The Peter Pan Collar

          One of my best friends told me that if she had to pick one word to describe me, it would be "whimsical," and I have to admit she is pretty spot on. I like unicorns and dinosaurs more than any other animal that actually exists. I'm obsessed with food trucks. I think everything tastes better when it is covered in rainbow jimmies. I'm addicted to temporary tattoos, and fascinated by the French Revolution. I'm planning on decorating my future apartment in vintage furnishings. I write poetry. I like cat things and kitchy office supplies. I make the same wish at 11:11 everyday. When I asked her if any of these reasons were what brought her to this decision, she said, "Yeah, all of those... and the fact that you dress like a British secretary from the 1960s."
          Which again, spot on. Now readers, if you stick with me you will get to read all about my Sterling-Cooper styled closet (probably a little too much about it, actually). But this post is focused on whimsy, so I'll hold off on my ravings about pencil skirts and fishnets to discuss a recently reborn trend in the fashion family: the Peter Pan collar.
          Until very recently, wearing a Peter Pan collar on a modern blouse would have deemed the fashionista in question as either prudish or juvenile. These assumptions are possibly drawn from the fact that the round-edged neckband was commonly seen on the shirts of Catholic school children. I remember my own disdain for my uniform blouses while I saw my sister earn the privilege to wear a pointed-style collar as she advanced into high school. Even at the age of seven, I knew how these little bug wings defined me: I was a baby, only just blooming into life, not trusted to handle sharp edges just yet.
          Fortunately, I did grow up, and just as fortunately my opinions have changed. Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-two, I can see the beauty in Peter Pans. They do inspire a feel of youth but that is exactly the point. In our world today, there is an overwhelming amount of vice. There's war, rape, death, hatred, cheating, stealing, depression, pain, and other awful things. As adults, we see these cruelties every day, and we are asked to deal with them, to let them into our homes through our televisions, newspapers, and radios.  But children seem to always see the good in things. They make friends on the playground without even taking into account the companion's weight, race, or economic standing. A child will eat four cupcakes, and feel absolutely no guilt afterwards. They will sing, and spin around in circles, and watch Disney all because they want to do so. They're honest, genuine, and love with their whole hearts. As a kid, I constantly thought about what it would be like to be a grown up but now as a grown up, I miss the innocence in not knowing. 
          For me, the Peter Pan collar gives me a bit of childhood back. Usually in a white, or light color it can inspire purity, a metaphoric middle finger to all of the low necklines of usual club wear (which unfortunately has also trickled into people's everyday closets). The collar is youthful and full of joy, mirroring the roundness of a person's cheek when she smiles. As with all starch collars, it's classic; although it's origins are a bit muddled, many believed that the collar gained popularity first in France, after being featured on the heroine of a bestselling novel in the early 1900s.
          That being said, contemporary designers have revved this trend up in various ways. Many are warping the collar by featuring it on otherwise incredibly sexy cocktail dresses. Peter Pans have been seen in leather, lace, and nylon, making them cooler, more rock and roll. Collar/necklace hybrids have been popping up in major retail stores, giving every posh panda the chance to transform any top into the schoolgirl staple. One of my favorite advances have been the anti-collar, dresses or tops that have cut out the shape of the collar, making the illusion of one made out of your own skin. Kind of creepy, but also pretty freaking rad.  Personally, I don't care what it's made out of: if there is a Peter Pan collar on it, I'm buying it. I'd be suckered into buying more drinks at happy hour if they had rounded lapels wrapped around the glass instead of those stupid passé umbrellas.  J. M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan himself once wrote, "For to have faith is to have wings." When I'm wearing a Peter Pan collar, I feel like I have my own little set of wings, full of faith in the fashion advances to come.