Most economists think these are all terrible ideas: they would make the economy rigid just when it needs to be flexible.

ECONOMIST: Sexophobia

Simon Kneen, creative director of Banana Republic, says the retailer also used a lighter fusable, or adhesive, in the collars to make them less rigid, trying to achieve collar "magic, " Mr. Kneen says.

WSJ: Guide to Men's Shirt Collars: Which Styles Go With Which Occasions and Flatter the Face

Awkward though this is, e-mail's rigid protocols make it hard to innovate in the in-box.

ECONOMIST: Monitor