How to replace a frayed shirt collar

When you bought a dress shirt, it used come with an extra collar and set of cuffs. When the shirt started to fray you would take it to your local tailor and they would sew on a new shirt collar, letting you rejuvenate your frayed shirt. As menswear shifted from durability focused towards fast fashion, this was gradually phased out. Now, when your shirt starts to wear out, shirtmakers expect you to just throw it out and buy a new one rather than trying to repair it. This seems wasteful, since often the rest of the shirt is often in mint condition. This generates a large amount of waste as a voluminous amounts of garments are discarded each year. To say nothing of the expense of buying new dress shirts or the fact you for particularly beloved patterns you are unlikely to find an acceptable replacement. In this article we cover how to replace a shirt collar instead give your shirts are new lease on life.

Why does my shirt collar fray

Fraying is concentrated at the front where the collar leaf meets the collar band as well along the collar point. The way to think about a collar is like an incomplete circle. The front of the collar where the circle is incomplete is where you would expect the fraying. This is because at the collar leaf folds up and down it pulls on the threads while also rubbing on the shirt. Another reason collars need mending sooner than the rest of the shirt; is they tend to be subject to more heat from the iron since you want the collar to look crisp.

Why turning a shirt collar is not recommended

Turning a shirt collar involves reversing a shirt collar. This can be an alternative to replacing the collar. Before deciding to turn a shirt collar you need to carefully inspect it to see if turning the collar is feasible. The first thing to look for is the collar stays. If the shirt has collar stays, especially removable collar stays, then you don’t want to turn the collar since the collar stays would be visible on the collar leaf. If the collar is wrinkled or frayed on the inside then it also would not make sense to turn the collar. These include the back of the neck where collars tend to fray or along the collar point length since that would be visible either way.

What fabric and colors can be used for a shirt collar replacement?

White contrast collar. This is the go-to neutral and professional option. White contrast collars and cuffs have a long history and are the most widespread way to replace shirt collars and cuffs since white can match any shirt pattern, texture or color. The main downsides to using white contrast, is that it is a rather plain option and if you have a particularly vibrant shirt, you may want something that better matches the shirt’s existing color pallet.
Using spare fabric from when you had the shirt made. If you had your shirts custom made using fabric you purchased and had a lot of foresight, you would have stored the spare fabric in order to cut entirely new cuffs and collars from the same fabric as the original shirt making any alterations indistinguishable. You may even be able to change the collar size. While it may seem ideal, this is unlikely if you buy ready made shirts. Even made to measure shirtmakers will not default to providing you with spare fabric when they sell the shirt and instead will insist that when the time comes you can bring the shirt too them to repair, if this is something they offer.
Use existing extra cuffs and collar. If you have an extra set from when you purchased the shirt you can take these to your local tailor and get the cuffs and collar replaced. This is a very convenient option. Unfortunately, most shirtmakers no longer include them. If you order your shirts from Collar Replacement, we always include a spare set for you.
Shirts with different colored collars and cuffs. This is the most creative avenue since it lets you enrich a shirt. Rather than white contrast which can be unacceptable if you are a fashionista, you can match a pink shirt with collar that is a slightly different tone of pink i.e. an analogous color. You could also match a striped shirt with a striped color, it’s okay if the stripes are not of the same width, that’s part of the fund. If you have a checkered or plaid shirt, you can use a monochromatic collar that matches one of the grids. For multi colored shirts focus on finding something that matches one of the colors, the way you might add a tie. One benefit of this option is you can also change the collar and cuff style. For example, you can change a barrel cuff to a French cuff or a turnback cuff. You can also add a pin bar collar.
Cutting fabric from the shirt tail. If you always tuck your shirt in you can cut fabric from the shirt tail and replace it with a coordinating color. You can use the fabric from the tail to construct a new collar and/ or a barrel cuff. This does not work with French cuffs and a new collar as there just isn’t enough length to cut a French cuff and collar combination. You want to cut only enough to make sure it never shows when tucking it, into your pants. If you are trying to save a shirt with a unique pattern this is prudent.
White collars and cuffs with patterns on the inside. This is not recommended since the patterns will not be visible so it seems like a shame to invest in patterns that will go on the inside of the collar. There can be a practical reason for adding an extra layer on the inside though, which is that it can make the shirt more durable from rubbing against the neck. Since it is not visible it is best to add a plain monochromatic color rather than investing in a nice pattern that won’t be visible.
Changing the collars on a white shirt. With a white shirt the canvas is wide open. You can easily add white collars or if you are feeling more adventurous you can pick virtually any style of contrast collar since it will match. This includes patterned, checkered, floral and geometric collars. Especially if you wear the shirt without a tie this is your change to add a pigment of color.

