Collar Stays

[Manton]

Manton: that's some signature.

Hopefully it will put an end to any confusion about where I stand ...

 

[j]

Quote:

(uriahheep @ Mar. 18 2005,10:43) Manton: that's some signature.
Hopefully it will put an end to any confusion about where I stand ...
No one knows what to believe with that smirking picture of you staring at us.

 

[drljva]

I have both a brass assortment from Nordstrom (courtesy of my wife) and mother of pearl (courtesy of my extensive Carlo Franco selection).  I like both.  The Nordstrom brass have blunt, not pointed ends, which might be a factor, but my shirts have not been damaged by the metal.  Still, I normall stick with the mother of pearl these days.  I realize it is an indulgence of the most extreme variety, but I'd love to have a silver set for special occasions.

Oddly enough, but for whatever reason I've never laundered any of my nice collar stays, only plastic ones.

I, too, am a recent convert to the MOP stays; I quite like them. I have a couple of pairs in sterling (from Links and Dunhill), though I'm not a big fan; they seem to bend too easily.

 

[StreetLaw]

So where does one go (preferrably online) to buy silver or MOP collar stays?

 

[trogdor]

I saw a guy on TV the other day boasting about how he liked to make his own collar stays by cutting up expired credit cards.

In all seriousness, that sounds reasonable; you'd get the requisite amount of flexibility whilst still maintaining a nice stiff shape.

Last time I was on Jermyn street, I got a lovely set of six pairs (three long and three short) of plastic collar stays from T&A (they call them "collar bones" I think). They're just right, and as a matter of fact, about the same stiffness as a credit card...

 

[boston]

Plastic stays.

I lose my stays all the time. Plastic stays are cheap enough to make them almost disposable. I would hate to have an expensive brass or MOP stay because I would just end up losing it.

This is also why I don't spend much money on gloves, scarfs, hats, or umbrellas.

-boston

 

[Nonk]

I am back on plastic, having lost one of my silver stays in the laundry process.

I much preferred silver.

 

[Jill]

So where does one go (preferrably online) to buy silver or MOP collar stays?

Silver Silver 2 Silver - Search Shops Online (several) Silver & MOP - (Hilditch & Key) These all fall into the price range of $50-60USD for the Silver, and $35 for MOP. And as I mentioned previously, they're also available from Carlo Franco, but not from the website, per se. $20/pr or $50/3 pr. Free shipping. IM me or Carlo for more info. Or, you can get them (silver) from Ralph Lauren Purple Label Store for $95, or $195 (if memory serves me) if you'd also like a little alligator pouch in which to store them.

 

[Mike C.]

RLPL shirts use Kevlar for their collar stays. I don't think they'll stop bullets though.

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

RLPL shirts use Kevlar for their collar stays. I don't think they'll stop bullets though.

No, but the Kevlar does deflect the bullets upward due to the angle of the collar leaf - which does serve a purpose. Rather than the bullet winging through one's neck and thence the carotid artery ... thus getting blood all over the RLPL ... it just enters the brain. This causes instant death which, hopefully, stops the heart from pumping immediately. Hence, the shirt remains pristine and able to be passed on to the appropriate beneficiary. Never let it be said that R.L. doesn't think of all contingencies.

 

[jcusey]

The best stays for my purposes are actual bone collar stays from everyone's least favorite outfitter, Jay Kos. Proper length, stiff enough, not bendy like metal, not likely to poke through my collar, not likely to warp like plastic might after a while.

How much does Kos charge for his bone stays?

 

[demo5]

I once purchased bendable metal collar stays at Saks that were wrapped in a linen-like mesh that I thought were excellent. Every time I've been to Saks since and asked for them nobody has any idea what I'm talking about, so I can only conclude they had one shipment of them and never bought again. I liked them a lot because they were inexpensive and I could just cut them with a scissors to proper length. Does anyone know where to find them?