Answer Angel: Dirty secret under the collar?

Ellen Warren, Tribune News Service on Jun 2, 2026

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Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Television shows many men wearing just a T-shirt under a suit jacket.

Doesn’t the jacket get ring around the collar from oil from the skin of the bare neck?

--Juris G.

Dear Juris: Probably.

Ring around the collar is a hazard for both men and women wearing a jacket over a T-shirt or a collarless shirt of any sort. This style has been popular with women for some time and is growing in popularity for men who are looking for a casual business look — especially popular with TV sports commentators.

The good news is that nobody but the wearer knows that their suit jacket or blazer has a dirty little secret. The cost of occasional dry cleaning (or spot cleaning at home) is inevitable. Don’t sweat it.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I’m noticing lots of “pattern mixing” in fashion magazines online and in stores. I thought this trend was over but apparently it’s back. I vaguely recall that years back you wrote a how-to tip list on the art of wearing two (or more?) different patterns in one outfit. I wasn’t interested then in trying this risky dressing, but I’m older now and would like to know the rules.

--Olivia N.

Dear Olivia: You’re right that mixing patterns is back. The current Elle magazine is devoting a full page to a Ralph Lauren pants-shirt-sweater combo that’s unexpected and yet … tres chic. As I have written many times, in fashion there are no rules but here are few guidelines on this:

* Phase 1: For the beginner, add an unexpected colorful shoe or purse — even a two-toned one — to a favorite outfit to get you started. Orange with pink? Red with teal? Green with brown?

*Phase 2: Let the busiest pattern piece be your guide — say a spring floral. Then add a striped piece in two or three of the colors in the floral. If you are brave, add a third item, perhaps a solid color sweater, jacket, blazer (or shoe) in a shade found in one of the other two garments.

*Phase 3: Some of the most unlikely pattern and color mixes actually are the freshest, most fashion forward, but they’re not for the faint of heart.

Dear Answer Angel: I’m all for casual easy-to-wear clothing so I was intrigued by a Chanel runway photo of a model in an oversized white cotton shirt worn with the shirttail untucked hitting mid-thigh. Seems sloppy to me but temptingly comfortable.

--Emeline B.

Dear Emeline: Your question had me scrambling online to find the shirt you referred to. Here’s what I learned: It’s not just an oversize crisp white shirt. It’s a tuxedo shirt with a white pique bib front and wing collar by Charvet — the snooty $$ French shirtmaker in a rare collaboration with a prestige fashion house.

A similar Charvet shirt (not Chanel) goes for $925 at Neiman Marcus. The Chanel one is $4,350 at chanel.com. The crucial difference is the small red script “Chanel” monogram stitched into the lower left quadrant of the garment. I guess the monogram adds $3,425 to the price tag.

Chanel “ambassador” Nicole Kidman turned up in the untucked Chanel white shirt and Chanel jeans and even she looked sloppy.

I’m on your side. Skip the big white untucked shirt look. Not flattering.Angelic Readers

Readers had suggestions for Terri T., who can’t wear some of her favorite necklaces because the small clasps are impossible to close. For necklaces and bracelets, Muriel F. uses an easy-to-install magnetic clasp with a screw-tight feature: (amazon.com, Zpsolution and KONMAY brands, $8.25 and up). Other readers were eager to help with recommendations for gizmos that work for bracelets but not necklaces. These are worth a try: Janet W. and Melissa B. recommend the Bracelet Tool Buddy and other similar brands (amazon.com.,$3.59 and up). Melissa B. warns “there is a learning curve" when using these devices.