Expandable and flexible shirt collar stand and shirt with same

In combination, a collar stand attached to a collar,

• wherein said collar stand is formed from a self-fabric, said collar stand having stretch and recovery in at least two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions thereof, and
• wherein said collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar,
• wherein the collar stand comprises an inner piece and an outer piece, and
• wherein at least one of said inner piece and said outer piece is formed using said self-fabric fused with a two-way fusible substrate that provides and controls stretch and recovery in said two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions, and wherein the fusible substrate provides greater stretch in one of said two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions.

A shirt comprising:

• a collar stand attached to a collar and to a shirt body,
• wherein said collar stand is formed from a self-fabric, said collar stand having stretch and recovery in at least two non-laterally-opposing directions thereof, and
• wherein said collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar, and
• wherein the collar stand comprises an inner piece and an outer piece having substantially the same shape and size as the inner piece, and wherein the inner piece and the outer piece are each formed from said self-fabric, wherein at least one of said inner piece and said outer piece is formed using said self-fabric fused with a two-way fusible substrate, and wherein said self-fabric is selected from:
• cotton, poly-cotton, and linen, and
• wherein at least some of said substantially rigid portion of said collar is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and
• wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and
• wherein said portion of said collar that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W1);
• and
• wherein said portion of said shirt body that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W2), and
• wherein said collar stand has a width (W), and wherein W1+W2 is between about 5% and 50% of the width (W) of the collar stand.