Generally, a collar is something which goes around the neck.

Clothing collars

In fashion, a collar is the piece of a shirt or dress around the neck which folds over. The tips may optionally have buttons to fasten the collar down to the shirt for a so-called "button-down" collar. Numerous styles exist[1]:

• ascot collar (stock collar)
• band collar
• bertha collar
• chinese collar (cadet,)
• cape collar
• chelsea collar
• convertible collar
• cossak collar
• dog-car collar
• fichu collar
• jabot collar
• johnny collar
• Lacoste collar
• mandarin collar
• man-tailored collar
• Mao collar
• middy collar
• Nehru collar
• Peter Pan collar
• Pierrot collar
• rolled collar
• sailor collar
• shawl collar
• turtleneck
• wing collar

The collar has been adopted by the BDSM community. In a BDSM context, a collar represents subservience of one kind or another. Collars are also used non-symbolically in the BDSM scene as fetish gear. These collars are often worn purely as fashion. See Collar (BDSM).

The word collar also refers to job designation, based on the workforce colorwheel. Examples of such include blue-collar, pink-collar and white-collar.

Animal collars

The collar on a draught animal is a robustly constructed leather and straw device that is intended to sit comfortably on the animal's shoulders around its neck and support a set of hames that transfer the draught forces from the animal to the traces.

A collar can also be a piece of material put around the neck of an animal, typically a pet, for control, identification, or other purposes. Identification tags and medical information is often placed on collars. Collars are also useful for controlling the animal, as they provide a handle for grabbing.

• Buckle collars, also called flat collars, are usually nylon or leather with a buckle similar to a belt buckle or a quick-release buckle, either of which holds the collar loosely around the animal's neck. Usually identification is attached to such a collar; it also comes with a loop to which a leash can be fastened.

• Flea collars are impregnated with chemicals that repel fleas. They are usually a supplementary collar, worn in addition to the conventional buckle collar.
• Elizabethan collars are shaped like lamp shades and prevent a pet from licking something on their body, usually a wound.

See also: dog collar.