The past year or so has the seen the resurgence of a former menswear staple, the tie bar.  It’s soaked the pages of GQ and similar publications, rising from tacky to dashing.   Thus, I would like to consider another fashion throwback: the collar pin.

A collar pin, popular during the fifties (thanks, Wikipedia, for verifying), fastens together a man’s (dress) shirt collar.  The pin is attached under the knot of the tie, giving the knot a bit of a nudge and making the neckwear as a whole more prominent.  Additionally the pin can range from a simple safety pin to a barbell.

I am interested in what young men think of this.  Personally, I find it a quirky, yet mature, accessory.  To pull it off, though, takes the right getup: for those daring enough to try it out, pair it with a solid shirt (white or powder blue) and a solid tie; a minimalist shirt tie combo avoids the collar pin from looking too rakish.  If anything, you don’t want to look like a 80s power broker from Oliver Stone’s Wall Street.

And for those who see this as a potential Xmas gift: if the guy hasn’t heard of a collar pin, he won’t want to wear a collar pin.  But for the brave, collarpins.com, appropriately, has a nice selection.  Happy hunting.

Almost a bit too daring, but the tie is minimalist enough to keep it all together. Note that a gold collar pin goes well with a blue shirt.