Buying your own fabric to replace the shirt collar

By visiting a fabric store you can choose fabric to create your new shirt collar and cuffs from. It’s best to visit a fabric store in person and bring the shirt you want to construct a new collar for with you. It can be hard to tell from the photos online whether a fabric is an exact match. By bringing your shirt with you, you can hold up next to a particular fabric and determine if the texture matches. Make sure there is plenty of light available so that you can clearly see it. You will need 20 cm of fabric for the collar and 20 cm of fabric for the cuffs. If you are lucky, you may be able to just buy the necessary increment, however most merchants have a minimum order requirement of a yard. So, you would likely have to buy at least a yard. Shirts are typically made of cotton. Cotton is absorbent so it will contrast when first being washed. To avoid facing a situation where you have a new collar made only to have it shrink on the first wash, you should wash the cotton with soap and water beforehand. This is similar to how certain clothes are sold rep-washed to avoid changing size once you buy them.

You would then need to identify a specialized seamstress who can construct new cuffs for you. Your neighborhood tailor or drycleaner won’t be able to do this and will lack key ingredients such as the fusible interfacing used to make the collar stand up. An established shirtmaker meanwhile is unlikely to offer collar replacement services since they want to sell you a new shirt. It should be noted a seamstress may not have collar stays or be able to construct collar stays.

Where can I get my frayed shirt cuffs and collar replaced?

Some manufacturers will agree to replace the collars for a shirt they made. This only applies to their own shirts and not a shirt you bought from somewhere else. This service is very rare since most manufacturers have eliminated this option. In particular, menswear companies that outsource production are unlikely to be able to offer this service since they would need to have their production capabilities for it to make sense. The few that do will charge a fortune and it will take a while since orders for new shirts will be given priority, leading to significant delays.
If shirt collars and cuffs were included in the original shirt you can take the shirt to any tailor or dry cleaner and they should be able to change them. This is ideal. At Collar Replacement, we include an extra set for any shirts we make.
Certain bespoke shirtmakers are willing to repair shirts. The caveat again is that they will only mend their own shirts. They also will not advertise this service since they want buying a new shirt to really be the draw.
Online made to measure services have proliferated in popularity. While the shirts themselves are sold for reasonable prices, the problem with repairs is that by the time you ship it overseas and back it’s not worth it because you spend too much money on shipping costs. When it comes to clothing alterations and mending you really need a local option since you are supplying the garment for it to make economic sense.
Buy ready-made replacement collars and cuffs as an alternative. Sourcing these can be quite hard to come by. You would have to go scavenging though a sewing supply store on the off chance they carry them. If they do, they may have limited options with regard to color and patterns typically only white contrast. You need to make sure you buy the right size. When it comes to cuffs, an issue you may encounter is that for dress shirts the left cuff and the right cuff are different, the way you have a right shoe and a left shoe. Shirt sleeves have a placket where one side of the sleeve folds under the other, sometimes closing with a button. The cuff two folds with one side passing under the other and closing with a button. Some purveyors of standalone cuffs do no take this into account and hence sell you two duplicate cuffs rather than two cuffs that are mirror images of each other. As a result, when you then try to button the cuff the shirt sleeve will appear twisted since one side of the sleeve will pass over the other side along the placket but then that same side will pass under the other side at the cuff. Cuffs are typically made in a standard size so sizing is a less of a concern and you can let out or take the sleeve pleats in order to adjust the size. The collars meanwhile may have an excessive curvature revealing the tie at the back of the neck. Even if you manage to overcome these obstacles, most people don’t want to then worry about having to find a tailor who can sew them on.
You can commission your own cuffs and collars but this is fairly involved as detailed above.
Mail order shirt collar replacement service. You can mail your worn-out shirt to Collar Replacement, and we will take this of this for you ensuring that a replacement shirt collar is added and if you wish cuffs as well. We then ship your shirt back to you and it is good as new. Collar Replacement is a New York City based company, but we can ship anywhere in the United States.

