Why No Collarless Shirt?

[Buffalo Skipper]

For the past month now, I have been wearing my shirt with the collar tucked in, at least with my Boy Scout uniform. Our troop is a neckerchief-troop, and sometimes the scouts can't agree if they want to wear the neckerchief over or under the collar. I have had good luck with uniforming by example, I want to see if the troop will wear it this way.

 

My biggest concern about this method, it that without an undershirt, the opportunity for "ring around the whole collar" increases significantly when tucked in, especially with pre-teen and teenage boys. My only complaint about tucking in the collar is that I don't like the way the Wood Badge thong wears.

 

I rarely wear my blue Cub Scout Leaders neckerchief, as it is so small that it only comes half way down my chest. Someone should really fix that.

[Stosh]

I hate to toss cold water on all this discussion, but the obvious solution to the problem is a stitch-ripper (or small blade on jack-knife. Needle and thread (any color, it isn't going to show anyway.

 

Pull the stitching out of the collar band where the collar connects to the collar band. Once the collar fabric has been removed, restitch the collar band.

 

This is no big deal. This is an old trick on how anyone can prolong the life of a shirt that has collar wear from whiskers or stains from hair oils. Turn the collar around and keep on going.

 

For those who are even too lazy for that, simply cut the collar off. The stitching in the collar band will hold everything in tact. If the edge becomes uncomfortable when the shirt is worn, sew on a trim of hemming tape. It's under the necker so it's a matter of comfort, not visible appearance. For the little more industrious, cut the collar off leaving 1/2" of the collar still on the collar band. Then fold 1/4" roll down each side of the collar band and sew like one would do to put a badge/patch on. This will leave a "hemming edge" of the appropriate color.

 

We need to be more resourceful if we are going to expect it of our scouts.

 

Stosh

[Brian85]

When I started CUBS in '77, I had a blue longsleeve collarless shirt. My first Boy Scout Shirt, was a 60's or 70's era long sleeve with a collar. The only difference between the ODR uniform and mine was the epaulets. I loved that shirt, and wore it out. It quickly became a short sleeve, due to elbow burn through. I finally got the 80's version about 1983. Tucked in, CoH rules, neckerchiefs, no neckerchiefs, and the bolo ties. I remember it all. I have just switched to the supplex 100 shirt and contrary to earlier posts, I think the collars are too small and don't wear right over the neckerchief.

 

Whatever the problem, I wear it with the same pride I always have.

[83_Eagle_T148]

As I read this thread I chuckled plenty! Man were we glad to be rid of those shirts ... and, honestly, the neckerchiefs. Old memories aside, I can see the place of a collarless shirt in the BSA wardrobe.

 

For the time being you might try tucking your collar under, thus creating a clean neck line, while wearing a neckerchief.

 

[Mr. Boyce]

As a kid, I had a couple collarless and one with a collar. I liked the collarless: you could opt to wear a neckerchief, or if it was hot, go without one. The collarless shirt was cooler. Of course, there were no uniform nazis in my old troop. We were casual.

[tiodean]

I always liked the v-neck summer shirts, and to this day turn the collars under because I almost always wear a neckerchief. With 58 years of active Scouting, it's a habit hard to break and I find myself untucking the collar of my Venturing shirt, and even non-uniform "civilian" shirts.

[prairie]

I have collected all four styles, long and short sleeve, collared and v-neck, only things they have in common is they were all made with the light fabric of that time period and are green. Never knew that they made v-neck long sleeves as a kid. I really should get a photo of the four types.

The oddist are some short sleeve shirts made from cotton with a very open weave.

 

My first Scout shirt had a collar, long sleeves and was winter weight, was thrilled when I got the thin short sleeve v-neck to wear my 2nd year at summer camp, so much cooler. Only reason I remember is that first one had merit badges sewn on the sleeve for a while.

 

I have de-collared several ODLR shirts, the one that turned out nice has bias tape round the neck hole, green in my case as I can't seem to find tan tape. With my big neck any bulk reduction in that area is help.

Wish supply had a adult length plain green 3" wide leader's tie

Looking forward to more full size neckers!!!

[MDScoutMom]

When did they start putting the necker under the collar? I know that at least up to and during WWII it was always worn over the collar. I'm assuming that when the collarless came in, there was only one way to wear it and then when they returned with collared shirts the guys had the over/under option. Maybe those that first wore them under the collar did so somewhat like a man wearing a tie? I'm just guessing. But if the collar on centennial shirt bothers anyone, I guess you could say that since it represents 100 yrs the Scouts should wear the necker over the collar as they did in the beginning, thus hiding the collar.

 

Funny, I never thought of the collarless shirt as a v-neck, the instant I first saw it I thought of baseball uniform shirts. Even today, I think they might be a great option or addition to the class B uniforms, especially if made of some material that wicks away the sweat of summer.

[Gonzo1]

When i was a youth in the 70's, we had some scouts with collars, some without, but all scout wore the same neckerchief. NO ONE CALLED IT A SCARF as some do today.

 

I recall folding my collar under and wearing the neckerchief.

 

I think the neckerchief started to go under the collar when Oscar de la Renta uniforms came out.

 

Those old green uniforms just looked better and fit better. We did everything in them and never had a troop t-shirt.

[OzarksOsage]

I agree that the Centennial shirt's collar does not fit well over a neckerchief. But, with the smaller collar, it would be easier to wear a neckerchief OVER the collar, with the collar in the normal position, as many Scout associations around the world wear theirs. With the BSA returning to larger-sized neckers (thank you!) the fit of the even-larger-necker under the smaller collar will become even less desirable. I wonder if the BSA is going to move to neckers over/around the normally-positioned collar? That would be a good thing.

[John-in-KC]

When I was a youth member in Boy Scouting and Exploring (1968-74 or so) I wore my LS shirt with the collar turned under in the cooler months, and a SS collarless shirt in the hot months.

 

Collarless shirt was one of the dorkiest outer garments ever made.

 

It's almost as bad as the red beret.

 

It's gone. GOOD

[emb021]

"Collarless shirt was one of the dorkiest outer garments ever made."

 

It was only dorky if you didn't wear a neckerchief. If you were going to wear a neckerchief, its better then a collared shirt. But since I don't like neckerchiefs, I like collared shirts, which I always wore with a bolo tie (for years an old SE Region one I got at the 81 jamboree), until I got my beads.

 

 

No disagreement on the red beret. Since it was near impossible to get them to look like the cool berets we saw in the movies, AND they don't keep the sun off your face (a must in my area), we hated them. The 'stake in the heart' for me with the red beret was seeing some overweight female scouter wear it like it was a french beret...

 

 

[NE-IV-88-Beaver]

OGE,

 

Please take note that the Red Beret has again been besmirched!

 

Even dorkier than the collarless shirt???

 

Some people just don't understand fashionable! I'm with you, OGE.

[Mr. Boyce]

Given the high cost of the new shirts, I'm tempted to check with my tailor and the local fabric shop to see whether it's cheaper to simply have her make a scout shirt for me. In this case, I could simply have a collarless one made up.

[John-in-KC]

withdrawn.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)