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Shirt collar crisis: suddenly too tight!

ElPrincipe

Active Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Messages
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What do you do when the shirt collar size you've been wearing for ages suddenly seems too tight? I have a wardrobe full of 15" shirts and recently they seem to be choking me. When I originally joined the forums I posted up some pics of 15.5" shirts and was advised to drop down. I think that was a good decision, it seems not long ago that a 15.5" left a gaping gap.

Maybe I've just put on a tiny bit of weight - can small fluctuations in weight have a dramatic effect on the comfortability of your collars?

I don't think they've shrunk over time, as a couple of new shirts I just bought fit the same.

What is the correct way to measure your neck and determine your size? If I take a tape measure across my neck and over my adam's apple, with my head neutral (i.e. just facing forward), it will come out at about 14.5inch, but if I tilt my head back it'll pull it out to 15. And that's the issue, with my head/neck tilted more upwards, the collar puts pressure on my adam's apple.

Perhaps I'll just have to starve myself for a few weeks so that my entire wardrobe doesn't become unwearable?

I'm about 6'1" and my weight is usually around the 80kg mark, though I'm fairly broad in the shoulders my chest measures out around 38inches.

I'll try get some pictures up at some point.

Thanks
 

aph999

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
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My shirt collars have always shrunk over time--especially when I've taken them to the dry cleaners, which through repeated applications of heat during the pressing process shrinks the fabric.

Now I stick to high end shirts like Borrelli and Finamore, wash them on the delicate cycle and lightly press them when they are damp. I don't know if its the higher quality fabrics or the method or both, but the collars seem to stay to their original size.
 

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