Origin Story: Sailor and Peter Pan Collars (Dressed Classic)

Summary

Dressed: The History of Fashion – Episode Summary: Origin Story: Sailor and Peter Pan Collars

Release Date: March 21, 2025
Hosts: April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary
Episode Title: Origin Story: Sailor and Peter Pan Collars (Dressed Classic)

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Dressed: The History of Fashion, hosts April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary delve into the fascinating origins of two iconic collar styles: the sailor collar and the Peter Pan collar. Responding to listener inquiries, the duo embarks on a historical journey to uncover how these collars transitioned from practical uniforms to beloved fashion staples for men, women, and children alike.

The Sailor Collar: From Naval Uniform to Fashion Icon

Historical Roots and Practicality

The discussion begins with April addressing a listener named Betsy, who questions the purpose behind the traditional sailor collar's distinctive design—particularly its squared-off back and V-shaped front with a tie ([02:40]). April and Cassidy trace the sailor collar back to the British Royal Navy's regulated uniforms established in 1748. While officers adorned themselves in tailored suits reflecting their status, ordinary sailors, often referred to as "tars" due to their waterproof attire, wore more practical clothing designed for hard labor and protection against the elements ([03:34]).

Uniformity Through the Slop Chest

April explains the concept of the "slop chest," a collection of ready-made, inexpensive apparel available on ships since the 17th century. This practice ensured a semblance of uniformity among sailors, despite the lack of centralized regulation. Key items included red caps, blue neckcloths, and blue wool jackets—all contributing to the loose uniformity of naval attire ([06:11]). The practical necessity of these garments inadvertently laid the groundwork for the sailor collar's enduring design.

Royal Influence and Fashion Adoption

A pivotal moment in the sailor collar's transformation into a fashion accessory occurred in the mid-19th century. Queen Victoria's admiration for her son's miniature sailor uniform led to widespread adoption. In 1849, Prince Albert had a sailor outfit made for his four-year-old son, Prince Edward VII, who was famously portrayed in Franz Winterhalter's 1846 portrait. This charming image captivated the public, inspiring children and adults to emulate the sailor style ([09:18]).

April highlights how Princess Alexandra further popularized the sailor collar in women's fashion during the 1880s. Her impeccably tailored sailor collar suits set a high fashion standard, leading to the collar's incorporation into women's sportswear, bathing suits, and school uniforms. Esteemed designers like Schiaparelli and Jean Paul Gaultier have continued to celebrate and reinvent the sailor collar, ensuring its relevance in contemporary fashion ([11:34]).

Notable Quote:

Cassidy reflects on the historical journey, stating, "The sailor collar will surely continue to charm its way into the future." ([11:34])

The Peter Pan Collar: A Theatrical Influence on Fashion

Origins in Theatre

Transitioning to the Peter Pan collar, Hannah, another listener, inquires about its origins. April and Cassidy reveal that the Peter Pan collar, characterized by its flat design with curved edges, derives its name from the 1905 Broadway production of Peter Pan. Although the character Peter Pan was a boy, the role was portrayed by women, notably Maude Adams, whose portrayal immortalized the collar's association with the character ([14:05]).

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The theatrical depiction of Peter Pan with the distinctive collar captivated audiences, leading to the collar's adoption in fashion. April notes that similar to how Mary Jane shoes became iconic through the Buster Brown comics, the Peter Pan collar became a symbol linked to the beloved character. The association was so strong that Disney's planning of live televised productions of Peter Pan continues to honor this historical linkage by casting actresses like Allison Williams in the role ([14:45]).

Modern Interpretations and Influence

The Peter Pan collar remains a staple in various fashion segments, symbolizing innocence and timeless style. Its influence extends beyond children's clothing, finding a place in adult fashion through design adaptations and nostalgic revivals. The collar's enduring popularity is a testament to its versatile and charming design, rooted in its rich theatrical heritage.

Notable Quote:

April emphasizes the collar's deep-rooted connection to the character, stating, "This collar henceforth became associated in the popular imagination with this fictional character, Peter Pan." ([17:15])

Conclusion

April and Cassidy successfully illuminate the rich histories behind the sailor and Peter Pan collars, showcasing how functional naval uniforms and theatrical performances can leave lasting imprints on fashion. By tracing these collars' journeys from practical attire and stage costumes to beloved fashion elements, the episode underscores the intricate interplay between utility, culture, and style in the evolution of fashion.

