Collar Stays Review | Protect Your Shirt Collar

[@JW-kb3vi]

I can't believe I just saw Kirby do something as unrefined as flick a plastic collar stay across the desk. Urgently need a bespoke calfskin trashcan review series please.

[@JohnNathanShopper]

I respect the great care gentlemen like Kirby take with their wardrobe, but these ultra lux collar stays seem to me like the equivalent of mood lighting in a car. Can't deny they work, but it's such a subtle effect and so fiddly to implement that spending so much on them is mischievous!

[@kirbyallison]

I don't disagree with you at all! That's what makes them so satisfying. ;-) But they are certainly better than plastic, which I detest and strongly discourage, and you have to be careful about sharp edges on cheaper metal collar stays. So, I'd definitely, at a minimum, recommend a pair of our Horn Collar Stays. If you are careful to remove at the end of the day, you should be able to keep track of them for a long time.

[@kirbyallison]

Hello JohnNathanShopper, Thanks for your comment! We featured it in our new Q&A video at kzbin.info/www/bejne/imHLlXWPiLGEsLc . Be sure to check it out and to also send us a direct message for a small surprise! Best, The Hanger Project Team

[@925audio8]

Use as needed. Metal ones work just fine. Their edges are not like knives. I agree on paying attention to detail, but should also pay attention to what you are paying.

[@linrisa9601]

Hi there , we can offer collars magnet for you , Risa: [phone] , [e-mail]

[@sebaez_]

Haha, I make some white paperboard collar stays myself and they work pretty well. Won't last forever, but they are useful.

[@JohnNathanShopper]

I actually like the look of no collar stays with a tie, because the collar points wrap softly around the tie knot. Ironically, my dress shirts (of mere mortal department store price) need collar stays more with the top button open, because the extra structure keeps the collar from drooping.

[@kirbyallison]

yes - if you are deliberate and your shirt collar doesn't look like it is about to take flight, no collar stays can look very nice and soft. With a stiff, fused collar, you also don't have to worry much about the collar taking flight, provided that the shirt was pressed properly.

[@jeffbrogan6147]

I saw this video 10 days too late. Ordered metal stays from the company that make my shirts. Poked holes in the collar sleeve in 5 of my 6 shirts. Didn't notice until I checked after watching this video! The company refunded my money for the stays and recommended that I stitch the collar sleeve. Fantastic...

[@kirbyallison]

Yep... good tip is that you can turn the collar stays around and insert the large, rounded end in first.

[@jeffbrogan6147]

The Hanger Project genius!

[@bkubwa]

Great video! I’ve got adjustable metal collar stays that can be sized to any style (pretty much) and the finish is smooth and have been using them for ages. The one thing I hate to see people in the US and even in the UK (where I also reside) is that they forget to put them on...8am on the way to their work and they look like they had a rough night 😎 My metal ones also have the magnets so easily go from smart to causal. Off to Chicago next week and might just order the carry case...

[@kirbyallison]

Haha. Looks like their collars are flapping in the wind and about to take flight. I share your condemnation for shirts without collar stays. They are so simple to insert and remove every day that, I feel, a man is left with no excuse. Your adjustable ones seem really cool!

[@caseyjonesbklyn5796]

Just ordered some of these. Thanks Kirby!

[@paulowens6838]

Funny I saw this video today. I just tore out of a collar stay pocket on a shirt yesterday. I've been using the stamped metal ones and could never figure out why anyone would want "fancy" stays that know one would ever see. I'll check them out. Too much invested in good shirts to ruin them with sub-par stays. Thanks for the info.

[@kirbyallison]

I couldn't agree more! The Horn Collar Stays are really the best... yes, they're not cheap, but they're beautiful, a pleasure to wear, and take great care of your shirts.

[@steampunkvampyre]

Kirby, have you ever considered doing a video on types of collier style. How they work with ties and level of formality. regards

[@kirbyallison]

Great idea, Colin!

[@kirktitgen6395]

I wonder if he is just wearing a boxer behind that table.

[@JamesMilliganJr]

Kirby, John Steed would be proud of you!

[@kirbyallison]

Thanks!

[@real_fjcalabrese]

I learned to launder and press my own shirts.

