A Question About Shirt Collars

[syngent]

So I was just talking about this and it got me to thinking, as soon as my shirts come out of the drier i go to all the trouble of putting the cardboard cut outs in the underside of my collars, then put the plastic ring back into the neck side to keep them looking good, whenever i buy a shirt i never toss those into the garbage, my collars always look good and out last the shirts themselves, i usually lose shirts to buttons, colour fade, or tears in the material long before my collars go flat and lifeless

but man its a pain in the rear to do, is there anything on the market made to do the same purpose without going through all the trouble, and trying not to lose the cardboard cut outs has had me raid a cereal box a time or two to fix the issue lol, and of course i never forget my collar stays, I used to buy the good ones but I lose them all the time

Just a quick Q to those who may know better

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I think you're overdoing it but I starch my shirts and collars so I may not be the best one to get advice from. I keep the collar stiffeners in a cup on my desk and they go back in after the shirts are ironed.
Your shirts still look nice so maybe you are on to something.

 

[syngent]

really all they do is stop the collar from sitting down on the hanger, or laying flat if you fold into a drawer, but i always hang anyway

 

[luvmysuper]

I don't know of any specific product that would take the place of what you're doing, but if you feel it has value, all I could suggest is to use what you're using, but perhaps in a more robust version.
For example, can you cut the cardboard cut-outs with a similar shape cut from a milk jug for example?
AT least that way it will maintain its shape and not get frayed edges.

Similarly, you could replace the plastic ring with thin wall PVC pipe sections cut about an inch tall. They would be perfectly round, but would likely serve the same purpose. No doubt a little heat and you could shape them however you liked.

Just trying to think of a more sturdy version of what you're doing already.

 

[syngent]

I don't know of any specific product that would take the place of what you're doing, but if you feel it has value, all I could suggest is to use what you're using, but perhaps in a more robust version.
For example, can you cut the cardboard cut-outs with a similar shape cut from a milk jug for example?
AT least that way it will maintain its shape and not get frayed edges.

Similarly, you could replace the plastic ring with thin wall PVC pipe sections cut about an inch tall. They would be perfectly round, but would likely serve the same purpose. No doubt a little heat and you could shape them however you liked.

Just trying to think of a more sturdy version of what you're doing already.

Not a bad idea, after a while the plastic inserts break, i usually ask for some from some of the mens places around a lot of guys who need an emergency shirt always leave their rings behind,...

nor that i think of it a few bends to a metal hanger may work as well, if there isnt anything cheap on the market I may have to tinker with a few things... I had a couple of hugo boss shirts, they lasted me about 10 years too and looked great up until they met their demise to a broken timer in the drier, which killed off two pairs of paints and about 6 shirts on me... but i spent so much on those two shirts way back when i had always done this to them and the collars always looks great for me too but then it may be a bit like the stone that kept tigers away so who knows

 

[Coler]

I think its overkill myself - I don't see what benefit you'd get.

What I do is a) ensure the shirt collar is ironed properly and b) use sets of metal collar bones.

I have a lot of dress shirts, some of which I've owned for in excess of five years. I only wear windsor cut collars - they always pop nicely.

 

[syngent]

Collar bones = collar stays?

 

[Doc4]

Collar bones = collar stays?

I suspect you guys are talking about the same thing. Those little do-dads that you put into the underside of collars to keep the collar points straight and the pointy bits pointy. They used to be made of bone, hence the name. You can get metal ones, and many shirts come with plastic nowadays.

 

[LarryDarrell]

Spray starch and metal collar stays keep my collars looking good.
if you iron your own a tip I learned years ago is to iron from the tip to the middle on each side; going from one tip to the other will twist the fabric of the collar and cause one end to curl out and the other to curl under.

 

[syngent]

Geez one simple question and now I need to buy an iron... although that seems like more work then what I'm doing

 

[StillShaving]

I agree that ironing would be more effort than trying to insert all those cardboard full-length stays. I don't knock what you are doing, but it is more effort and organization than I would be willing to do. I am curious to ask if you ever fold rather than hang your shirts, and whether the collar inserts are less important when storing that way? To answer you main question, I have never ran across any aftermarket collar supports before.

 

[syngent]

I always hang my shirts as I don't fold well and get creases, and for the record I don't own an iron and have never used one lol may have to make an appointment with mum and see about a lesson, or the nice lady who lives next door to me

 

[gegarrenton]

I always hang my shirts as I don't fold well and get creases, and for the record I don't own an iron and have never used one lol may have to make an appointment with mum and see about a lesson, or the nice lady who lives next door to me

For me, iron is the way to go. It's honestly one of the easiest things to do, and will come in handy if you have to knock down any wrinkles.

 

[LarryDarrell]

I always hang my shirts as I don't fold well and get creases, and for the record I don't own an iron and have never used one lol may have to make an appointment with mum and see about a lesson, or the nice lady who lives next door to me

Think of an iron as a power-tool for being well-dressed.

 

[gegarrenton]

think of an iron as a power-tool for being well-dressed.

qft!

 

[Doc4]

... and for the record I don't own an iron and have never used one ...

lol may have to make an appointment ... and see about a lesson, [with] the nice lady who lives next door to me

... you may have just lost two facepalms.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I like where this thread is going! Gigity!

 

[syngent]

If she looked like that I would have been ironing a long time ago

 

[Kazeryu]

Wow that sounds like a lot of work. I just hang my shirts and use an iron when needed.

 

[jhamlin38]

i use mini wooden clothes pins from amazon, or small wire clothes pins on the inside of the button. It keeps the structure of the collar, and alleviates sagging, or flattening. I have a Boss shirt that has ultra fine threads. It looks and feels like a million bucks, and it works for this shirt, which is easily 5 years old by now. Typically, my "finer" shirts get tired after a couple years.

these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047HR1CM/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00