Who would have known our ancestors would be probably subjects for the modern day blog “The Sartorialist”?!? :) This image, courtesy of Footloose, is utterly fascinating. Not just because there were actually different variations of shirt collars in the early 1900’s actually named after local provinces or towns, but I can imagine men meeting at dinners and knowing exactly where someone else was from based on their choice of collar! Very cool. I am thinking of having a shirt made with an approximation of the Zebu collar, and maybe starting a new trend based on a very old (a century to be exact) design… :) Thanks, Footloose!
25 Responses
oh cool! :D
This is really cool…speaks of a certain degree of how sartorially conscious our ancestors were…even measurements were specified…really cool…..my grandmother was a tailor to the stars like leopoldo salcedo and rogelio de la rosa..and she would tell stories of how they were very meticulous with how their suits were made….top photos were even a century ago…
like
interesting!
Got intrigued by this, and did some research. Fiberloid was a NYC company that manufactured shirts with collars and cuffs made of “litholin”, their brand name for waterproofed linen. It was advertised as a laundry expense-saving product, since you just wipe them with damp cloth.
At first I thought these were designed for US military servicemen assigned all over the Philippines at that time since the American occupation lasted till 1912, but it’s more probably for Filipinos’ use also for the members of the Phil Assembly, which was based on province representation. Also found other collars for Subic, Luzon, Caraga, etc.
Would be nice if it got revived in Congress.
Intersting and intriguing…must know more!
Good work Ariel. Can you send the images of the rest to Market Man to widen our choice. Am leaning towards the Samar one but any style would actually do for me as long as it’s not as high as Karl Lagerfeld’s. Nobody wants to look like the spectral fashion icon whose image now serves as a fearsome reminder of death for some.
I originally assumed this was just a marketing ploy to apply exotic sounding names to some work day dress item. Their cuffs were named after Brazilian states.
But going to American service men in the Philippines, weren’t they who originated the term chinos for khaki trousers?
Very interesting and I enjoyed the history lesson. I listened to Art Bell when he was broadcasting from Manilla. Best interviewer ever.
When I saw this I went and had a really good look at the photo of my lolo in my living room and he is certainly wearing something like this. It looks like a Santa Cruz, which would make sense as that was his registered place of birth. I wish he was around so I could ask him, but unfortunately he’s moved on. These collars were very popular all over the world since they were long lasting and could be wiped clean which meant you only had to wash the collarless shirt underneath.
Zebu’s outsize collar speaks of an exaggerated sense of self, it’s pointy ends a warning to whoever comes near that this is a man you don’t mess up with.
Panay does a a second-rate, trying hard copy of the Zebu. You don’t keep up with the Marketmans and try to save on fabric at the same time. Tell them to revise the job order specs next time.
Santa Cruz. What happened here? You don’t fix what ain’t broken. You don’t break the rules if you don’t make ’em. Trying to set a trend? Better luck next time. How can you think outside the box when you can’t even move your neck with this?
Ah so this is when the Samar group’s ascendancy started. And its inferiority complex. They caught the wrong trend, and a poorer, smaller imitation at that. But considering it’s current leaders, perhaps proportionate and appropriate.
It would be interesting to see the rest of the samples, MM … and maybe hold an event to show off every collar.
hiddendragon, HAHAHAHA! I laughed out loud. :)
MM, this is interesting, but hiddendragon, you’re hilarious!
interesting! who would have thought?
Since I enjoyed @hiddendragon’s comments as well, here is the link to the other Fiberloid collars:
https://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=Collars%20%2D%2D%201910%2D1919&s=3¬word=&f=2
There are collars named Subic, Balanga, Caraga, Luzon.
@Josephine’s correct, these were sold as collars to be put on top of collarless shirts called “dickeys”.
@Footloose, I dont know how the term “chinos” originated. “Khakis” came from the British in India. I think chinos were made in China, hence the name.
You could be right about the collar names- some are named after US universities or other places.
Perhaps one reason why detachable collars went out of fashion was that these required periodic servicing by professional cleaners and pressers. I remember a couple of shops at the end of Avenida Rizal in the vicinity of the train tracks that offered such services as late as the end of the 70s. The collars were pressed (ironed) on huge, steaming polished steel cylinders. Beside these cleaners shops were the hatters’ shops, which similarly had steaming steel molds for pressing felt fabric into derbies, fedoras, etc.
Maybe the whole ensemble of expensive hats, stiff collars, starched shirts, pressed linen suits and polished shoes helps explain why gentlemen of that bygone era moved in “de-numero” fashion. They had to limit their movements to preserve the neatness of their outfits for as long as possible throughout the day. Imagine if they had to take calesas on their way to work then. Definitely not for the hoi polloi!
Detachable collars are now back in style, for women at least. I like these better than the oversequined types you find now. Timely and interesting post :)
P.S. MM, I’m watching the Hidden Cities episode where Zubuchon was featured at this moment. I’m curious to know what they had you say on camera, since all they showed of you was of one slightly pissed off Marketman waiting for his ice delivery :)
Karina, HAHAHA! I haven’t actually seen the episode, but several dozen of you have emailed to ask, “what gives??”… Mrs. MM saw it and said I looked glum in my seat nearby while our Head Waiter received the block of ice. My speaking part was to castigate the host about the VERY LATE ARRIVAL of my ice, hence my sungitness or pissed off demeanor. It was all in fun, and clearly my acting and voice skills didn’t survive the editing of the show. :) Amazing what several hours of effort yields, a few seconds on screen, a mention of Zubuchon, and that’s it. But to promote the Philippines and Filipino food, as you all know, I bend over backwards. I just did another shoot this morning in our home for a television interview that took several hours of work, for probably 3-5 seconds on screen. Ah the things you have to do… :)
I normally dont like dressing animals up in people clothes, but maybe MM and his design team could add a Zebu collar for the zubuchon piggy, the logo mind you, not the ones served in the reatuarants. It is quite a jaunty little porker, so adding a Zebu collar would definitely add a touch of je ne sais quoi :)
Our folks from the old times did dress better than we do now. Man are more elegant and woman don their underwear, well.. you can’t see them as they’re supposed to be underwear. Now tank tops, or lacy underwear type of clothing are worn outside by girls. Kili-kili pa lang ulam na hehehe.
I’d like to be presented real jewels in a nice jewelry box or beautifully wrapped and I’d excitingly open them slowly or not hehehe.
I wanna leave things for some imagination, not yung kita na ang kaluluwa ahaha.
I agree with Lava Bien, trend or not, naiilang ako to see straps of underclothing peeking out, sus, minsan marumi pa. My dad was meticulous with his formal shirts, and I believe he owns one of this shirt. I even inherited a pair of his cufflinks, kaya nawala when I migrated here in US.
Hiddendragon, very funny!!!
Ariel, it is now in congress….see Pampanga! ;)
if you will notice, stains in collars are hard to remove(” bakit nga ba malibag ang leeg?”) thus using this very well starched detachable collar is practical….di kapitin ng dumi. ;) Same reason our Lolas starched our bed linens para di agad madumihan!
Lava Bien: Agree. Nowadays many women, young or old leave nothing to the imagination anymore with either too much cleavage/skin exposed down to the kaluluwa or flesh seemingly wanting to burst out of the attire. Wardrobe malfunction? or maybe designed to do just that!
Howard Wolowitz would love these!
@tercer: yup, paired with his orange turtleneck…:)