All new shirts of any quality should have collar stays already installed. These are almost always without exception the simple plastic variety just like the ones your laundry would replace them with. A collar stay keeps the collar of the shirt, sharp and crease free, preventing curling of the corners. Perhaps this is a last tiny remnant of the days of the Edwardian and Victorian gentleman's time. Look at any old photographs or drawings of ladies and gentlemen in the 18th and 19th century western world and it is quite striking at how much time and effort both sexes took over their appearances. There is almost a competition going on to see who can out dress whom. In the 1830s for instance, fashion catalogues of the well-dressed man shows complete dandies in frocked full length coats with top hats and very fancy trousers and shoes. The detail after that is extraordinary compared with today's supposedly well-dressed man.

One startling observation is the fussiness of what is going on around the neck. The jackets invariably have high collars and so too the shirt collars. The shirt collars were normally a completely separate item to the shirt itself. Two types of collar were generally used but both were high and concealed most of the neck. The wing collar was as it sounds. A starched white collar with sticking out wings held together usually with a cravat or bow tie. The other sort was a turndown collar which as its name implies, was a collar folded down over itself.  The turndown collar was fixed to the top of the collarless shirt by means of a set of studs. Both collars had one thing in common; their high starched appearance was to bring attention to the bearing of the face above it. To look important the wearer had to look almost ‘framed' by the collar. Think of an oil painting; the artist and art gallery owner spends a great deal of time and effort getting the frame right for the picture.

Collar stays and engraved collar stays are just a remnant of this time gone by. The collar today is nothing like the huge high collars of those olden days but the importance of at least keeping the collar straight and without a crease can still be traced back to that time. Similarly, a couple of other developments from that period can still be traced. Around the neck of those gentlemen was usually a cravat of many a colourful design. To hold it in place were some highly individual tie pins often of precious metal and heavily bejewelled. Indeed, some of these tie pins which are now collectors' items were so stunning that they regularly outshone the necklaces worn by ladies. Although the cravat is still seen today, it is much more likely you will come across the progression of that item, which is of course, the tie. The expensive tie pin once worn around the throat is now of course the simple tie bar worn halfway down the tie. Next time you insert your collar stays and engraved collar stays remember they are part of fashions ever involving ways.