Mandarin collar

A mandarin collar is a short unfolded stand-up collar style on a shirt or jacket. Mandarin collars start at the neckline and typically rise vertically two to five centimeters. The style derives its Western name from the gowns worn by Mandarins in Imperial China.

The length along a mandarin collar is straight, with either straight or rounded edges at top of the centre front. The edges of the collar either barely meet at the centre front or overlap slightly. Overlapping mandarin collars are often a continuation of a shirt's placket and have a button on the collar to secure the two sides of the shirt together.

A similar style known as the Nehru collar is also found in some modern Indian men's clothing, such as the Nehru jacket. (Named for Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India 1947–1964, who commonly wore clothing with this type of collar.)

A 'band is often a mandarin collar. This term is also used for shirts that have only a flat finishing around the neckline; originally such garments were designed for use with a detachable collar, a largely forgotten usage.

In contemporary Western dress, mandarin collars are found in oriental-style and minimalist clothing. Women's mandarin-collared jackets often include other vaguely oriental elements, such as silk knots as closures instead of buttons.

Since mandarin collars are short and do not fold over, neckties are not worn with mandarin-collared dress shirts. This lack of ties may have led to the recent rising popularity of mandarin collars.

Mandarin collars are also utilised heavily in modern-day military combat uniforms like the US Army's Advanced Combat Uniform. The presence of the mandarin collar on the Advanced Combat Uniform makes the wearing of body armor more comfortable by lifting the collar up to prevent chafing. Stand collars are also common on historically based military dress uniforms, such as dress uniforms of the British Army, US Navy and US Marine Corps. Even the Russian Army uses a mandarin collar in their newer VKBO uniforms

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