Listeners are encouraged to engage further with Dressed by visiting their website for upcoming fashion history tours and online courses, ensuring that the exploration of fashion's past continues to inspire and educate.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Cassidy Zachary ([11:34]): "The sailor collar will surely continue to charm its way into the future."
• April Callahan ([17:15]): "This collar henceforth became associated in the popular imagination with this fictional character, Peter Pan."

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For more detailed insights and upcoming episodes, visit dressedhistory.com.

Transcript

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[Cassidy Zachary]

Enjoy this episode from the Dressed archive of over 500 plus shows. You have been very patient with us and we assure you Dressed will be back with all new content in the form of season eight very soon. We have so many wonderful things up our sleeves that we cannot wait to share with you, but until then, please consider heading to dressedhistory.com where you will find information regarding our upcoming fashion history tours of Paris and New York, which are both open for registration and selling fast. And while you are there, also consider signing up for our upcoming online course offerings which include what Women Wore to the Revolution coming your way in May. More from Dressed coming your way very soon.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

With over 7 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day, we all get dressed.

[April Callahan]

Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast where we explore the who, what, when of why we wear. We are fashion historians and your hosts.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary. Well, we do love a good origin story, Undressed, and today's topic is no exception. Because while we might all know what a sailor uniform looks like, how many of us know it's or origins? I know I did not. Or how the sailor collar specifically made its way into being a staple of fashionable attire for men, women and children for, oh, let's say the past 150 years. And today we have the origin stories of not one, but actually two fashionable collars. Because we also had a listener request about the origins of the Peter Pan collar. So lots to uncover here today.

[April Callahan]

April yes, and our first inquiry comes by way of Betsy, who wrote to us to say, quote, always easily wooed by the sailor collar. I have accidentally collected a surprising number of vintage patterns with sailor collars on everything from a halter dress from the 70s, very cute, to jackets and short sets from the 1950s. Maybe a little juvenile for a mature woman. And I won't even list the children's patterns ranging from babies to tweens. I think there is no, there is no such thing as too many, Betsy, just so you know. But she goes on to say this leads me to my question about sailor collars. Because the squared off back with a more traditional V shaped front collar, including a tie, has been in existence on navy uniforms the world over for centuries. And there must have been a purpose behind this design. Do you know what it is?

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Well, before this I did not. But now we do because we did some fashion history digging. So thanks for writing, Betsy, and what a fantastic question. This question actually sent us back hundreds of years and led to some rather surprising finds. For instance, April, it might seem obvious after I say this, but navy blue, well, it got its name because of the dark blue employed in the blue and white uniforms of officers in the British Royal Navy following the regulation of said uniforms in 1748.

[April Callahan]

But while the officers of the then most powerful naval fleet in the world had regulated uniforms by the mid 18th century, which were essentially decorated tailored suits that reflected their social status as much as their position, the low man on the totem pole, the sailor did not. And there appears to have been many reasons for this, one of them being that there was a high turnover rate in this position, and also that it was not a position that was really respected, expected, and thus deserving of a sort of acknowledgment or the monetary allotment of funds for this purpose. So let's be honest, it was these sailors, not the suited officers, that were doing the hard labor. These men wore clothing that were by all accounts as practical as they could be for the hard work that they were doing. And that meant that they needed clothing that was easy to work in, but also clothing that protected the body from sun, wind and their main professional hazard, which is, of course, water.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Water which is actually how many of these men earned the nickname tars? So during my research, I came across this great blog called British Tars 1740-1790. And it's maintained by Kyle Dalton, who's a specialist in 18th century maritime culture and early United States history. And he says that his goal with this blog was really to explore the appearance of common British and American sailors in the half century prior to the French Revolutionary Wars. The through primary source artwork. And it's really cool. I suggest checking it out. He has Incredible documentation on there, which includes a surprising number of personal memoirs by sailors and journals of these 18th century sailors.

[Unnamed Speaker 4]

So check it out.

