• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Collar stays of appropriate size

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,159
Reaction score
2,086
I have had no success in finding a source for collar stays of a length appropriate to many shirt collars. The plastic stays which come with collars bend too easily, while metal stays risk bending and staying bent. I have had found stays in materials which are stiff and not pliable -- bone and mother of pearl -- but both of these are only available in shorter sizes. I'd like to find stays of a length of 3 to 3.25 inches and a width no greater than 3/8" in bone, MOP, horn or (grandfathered) tortoiseshell -- would anyone happen to know where I can find these or any service that can make them to length? The shop where I buy my shirts had no suggestion; they sell gold(-plated?) stays but that's not what I want. Arnys has them in the right length but a bit too wide for many collar stay sleeves (and nearly $200, in tortoiseshell). I know others have made their own stays out of credit cards or settled for the plastic stays in varying lengths sold at dollar stores and Brooks Bros outlets, but if anyone knows of a source for longer collar stays in better, nonmetal (not even transparent metal
devil.gif
) materials, can you share it? I've checked measurements on the MOP stays at shops like 16 sur 20 and Hildeetch, and they're all about the same length and too short for what I want. The bone stays from Jay Kos are nice but not long enough for many shirts.

Thanks.
 

Alter

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
4,321
Reaction score
144
Not sure of the size but I believe Carlo Franco sells MOP stays.

Chuck...you there?
 

Jovan

Banned for Good
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
2,525
Reaction score
0
Express Men's collar stays are around 3" long, that's the best tip I can offer. If you want I can mail you some of mine, I have far too many of them from getting 1MX shirts on sale.
 

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,159
Reaction score
2,086
Thank you all for the interesting replies. I'm not looking for plastic stays (of which I have a few in the right lengths) as they are a bit too bendy. And I actually have several CF stays which are nice but the standard MOP collar stay length, which is too short for what I am looking for. If Carlo can make some to size, I'm all ears though.
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
Admin
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
14,663
Reaction score
105
If you have the dosh to throw at the project, I'm sure we can source some stays made of carbon fiber (for the high-speed look) or maybe Delrin, which is a self-lubricating solid plastic similar to Teflon that can be machined into shapes, often bushings. If you could find some old tortoiseshell eyeglass frames, I'm sure they could be cut down into stays as well.

BTW, for a quick fix, you can bend or curve your plastic lengthwise by using an iron to heat them. The curve or crease will stiffen them considerably.
 

medwards

Senior Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
635
Reaction score
15
And M. Colban had no advice?

The 16sur20 MOP stays are made in Italy. Perhaps we can find the manufacturer. Besides, you didn't want the company logo etched on them anyway.
smile.gif
 

AlanC

Minister of Trad
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
7,805
Reaction score
97
Originally Posted by RJman
...or (grandfathered) tortoiseshell...
wink.gif


...the plastic stays in varying lengths sold at dollar stores and Brooks Bros outlets ...
Ouch.

...(not even transparent metal
devil.gif
) ...
Drat, that was going to be my suggestion.


The only solution I know of is for you and Bresch to open a factory in Eastern Europe.
 

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,159
Reaction score
2,086
Originally Posted by medwards
And M. Colban had no advice?

The 16sur20 MOP stays are made in Italy. Perhaps we can find the manufacturer. Besides, you didn't want the company logo etched on them anyway.
smile.gif

As above, I asked the staff at Charvet -- I don't remember if Colban was around -- but they had no idea.

I believe Carlo Franke once mentioned that most MOP collar stays are made by the same Italian manufacturer. I don't know if it's possible to get that manufacturer to make them longer -- G-d knows if it does one-offs. I suppose I could get the Arnys stays and have them narrowed by someone who knows how to ground down tortoiseshell. Real tortoiseshell is so incredibly expensive, even used, and subject to somewhat complicated import restrictions, so I doubt that I'd be able to find real tortoiseshell frames as J states above at a cheaper price than getting the Arnys stays. I suppose I could go bother the guys at Rosset & Gaulejac again, although they may likely state that they are loath to try to grind down the stays since tortoiseshell is so brittle. Also, I'm not really thrilled at the idea of spending $200 for collar stays and then probably another 100 euros (which appears to be a baseline charge for R&G) to have someone grind them down.

I'd also rather not put a bend in my plastic stays as the extra stress that would cause to the collar stay sheaths couldn't be good.

PS: I have the plastic stays from the BB outlet (where have I put them?). I just find that plastic stays bend and stay bent, and often times aren't as stiff as needed.
 

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,159
Reaction score
2,086
PPS: Any high school kid here good at machine shop who wants to grind down some old plastic tortoiseshell frames into collar stays? LabelKing, I'm looking at you. I suppose if we took plastic tortoiseshell and made sure it was just a bit thicker than usual collar stays it wouldn't be so bendy as normal plastic. It can't be that hard!
 

luk-cha

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
4,530
Reaction score
83
i will have a look in a few local shops here in HK, plastic 1's are a peice of cake to find as for other i am not so sure i will ask for you!
 

NoVaguy

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Messages
6,546
Reaction score
140
transparent aluminum?
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
Admin
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
14,663
Reaction score
105
How about spring steel or sterling (probably too weak) wire bent into the right shape? It wouldn't cut through the fabric like flat metal.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,160
Messages
10,578,972
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top