We tell you everything about collar stays

Maybe you've never heard of collar stays, those little rods slipped into the collar of your shirt. No problem, we'll explain everything to you here.

The origin of the word comes from the corset makers who, between the ^16th and the ^19th century, used real whalebones as rods slipped into their corsets. From the 19th ^century century, steel rods began to be used but the term whalebone remained.
Note that the term whale also refers to the articulated stems of an umbrella.

Collar stays , although hidden, are essential in a shirt because they keep the collar points straight, preventing them from curling up, which is visually unsightly.

There are two types of collar stays: built-in stays and removable stays. Let’s take a look at both of these variations.

This is basically the type of whales for those who don't want to bother. The whales are incorporated into the collar of the shirt and you don't have to worry about them, you can pretend they're not there. You don't have to remove them when you put your shirt in the washing machine and they do their job of holding the points of the shirt collar.
The downside is that if the whale breaks or even becomes deformed over successive washes, you're in trouble. Also, there are better ones, but we'll get to that.

Removable whales

This is the type of whalebone preferred by connoisseurs. You can remove and replace the whalebones of your shirt collars as you wish, by sliding them into the small slots provided for this purpose. Of course, you have to remove them before each wash and put them back once the shirt has been washed and ironed. However, this does not require a great deal of effort and will ensure good durability for your collar whalebones. And if one of the whalebones does break or become deformed, you can change it, without your shirt having to suffer, thereby extending its lifespan.
At Hast, our formal shirts are equipped with removable plastic stays , as is customary for collar stays. The plastic stays will ensure that your collar has excellent support at its points.

However, there is even better: removable whalebones in mother-of-pearl , gold, etc. These whalebones will give your collar points a superb rigidity and you will also have a beautiful accessory in the collar of your shirts, a secret that only you will know and which you will see, will bring you a certain satisfaction. With a beautiful white or blue shirt , it will be the most beautiful effect.

Before concluding, know that not all shirt collars require collar stays, this is the case for button-down collars, mandarin collars or officer collars. So don't be surprised if for these models you can't find the famous little removable rods.

So, for those of you (and I'm sure there are some) who have ever thrown away the little white plastic rods you find in the collar of Hast shirts thinking that they were, like pins, elements used to package the shirt, next time, think twice, they are there for you :)