[@RevJamesCostello]

I agree that this could be a nice gift. However, I have two issues. One, they don’t appear to be available on your UK website. Two, the price. The Mother of Pearl collar stays cost $95. I did a Google search for said accessory and found that I could buy them from Hawes and Curtis for £29 ($38.50) and Turnbull and Asser for £55 ($73). Why should we buy them from The Hanger Project when we could purchase them from these two esteemed companies at a much lower price? Turnbull and Asser is considered especially high end, as you know.

[@kirbyallison]

I don't disagree with you in anyway. Unfortunately, we just don't have all of our products in the UK yet. Regarding the mother of pearl collar stays, we could certainly source them from Asia for less than what we buy them for. But, I chose to source our mother of pearl collar stays from Italy, and quality with which they're made is just simply the best. Not only is the quality of mother of pearl the highest available, but they are completely handmade and hand polished. This allows for what is the thinnest mother of pearl collar stay I have ever seen. I've seen those that you have referenced, and they're just not as thin as ours. In my opinion, the horn is the best available at the lower price point. But maybe one of these days I'll see about a second quality MOP.

[@RevJamesCostello]

I would definitely agree with you that it is better to be made in Europe or America than Asia. I am happy to pay that bit extra for that, no doubt. One because of quality and two because I like the idea of helping to keep European and American skilled workers in fair paying jobs. This is VERY important to me. Turnbull & Asser collar stays: Made in England. :’-) If you could match or just beat the likes of T&A, I would be inclined to favour your efforts.

[@kirbyallison]

I'd love to find out from whom they have their collar stays made in the UK. They also happen to have the best plastic collar stays I have ever seen. Thick and with nice rounded edges. The colors are terrible, but the collar stays themselves are actually very, very nice. I searched exhaustively to try to havre something similar made for The Hanger Project and ultimately gave up... it was too difficult! I'll take a second look at T&A's MOP collar stays when I'm in London at the end of October. I'd like to handle them to compare their thickness. I, personally, think that a thin collar stay is preferable to a thin one, but the effective difference is actually quite insignificant. They all work!

[@linrisa9601]

Hi there , we can offer collars magnet for you , Risa: [phone] , [e-mail]

[@brucew.5292]

Can’t I just sand down the metal ones?

[@bkubwa]

Btw, the link to collar stays on your website directs you to the shoe polish section? You might want that checked out. The link isn’t tied to the correct section...

[@kirbyallison]

Thanks! This is fixed now. Amazing to me how these problems persist...

[@rayadisurya7343]

Hello Kirby, I would like to know the limit for collar stay length. When we insert the collar stay, does it have to be fully covered? whats the limit? Thanks

[@jullianoromanwell9181]

Are stays used only with starched collars.?

[@justonedrink124]

I think you're being a little too hard on plastic collar stays. The ones Neapolitan shirt makers include, such as Kiton, are very thin and flexible allowing for a more natural collar drape. I hate seeing collar stay budge as well, it's not very elegant.

[@kirbyallison]

Yes - the one exception to wearing collar stays is if you are going for a very soft collar roll, for certain. But this is being done by a man that is already very deliberate in how he is dressing... so, he's probably got most of his bases covered!

[@justonedrink124]

Fair point. I totally binged watched your videos last weekend - I love them (especially the Saphir videos). Keep up the good work!

[@jko8888]

Collar stays just don't work for my shirts. Maybe the shirts are too old or they were not laundered properly. The stays (despite being the right size) just won't stay!

[@imbi9580]

couldnt i just makeshift these from popsicle sticks?

[@slape54]

I have some customer Eton shirts that have the collar stays sewn into the shirt so can't be removed. I guess I am out of luck on those.

[@kirbyallison]

Yep. Out of luck. Not sure how they make that work. Worst case, apply a bunch of steam with an iron to try to straighten out.

[@vladislav2471]

Hanger project I have question about shoe care:can you use deer polishing bone to remowe wrinkles from calfskin leather(no cordovan)

[@kirbyallison]

Need to be careful using the deer bone on calfskin. It's not as tough as Cordovan, so the deer bone can damage the skin.

[@vladislav2471]

Zack Evans I use it to polish my boots after their get stained with blood

[@ne2448]

Tip number one remember to remove your collar stays before getting your shirt pressed duh, and tip number two Perry Ellis, creamiux, and Claiborne uses the cheap thin plastic ones, not true!

[@phus2001]

😂😂😂👏👏👏💪💪💪

[@kirbyallison]

Thanks!