The short, stiff round collar has been an obligatory part of the Eton school uniform since the mid-nineteenth century

Originally a separate stiff white collar that attached to a banded collar shirt body, early on the collar signified membership in one of the world’s most exclusive men's clubs, hence its moniker name, the "club" collar. The famous arrow collar ads in the early twentieth century helped to elevate this style of collar to the pantheon of classic dress shirt collars.