Other reasons for shirt collar alterations

Shirt collar is too small or shrinks

If your shirt collar is too small but the shirt is in pristine condition there is no point in throwing out the shirt just because the collar is half an inch or an inch too narrow. Often the collar is the first part of the shirt you outgrow since your sleeve length is unlikely to change and moderate changes to weight can be accommodated within a particular fit. There are a few solutions to consider.

Wear a shirt with a tie. By wearing a shirt with a tie, the tie can serve as a mechanism to close the collar. This isn’t very elegant though since the collar band will bulge out a little bit behind the tie.
Collar extenders. You can use collar extenders to extend the collar by about an inch. This provides for a tighter look than a shirt collar and holds the distance between the collar spread constant.
Taking better measurements. The best way to ensure a collar fits it to take accurate measurements when you buy the shirt. When you button the top button, you should be able to fit two fingers and should feel comfortable. If you are ordering online, you can use a tape measure at home. You need to place the measuring tape around your neck just below your Adam’s apple, gain making sure you can comfortably fit two fingers. Sizing is standardized across brands so once you discover your size you can rest assured it will work across different shirtmakers.
Recutting the shirt collar. This is a specialized and involved option whereby you fit a slightly larger collar onto the shirt and readjust the neckline as appropriate.

Shirt collar too big

If your shirt collar is too big, you can have your shirt collars split to fit. The only telltale is a seam on the back of the collar. You start with a collar and split the collar and put it back together. Then you need to readjust the neckline and balance it so we can reattach the new collar on this shirt. It takes an art to do this properly so that the collar is always balanced.

Wrist watch chews up shirt cuff

A common complaint amongst watch collectors is that the left cuff on the dress shirt frays because the bezel of the watch rubs against it. This is more common with serrated bezels which have sharp points on the edges that chew up the shirt cuff. The best line of defense is to make the shirt cuff goes over the wrist watch. To ensure this, when you have your shirts made you can ask that the left cuff be an inch wider in diameter than the right cuff providing ample room for the cuff to go over the watch. At Collar Replacement, to specify if you want an extra inch on the left cuff when ordering a custom shirt.

How to buy shirts sustainably with a shirt collar replacement

If you are looking for a return on investment when buying clothes, it’s a good idea to focus on the durability and sustainability of a particular clothing item when making a purchase to begin with. This includes dress shirts. When buying a shirt, you should inquire as to whether a replacement collar and cuffs are included. While this used to be the norm, when it comes to off the rack shirts this is no longer the case. If you walk into a store and buy a ready-made shirt, they will not have a spare collar for sale. When the times comes and your shirt frays, they want you to come back into the store and purchase a new one. Off the rack shirts are convenient because there ready, you don’t need to take any measurements, book an appointment or make a million decisions. However, from a sustainability standpoint the quality of the fabric and workmanship is quite low. The threads can start to come undone fairly quickly while the fabric used feels thin. Most of what is sold tends to be office appropriate and you are unlikely to find something very creative such as a multi-stipe or fun patterns. The shirts that are patterned are often very faint.

