FASHIONS IN COLLARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19508, 11 December 1926, Page 2 (Supplement)

FASHIONS IN COLLARS.

CAMPAIGN AGAINST STARCH. FRENCH LEAGUE'S EFFORTS. . A campaign against starched collars has been started in Paris by a new organisation called the _ " Anti-Carcan League." -The name of_ this body in itself-- suggests the despite in* which its members nold stiff collars, for " carcan " is the clumsy wooden collar worn by heavy draught horses and those employed on farms. The promoters of the movement have described the stiff collar as a ridiculous article of clothing, which is not only very expensive, but unhealthy, since it compresses the delicate organs of the throat and interferes alike with respiration and eating. /The honorary committee of the league includes a > number of very well-' known personalities, but these mostly belong to literary, musical, and artistic circles, which have never been regarded as offering the best guidance in sartorial matters. ■

The committee has drawn up statistics designed to show that the abolition of the starched collar would constitute a very important step in the present economy campaign, for it is calculated that the minimum expenditure on the neckwear of a man who wears stiff collars is 300 francs a year. ,-At present about 10,000,000 people in France wear them, which means that 3,000,000,000 francs a year are spent on the collars and on laundry: bills. for keeping them starched.