A momentous event like your wedding demands equally memorable wedding attire. Your choice of wedding attire depends primarily on your chosen ceremony’s level of formality. For a formal wedding, you simply can’t go wrong with a great tuxedo.

There’s no disputing the fact that tuxedos are the most dignified and the most sophisticated of all your different formal wear choices. When dressed in such fine attire, it’s crucial that you make sure every single piece of your ensemble works well together.

Tuxedo shirts are an important part of your formal outfit. Although there may be a number of different tuxedo shirt styles on the market, the wing collar shirt remains the most popular among all formal shirt types available.

The Wing Collar Shirt

The wing collar tuxedo shirt, also known as the winged tip tuxedo shirt, is characterized by its unique collar style. Its collar style is almost completely straight up or banded; the collar wraps around the neck and ends in the front of the shirt with a wing on either side.

Wing collar shirts can be worn with any tuxedo jacket style, but when it comes to ties, this shirt design only works with the basic bow tie.

Wing Collar Shirt Styles

Just like all the other types of formal shirts on the market, wing collar shirts come in different bib styles and designs. Wing collar shirt bibs are flat fronted, ruffled, piqued or pleated.

• Flat front wing collar shirts are shirts without bibs and frills. The entire front of the shirt is plain and ruffle-free or pleat-free.
• Ruffled tuxedo shirt: Ruffled wing collar shirts have bibs decorated with gathered fabric that is sewn in place to create a highly decorative and stylish front.
• Piqued tuxedo shirts are characterized by their evenly spaced, vertical-line designs. Set against plain-weave cloth, these shirts have alternating rounded cords and sunken lines on the fabric, creating a unique and elegant texture.
• Pleated or pintucked bibs on the other hand, showcase pleats that range from an eighth of an inch to an inch in size. These pleats are arranged vertically, and are either stitched or pressed into place.

Wing collar shirts also vary according to their cuff styles. There are two primary cuff styles used for wing collar shirts: the French cuff and the barrel cuff

• French cuffs are soft double cuffs that can be fastened using cuff links.
• Barrel cuffs, on the other hand, are unfolded cuffs that are closed with either cuff links or buttons.

Choosing Your Wing Collar Shirt

With an idea in mind of what style you want for your wing collar shirt, picking out your formal shirt should be a breeze. There are some factors you need to consider when it comes to buying any type of formal shirt. The two most important factors are color and fabric.

While wing collar shirts are available in different colors and shades, you can’t get away with wearing a brown or a blue wing collar shirt when you’re in an ultra-formal wedding. For your wedding, pick out a classic white wing collar shirt over the fanciful and colorful alternatives.

As for fabric, a pure cotton wing collar shirt is your most luxurious and comfortable option. The feel of the fabric and the sophistication of the shirt’s appearance are definitely well worth its costly price tag.

If, however, you find that a pure cotton shirt is completely out of your budget, don’t despair; you can still find an equally great wing collar shirt for a lower price. Wing collar shirts made of poly-cotton fabrics look just as expensive as their 100 percent cotton counterparts. These shirts may not feel as luxurious as pure cotton, but they do come with friendlier and less expensive price tags.

When to Wear Your Wing Collar Shirt

Wing collar shirts are worn with tuxedos for formal events. For white tie events, wear a pique wing collar shirt with the right tailcoat.