Mandarin Collar Tuxedo Shirts (Banded)

The contemporary styled banded / mandarin collar tuxedo shirt features a short, stand-up collar, inspired by Asian close-fitting* collars. This style is unique because it does not require or allow the use of a tie. Instead, the wearer uses a button cover to add the finishing touch to the neck button of the shirt.

The most widely available variety of the banded / mandarin tuxedo shirt is the pleated, barrel cuff styling. Plain or flat front options are available but are not formal in any way. What makes it a formal shirt is in-fact the pleated front.

The barrel cuff of the shirt allows the use of either the buttons which are sewn onto the shirt or the use of cufflinks.

The banded / mandarin tuxedo shirt is best worn with a Nehru or Mandarin style jacket. These jackets do not have a lapel. Instead they have a similar stand-up collar which was also adopted from Asian fashion. In contrast, it is not advised that one wear any other form of shirt with a mandarin or banded style jacket.

Availability of different fabric choices for the banded / mandarin tuxedo shirt are limited. Typically you will find them available in either 100% polyester and at times blends of cotton and polyester in ratios of 50/50 80/20 and 65/35.

Banded / Mandarin tuxedo shirt color options are typically high. During the peak seasons of formal wear manufacturing, you will find this style in white, black, ivory, red, teal, beige and more. This style is in fact the most widely colorized shirt style to date. The high amount of color options are entirely due to the popularity of this shirt in the service industry.

Summary
Banded / Mandarin tuxedo shirts are usually polyester or blended cotton, typically have a barrel cuff and are available in a wide array of colors. It is suggested but not mandatory that this style only be worn with mandarin tuxedo jackets.

*close-fitting; fitting closely and comfortably