflink style should complement the occasion: simple silk knots or plain sterling silver for business, and more characterful pieces for social occasions.

Shop the Edit

Our shirt range from Alessandro Gherardi, one of Tuscany's finest shirtmakers, covers the full spectrum of collar styles and cuff options, from relaxed casual cuts to formal double-cuff dress shirts crafted in the finest Italian cottons. Browse the full Clothing collection for the complete edit.

If you would like help choosing the right collar or cuff for a specific occasion, we are always happy to advise.