Why do shirt collars fray

There are a few simple steps to help prevent a men's dress shirt from fraying at the collar corners. A gentle cycle is a must, along with a less abrasive detergent. It is also helpful to flip the shirt inside out so there is less wear and tear on the collar. Hang the shirt to air dry and then iron it. Drying the shirt in the dryer eats away at collar corners and cuffs. By hand washing a men's dress shirt, you can preserve the shirt and the details on it -- like the collar corners -- for a much longer time.

Wear and tear is inevitable, but hand washing the shirt in a mild detergent, rinsing thoroughly and hanging to air dry will put the least amount of stress on the collar corners. While hand washing you can also remove the stays so you don't pull at the seams and cause fraying. Collared men's shirts are often heavily starched by the dry cleaner to help the shirt maintain a crisp, pressed style.

Getting your clothes dry cleaned professionally? Try to find cleaners that have existed in the same place and under the same name for many years. A small repair like sewing on a button before it rips or breaks will save money in the future. If you aren't comfortable doing this kind of clothing maintenance yourself, it's worth your time to look for a tailor who is willing to help repair any damages or make alterations to new clothes.

A good tailor can save you from having to buy new items of clothing by keeping your old favorites in top condition for many years. Click here to see how to sew on a button. If you're out and about, get to a restroom and dab water gently onto the stained area with tissue paper, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.

Avoid applying pressure or heat which speeds up the bonding process of the stain. Once home, treat immediately with the proper solvent if it is available. Various types of solvents are discussed below, but water is always your first solution!

Take care of your clothes and make them last longer. Putting some extra effort into clothing maintenance can really extend the lifetime of your wardrobe.

With regular care and by avoiding the mistakes outlined above, your clothes will be in great shape for years! Click here to discover more about our mission here at RMRS. Ready to earn more money and command respect with the right clothing? Want to start dressing sharp today? Join our free Newsletter and get style advice and new content updates sent straight to your inbox! Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer. You've heard the horror stories.

Ruined clothing, gentlemen. What are the culprits? Washing machines Dryers Irons The very tools that make clothing maintenance easy are also responsible for wrecking your wardrobe. Here are 5 ways to avoid ruining your favorite clothes: Don't over-wash clothes.

Use the dryer sparingly. Use ironing and steam properly. Fix clothing issues immediately. Remove stains as soon as possible. The test is if you flip a shirt inside out. It should look of equal quality. No loose threads, no chain stitch, great stitch tension and a high stitch per inch count. Not only does a high stitch per inch count make for a longer lasting shirt, due to stitches not catching and breaking on sharp objects.

It also makes for sharper lines and tighter seams. The fineness of the stitching in distance from the seam edge is also a consideration. Todays tailors have guides on their sewing machines that let them sew at very fine tolerances, but the need to sew faster and faster to mass produce makes it so this level of quality is seldom found any more.

Flat Felled Seams Many shirts today are skipping this key element. Not all seams are created equal and when it comes to fine mens shirts flat felled seams are the mark of quality. A flat felled seam sandwiches with raw edge of the fabric inside the seam. From both the inside and outside the garment the look is clean and polished. To sew this seam takes three passes at the seam and considerable tailoring talent. The three stitches and hidden seam allowance make for a very durable seam.

Due to the extra work involved in creating this seam shortcuts have been taken on many shirts today. A plain overlocked seam is very common today, this can leave uncomfortable seam allowances against your skin and a much less strong seam. Also very common is a flat felled seam made with a chain stitch.

There are machines that make this seam in less steps without much human interaction, which is a plus for factories at disadvantage to customers. The chain stitch is much rougher on the inside of the garment than a single needle lock stitch. The main thing to understand is the fineness of yarn woven into a substantially thick fabric. Cheap shirts tend to have thin fabrics made of junky thick rough cotton. Fabric is the most expensive component of a shirt and the easiest way to save money for a maker so it is the thing that will be sacrificed the most.

Try to find a good balance of fine weaving and mid thickness of fabric for less wrinkling and garment longevity. Also we have stayed away from fabrics with stretch for many years, being purists.

Mother of Pearl Buttons Buttons are an easy way to understand the quality of a shirt. Simply put a shirtmaker is not going to put cheap buttons on an expensive shirt or put expensive buttons on a cheap quality shirt. Plastic buttons are functional and durable but add little more to the look and can melt against a hot iron.

They are the most used button in the market and are a fraction of the cost of nicer alternatives. The best option is mother-of-pearl buttons, they are natural, beautiful, heat resilient, and feel great to the touch. There are many kinds of natural shell that can be made into buttons, each with their own special look.

Just be careful that if you get a mother-of-pearl button that is too thin it will crack easily. Some other options to consider are horn buttons, wood, coconut and metal.

All come with their own care requirements and can be found in both natural and faux versions. Cleanly Finished Button Holes Button holes should be machine stitched for a clean uniform appearance. The more stitches the better, the stitches should surround the cut slit giving extra strength to a place that is vulnerable to fraying. No loose threads should be left unclipped and the slit should be size accordingly for the button.

Hand Sewn Cuffs Similar to the collar the application and attention to detail sewing a cuff makes for a better shirt.