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United States24701 Posts
In 2015 I posted a general question about what dress shirts have the most comfortable collars for wearing them with and without a tie. Some suggestions included trying other fabrics, shaking my fist at the fashion wizards, quit my job, or dress like I'm in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. I experimented a bit with different cotton derivatives, but have not tried silk or linen shirts yet.
The first thing I should point out is that I have approximately three shirts I wear regularly that don't bother me as much as my other shirts. I don't know why. Perhaps some minor differences in exactly how the collars are cut combined with the fabric being of a less objectionable variety has contributed, but it's difficult for me to tell when I'm in a store browsing whether or not a candidate shirt will be as good as my favorite three or not. It takes wearing them a while before I can really tell.
So I want to work this problem on two fronts. First, I want to figure out how to tell if I will like a shirt or not, before I buy it. I honestly haven't figured out how to do this yet. Second, I want to try wearing something that mitigates the effects of an uncomfortable shirt collar. Here are the results of my research:
1) Ascot: http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/32210759380/New-Arrival-High-Quality-font-b-Silk-b-font-font-b-Ascot-b-font-Tie-Cravat.jpg
Advantages: Looks nice, probably quite comfortable
Disadvantages: Completely out of style in many lines of work - including mine (necktie or maybe bow tie, but nobody would
ever wear an ascot lol), expensive (don't care), doesn't look like you can close the collar around it in order to put on a
necktie
2) Dickey: http://www.dakotamainstreet.com/pictures/dickeycompare1.jpg
Advantages: Thermally cooler than wearing a full turtleneck or mock turtleneck, even the silk items are not super expensive, looks less unusual than an ascot when collar is open
Disadvantages: Tend to be one size fits all meaning it will be hard to find one that is neither too snug nor too bulky to close
a collar around when wearing a necktie, still looks kind of funny when the collar is open
3) Turtleneck: http://i.imgur.com/xl6GaY7.jpg
Advantages: Easier to size to your neck than a dickey, perhaps more useful for purposes other than wearing under dress
shirts
Disadvantages: More expensive when made of silk or other premium fabrics, thermally warmer than Dickeys, tend to be
bulky enough that they are hard to fit a dress shirt collar around when wearing a tie, still looks kind of funny when the collar
is open
4) Guillotine: https://assets.merriam-webster.com/mw/images/gallery/gal-home-edpick-lg/top-10-words-from-peoples-names-guillotine-251@1x.jpg
Advantages: No head? No problem!
Disadvantages: Dead.
Assuming 1-3 above don't prove to be helpful, another idea I had is a band of silk cloth (or other nice fabric) that wraps around your neck snugly and is obscured by your dress shirt collar when you wear a tie. It would need to be shaped to match the curve of your neck as it gets narrower away from the shoulders. It would need to be fitted to a given neck size or easily adjustable. Does anything like this exist? Should I create a kickstarter?
As usual your thoughts are appreciated. At this point I'm about ready to say,
Money is no object. I want to solve this problem. I am completely out of patience at this point.
 
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United States24701 Posts
I had a bit of an epiphany after posting this blog. I have a couple of shirts that I consider tolerable. They are the best two or three out of the last thirty or so I bought over the years. I haven't found the same models in stores recently which is why I was trying to find new shirt types that are comfortable (with little success). However, if you buy dress shirts online (which wouldn't have even occurred to me due to the desire to try shirts on before I buy) the selection and searching capability are both much better. I believe I found very similar to shirts (possibly identical save for color) to my top two shirts so I will order some online and see if they are as good. There are brick and mortar stores of the places I am ordering the shirts from in my area so I should be able to return shirts if I have issues with them. I'll share my results here.
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Netherlands6187 Posts
Have you considered taking your favourite shirts to a taylor and asking them to replicate them? You'd just need to know the material composition and find it in colours you'd like.
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United States24701 Posts
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Netherlands6187 Posts
Oh I suppose tailor is actually the correct way of spelling it. I didn't necessarily mean it had to be a fancy tailor, even a seamstress would do. You'd just have to specify to them that the shirt is comfortable because of the exact measurements esp around the collar area etc and so they would need to make it to those specifications.
But yeah, the online route seems a good option to start with. If you can find something smart and comfy from there then definitely go with that.
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Does not wearing a tie help with the feeling of discomfort?
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United States24701 Posts
On February 26 2017 19:31 Sr18 wrote:
Does not wearing a tie help with the feeling of discomfort?
Sometimes. Sometimes not really. It depends on the shirt. For example, removing the tie allows the collar to re-position further from my neck, but depending on the positioning and shape of the collar, it may bump into my neck at various places as I move slightly, which is one of the things that bothers me.
To be clear, when I am not wearing a tie I have the top button open. When I commute in the morning I keep the top two buttons open. For the commute home I typically change into a t-shirt or polo.
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Definitely go to a tailor- they are phenomenal and you will wish you had always done so. In my location, a boot company (Lucchese) makes great custom shirts (expensive tho, can run $400+).
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i acquire business attire $1000 at a time. it gets the attention of the sales staff. Usually I buy shirts and ties together. I just go to "Harry Rosen". They track customers and spending and can see I've spent $10,000 in their store so they give me a great deal of latitude. I'd recommend finding a good franchise and doing the same thing. You'll get expert advice from people who really know what they are doing.
there must be an equivalent to "Harry Rosen" in the USA.
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United States996 Posts
ya a lot of the higher end stores have personal shoppers you can make an appointment with. even stores like macys have them usually. worth a try if online/tailor dont work out
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Coulda sworn I posted here. Suggested the guillotine in my head, guess I gotta suggest it here too.
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lcw 3 bucks shirt best ever
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EPT
