Obnoxioius Little Pointy Things

I thought I would do a post regarding collar stays. They are very obnoxious, and I and everyone else (including dry cleaners), seem to be constantly losing them. Are they annoying to put in? Yes. Are they hard to keep track of? Yes. Are they necessary? Absolutely. The differences between a man wearing a button-down shirt, a man wearing a shirt without stays in, and a man wearing one with stays in are tremendous.

Though by no means are button-down shirts unacceptable, they represent a style that screams casual. They were definitely a rage in the casual 90s, but are unquestionably classic having been invented in 1896 by the venerable Brooks Brothers. That being said, Brooks Brothers originally intended them to be for sports shirts modeled after polo shirts. In this vein they were always casual and for sport. The thing about this that must also be considered is that in concept, they didn't create the button down for looks as much as for the concept ease while sporting. That being said, the collar often looks a bit deflated and the buttons, in my opinion are just little eyesores on the shirt (unless they are very special buttons). The collar doesn't have the flattering crispness of a regular dress collar in a point or Windsor style.

Now the stay-less collared shirt is in about the same predicament as the button-down except that it's worse. You didn't choose to have a sport-style shirt or one that's easy to deal with. You simply forgot to put the stays in (granted, we all frequently forget). This makes the shirt look less put-together, less well kept, and less flattering. There's a certain beauty when the tie is flanked by the two crisp collars and those in turn flanked by the lapels of a well-cut jacket. Without the stays, that whole picture just falls apart. If you have any question, compare the two photos. The one with the pink tie is clearly straighter, crisper, and more distinguished.

Now, if I've convinced you you need to be conscientious about your collar stays, you might be wondering how to remember to put the damn things in your shirts and then take them out again so they don't get melted in or burn your shirt (if they're metal). Despite the last sentence, my recommendation is to spring for some nice metal collar stays in a leather pouch. I was given this as a gift over Christmas and have found that it has really upped my interest in making absolutely certain I keep track of my stays, quite simply because they are so nice. Another really awesome thing about metal stays is that they don't bend at all the way some flimsy plastic ones do. Depending on the kinds of shirts you wear (whether you think they're so thin in fabric something might show through), you can pick up either chrome-colored or brass-colored metal stays. If you really need white, the best thing is to stick with a good set of plastic ones. I recommend having both on hand. Anyway, make sure to pick up some stays, put them in every morning, and take them out every evening, whichever product you prefer