Shanghai Tang boss Raphael le Masne de Chermont inaugurated his exclusive Mandarin Collar Society on Tuesday. The idea is to get men of style to replace their strangling neckties with the Chinese-style wear, starting with an invitation-only club of 88 distinguished gents from across the globe to act as ambassadors. Among the initial charter members are Linford Christie, Pierre Gagnaire, and our own David Tang Wing-cheung, Allan Zeman and Vincent Lo Hong-sui.
'We are not anti-necktie, but we are pro-Mandarin collar,' le Masne de Chermont said. 'I've been wearing the mandarin collar myself for five years and never put a tie on. It gives you an alternative way to look elegant with an Oriental twist.'
Other converts were Andrew Yuen Wai-man (above with le Masne de Chermont) and French banker Alain Chrun. But a cynic like me wonders, is this a real cultural revolution? Or are men being liberated from one uniform to be replaced by another fashion tyrant whose ideology just so happens to be on sale at Shanghai Tang? 'I don't care what people say. We are giving people an alternative choice to reorient themselves,' said le Masne de Chermont.
