Expandable shirt collar
An apparatus for increasing the comfort and flexibility of a shirt collar has an extender tab that is coupled to a collar band with an elastic material that can expand to compensate for shrinkage of the collar due to laundering or an increase in the neck size of the wearer.
1. An expandable shirt collar, comprising:
a collar band having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button hole extending through the second end portion of the collar band;
a tab having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button coupled to the second end portion of the tab wherein the button is vertically aligned with a linear array of buttons on the shirt body when an elastic material is in a relaxed condition; and
the elastic material having a first end and a second end, the first end of the elastic material coupled to the first end portion of the collar band and the second end of the elastic material coupled to the first end portion of the tab.
2. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein a front surface of the tab and an outer surface of the collar band have an identical fabric.
3. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein a front surface of the tab and an outer surface of the collar band have a contrasting fabric.
4. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the button is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed on a rear surface of the tab.
5. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the button is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed between a front surface of the tab and a rear surface of the tab.
6. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the collar band is disposed between a collar and a shirt body.
7. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the elastic material is covered by the tab when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
8. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the first end portion of the tab is hidden by a collar when the collar is disposed in a down position.
9. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the elastic material may be stretched to 150% of a relaxed length without causing permanent deformation.
10. The expandable shirt collar of claim 1 , wherein the elastic material is sandwiched between a first layer of the tab and a second layer of the tab.
11. An expandable shirt collar, comprising:
a collar band having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button hole extending through the second end portion of the collar band;
a tab having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button coupled to the second end portion of the tab; and
an elastic material having a first end and a second end, the first end of the elastic material coupled to the first end portion of the collar band and the second end of the elastic material coupled to the first end portion of the tab wherein the elastic material is sandwiched between a first layer of the tab and a second layer of the tab.
12. The expandable shirt collar of claim 11 , wherein the button is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed on a rear surface of the tab.
13. The expandable shirt collar of claim 11 , wherein the elastic material is covered by the tab when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
14. The expandable shirt collar of claim 11 , wherein the first end portion of the tab is hidden by a collar when the collar is disposed in a down position.
15. The expandable shirt collar of claim 11 , wherein the button is vertically aligned with a linear array of buttons on the shirt body when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
16. An expandable shirt collar, comprising:
a collar band having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button coupled to the collar band at the first end portion;
a tab having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button hole extending through the first end portion of the tab wherein the button hole is vertically aligned with a linear array of buttons holes on the shirt body when an elastic material is in a relaxed condition; and
the elastic material having a first end and a second end, the first end of the elastic material coupled to the second end portion of the collar band and the second end of the elastic material coupled to the second end portion of the tab.
17. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein a front surface of the tab and an outer surface of the collar band have an identical fabric.
18. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein a front surface of the tab and an outer surface of the collar band have a contrasting fabric.
19. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the button hole is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed on a rear surface of the tab.
20. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the button hole is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed between a front surface of the tab and a rear surface of the tab.
21. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the collar band is disposed between a collar arid a shirt body.
22. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the elastic material is covered by the tab when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
23. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the first end portion of the tab is hidden by a collar when the collar is disposed in a down position.
24. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the elastic material may be stretched to 150% of a relaxed length without causing permanent deformation.
25. The expandable shirt collar of claim 16 , wherein the elastic material is sandwiched between a first layer and a second layer of the tab.
26. An expandable shirt collar, comprising:
a collar band having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button coupled to the collar band at the first end portion;
a tab having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a button hole extending through the first end portion of the tab; and
an elastic material having a first end and a second end, the first end of the elastic material coupled to the second end portion of the collar band and the second end of the elastic material coupled to the second end portion of the tab wherein the elastic material is sandwiched between a first layer and a second layer of the tab.
27. The expandable shirt collar of claim 26 , wherein the button hole is disposed on a front surface of the tab and the elastic material is disposed on a rear surface of the tab.
28. The expandable shirt collar of claim 26 , wherein the button hole is vertically aligned with a linear array of buttons on the shirt body when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
29. The expandable shirt collar of claim 26 , wherein the elastic material is covered by the tab when the elastic material is in a relaxed condition.
30. The expandable shirt collar of claim 26 , wherein the first end portion of the tab is hidden by a collar when the collar is disposed in a down position.