[April Callahan]

Oh yeah, that's always super valuable when you can find those. And it turns out that the British tars, and subsequently the American tars, earned their name from the use of tarring. And tar is of course a natural liquid derived from coal or wood that prior to the invention of synthetics, had been used to waterproof and seal anything from sails on boats to the clothing on sailors own bodies.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

And it is clear from the abundance of primary source images on Kyle's blog that while the sailor in the 18th and early 19th centuries did not yet have an official uniform, they are really nonetheless loosely uniform in appearance. So, you know, they're all pretty much wearing a hat, a short jacket, short trousers and always a neckerchief, presumably to wick sweat. Accounts suggest that sailors even went barefoot on deck, which is kind of hard to imagine, but I assume something that was necessary prior to waterproof shoes.

[April Callahan]

It just seems dangerous to me. Yeah, I'm like, hello, splinters. And some of you might remember that one of our recent guests, Amber Butchart, came on the show to talk to us about her work as a dress detective. But she's written several books, one of which is called Nautical Chic, and in that she provided some really great insight into this subject. Attributing the unofficial uniform of sailors on deck to something that was called the.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Slop chest, which I have to of course say it threw me for a loop when I first read it because I've always associated slop with what people feed pigs. But apparently in the UK and Australia, slop clothing is basically this form of cheap, ready made, really inexpensive apparel.

[April Callahan]

Namra writes about it saying. But it was really the slop chest that led to a degree of uniformity for sailors in many European navies. The practice of the slop chest, ready made clothes available on board to replace garments that had worn out, was also a feature of life at sea for French and American navies and in Britain, dates all the way back to the 17th century. The original supplies consisted of a number of items that are still to this day associated with maritime life, including red caps, blue neckcloths, blue wool jackets. And the availability of these items, which were paid for from the sailor's own pocket, ensured that a mariner's working uniform had a loose uniformity even before it was centrally regulated.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

So we've established that neck cloths or kerchiefs have been a necessary staple of sailor dress since at least the 18th century. But I guess we still haven't quite answered where that square sailor collar developed from. Although I am going to tell you, I did read more than a few theories. One being that was originally worn as a form of protection for the jacket because sailors supposedly put that waterproofing tar in their hair.

[April Callahan]

Oh lordy.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Another said that this square sailor collar and black neckerchief mimicked the wide collar points and black cravat worn by fashionable gentlemen during this period.

[April Callahan]

Amber similarly acknowledges that the now iconic sailor collar has quote unquote murky origins. While forerunners have traced it back to the 17th century, the collar as we know it began to take its distinctive shape in the late 18th century. Whatever its exact origins, this square collar was part of the official sailor uniform when it was finally regulated in 1857. But as Amber goes on to tell us, quote, in reality it regulated what was already the norm on many ships.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Yeah. In fact, the British Royal Navy sailor uniform aforementioned being regulated in 1857 was actually based on those already being worn by sailors on Queen Victoria's royal yacht. And it was these sailor summer uniforms, which consisted of a white pant and white shirt, that employed the now iconic square sailor collar. In fact, April, Queen Victoria loved this uniform so much that in 1849 she had the sailor Taylor make one up in a miniature for her four year old son, Prince Albert, the future King Edward vii.

[April Callahan]

And I think it might surprise our listeners to know, Cass, that it was this four year old prince who was largely responsible for making the sailor collar fashionable. Royal portraitist Franz Winterhalter immortalized the young lad in this adorable replica outfit in an 1846 portrait. And the image of the sailor attired prince was subsequently disseminated to the public through print. Prince. And it was not long before everyone's children, both girls and boys alike, were wearing their own sailor inspired ensembles, which.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Of course continues into today. And something I actually found quite charming was that it was Prince Albert's future oh so fashionable wife Alexandra who had helped to make the sailor collar haute fashionable for women. So by the 1860s, late 1860s in Harper's Bazaar for instance, you do start seeing the first references to sailor collars in women's dress, especially those worn beachside for the obvious nautical references. But when Princess Alexandra stepped out April in the 1880s in her impeccably tailor made suit with its sailor collar, well, there was just no going back. And I actually, I have to wonder if she knew the reference she was making to her, her husband as a child and you know, of course, we did an episode about the fashionable Queen Consort of England, Queen Alexandra with Kate Strasden last season. So check it out.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. And the collar eventually found its way into women's sportswear around the same time, being worn on everything from basketball uniforms to bathing suits and eventually school uniforms. And as we already know, the sailor collar is one of those reoccurring themes among many fashion designers.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Work.

[April Callahan]

From Schiaparelli's famous 1920s trompe l'oeil sweater to numerous works by Jean Paul Gaultier. The sailor collar will surely continue to charm its way into the future.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

As will the Peter Pan collar. April.

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[Unnamed Speaker 3]

On the subject of collars, we thought it only fitting to answer another listener caller inquiry. Hannah actually wrote to us in April inquiring about the origins of the so called Peter Pan collar.

[April Callahan]

What we know today as a Peter Pan collar is essentially a flat collar with curved edges and it is a staple design feature and has been for quite some time. But just where did it earn its name?

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

And this actually required substantially less digging than the sailor question and one that actually has a pretty concise answer. The Peter Pan collar earned its name because it was worn by, well, Peter Pan, the most famous boy who never wanted to grow up. Okay, it was not actually worn by Peter Pan, but rather the woman playing Peter pan in the 1905 Broadway production, to be exact, Maude Adams.

[April Callahan]

And yes, you heard cast correctly. It was actually quite common at this time for women to play the roles of boys in productions, and this popular play was no exception and actually cast Disney just announced their upcoming live televised production of Peter Pan and they have selected actress Allison Williams to play the part, who some of you might know from Girls yes, there's actually quite a.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Long history of women in the role of Peter Pan in J.M. barrie's popular play Peter Pan or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up. And actually it was actress Nina Boucicol who originated the role in the play's debut in London in 1904. However, it was the American actress Maude Adams who would make the role internationally famous. When she debuted the role on Broadway in New York to Great Fanfare On November 6, 1905, the New York Times.

[April Callahan]

Heralded, quote, a joyous night with Peter Pan. Maude Adams triumphs as the Boy who Would not Grow Up. Continuing on, saying Maude Adams is Peter most ingratiatingly simple and sympathetic, true to the fairy idea, true to the child nature, lovely, sweet and wholesome. She combines all the delicate sprightliness and the gentle, wistful pathos necessary to the role, and she is supremely in touch with the spirit of it all.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

And reading about this production, actually, I found it so incredibly lovely that one of the parts of the play is that is this audience participation? So when Tinker Bell is dying, Peter invites the audience, who is presumably mostly adults, to save the waning fairy by clapping to show that they believed in fairies. And I just found that really, really magical and special. And I don't know. April, are you familiar with the Robin Williams movie Hook?

[April Callahan]

Of course.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

That's one of my absolute favorite, favorite childhood movies starring Robin Williams and Julia Roberts. And then of course there's also the film Finding Neverland which is more about the fictionalized, semi fictionalized version of Barry's relationship with the family that inspired the making of Peter Pan. So if you haven't seen either of those movies, I highly suggest checking them out.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, and just to touch back on the play a little bit, the play was a huge success and Maude even took her role to an international audience when she toured Europe. An image were spread around the globe depicting the actress character with her leaf covered costume adorned with, you guessed it, a curved flat falling collar. So just as we saw with the buckled slipper associated with the popular comic book strip Buster Brown, we've already done a minisode about this. His girlfriend Mary Jane would become Mary Jane Shoes. So exactly the same thing happened here. This collar henceforth became associated in the popular imagination with this fictional character, Peter Pan. Remember, we love hearing from you, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do [e-mail] or you can also DM us on Instagram restorepodcast, which is of course where you'll find reels and posts accompanying each week's episodes. We get so many questions from you all about our recommendations for fashion history books. So if you're interested you can always find a link in our show notes to our bookshop Bookshelf. So that address is bookshop.org shop dressed.

[Unnamed Speaker 5]

And there you can find over 150.

[April Callahan]

Of our favorite fashion history titles.

[Unnamed Speaker 4]

You can also find a link to that in our show notes where you can find a link to dressedhistory.com which of course is our website where you can check out our latest offerings from the dressed universe. That includes our classes and our tours. So head over to DressedHistory.com and see what we have up our store sleeves. Love dress but want to skip the ads? Consider subscribing to our ad free version of the show for just $3 a month and enjoy our eight new episodes a month ad free. That does it for us today dress listeners. Thank you as always for tuning in and more dress coming your way very soon. Dress. The history of fashion is a production of Dressed Media.

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