The next option you might consider is a bespoke shirtmaker. Here too, spare collars and cuffs are not included by default. Some may offer to do this a service down the line however they may charge an exorbitant fee for doing so. Others will provide spare collars and cuffs upon request should you include that in the original order. There will an extra surcharge for this as well as concerns over completeness. Some shirtmakers will prefer to return the space fabric to you instead of making the collar and cuffs which is a pain because you would then need to find someone who can make a shirt cuff and collar. Others, will make a cuff but not add the button holes or buttons. They do this to force you to come back to them and charge you extra when it’s time to sew them on. Again, this isn’t very convenient. In terms of repairs, they will only touch a shirt they have made and so if you have worn out shirt you didn’t buy from them, you are out of luck.

An additional source of frustration with bespoke shirt makers is that while they market themselves as making custom shirts tailored to your specifications, in reality they produce made to order shirts. By made to order, we mean that they produce the shirt product for all customers, they simply don’t hold inventory. They are not interested in adapting the shirt to your preferences. If you state that you prefer the pleats on the back of the shirt to run down the middle instead of down either shoulder blade, they likely cannot accommodate this. If you want removable collar stays instead of permanent collar stays, they will tell you that it not how the make them. The other obstacle is the minimum order requirement. For bespoke shirtmakers minimum requirements for an initial order can vary from four to six shirts. If you haven’t tried a particular firm before, you are unlikely to want to commit to six shirts off the bat, to say nothing of the expense. In celebration of a particular event or milestone it would be nice to commission a custom shirt. You’ll purchase one to try it out and over a period of two years you may well end up buying six shirts. But you are not going make such a large purchase all at once. It can feel more like a transaction rather than something you work towards where every shirt is a new discovery, a labor of love. Order minimums constitute an unnecessarily high activation energy. It would make more sense to let you buy one shirt to try it out and if you are happy with it, offering some sort of discount or incentive if you place a larger follow up order.

Made to measure services these days, especially online mail order services, are a dime a dozen. Upon request, some of these services, can include a spare set in your order. However it is something you have to remember to proactively ask for, there is no default selection in the order flow. In terms of having them sew them on for you, this is unrealistic since once you factor in the cost of international shipping for online made to measure shirtmakers it’s probably not worth it. The thing about shirt sizes, is that unlike shoes where knowing your size is no guarantee of good fit across disparate brands or even different product lines within the same brand, with shirts once you know your size you can order from pretty much any merchant with a high degree of confidence that what you are ordering will fit. Made to measure services offer the ability to customize your measurements and yet most people really just want a shirt that fits. Measuring the length between your elbow and your wrist and other such measurements simply add to the amount of work required to place an order and increase the possibility of error or shopping cart abandonment. There are certain customizations you might be interested in such as adding an extra inch to your left cuff in order to make room for a larch wristwatch in the event that you are watch collector and want to make sure that a serrated bezel does not chew on the shirt sleeve. However, this can be an add on option when ordering a shirt online where you can specify your size and for a small you can make the left cuff larger than the right cuff similar to how you can opt to add a monogram or other such customizations.

Another drawback of made to measure services, is that while they allow a lot of customization with regard to sizing, they usually have a fairly bland and plain selection of fabrics. In terms of textures and patterns they almost seem to mimic what is available off the shelf in a store instead of attempting to differentiate. If you want something truly creative, you basically have to purchase the fabrics yourself and find a shirtmaker willing to make a custom shirt for you. This is a fairly involved option and requires more work than most consumers are bargaining for.

A convenient solution to replace a shirt collar

As a convenient alternative to the above, Collar Replacement will replace your frayed shirt cuffs and collar for you. If you don’t have a spare collar, no problem! We will use white contrast or a coordinating color. Collar Replacement also sells bespoke shirts that come with replacement collars and cuffs. Dress shirts are expensive and so you have the reasonably expectation that it will last a long time and ideally buy it for life. With a little foresight at the time of purchase you can achieve by being discerning and only selecting merchants that will provide you will replacements when you buy the shirt.

Look for high quality collar stays that don’t bend easily

When buying a shirt pay attention to the collar stays. There are two things to consider. Whether the collar stays are removable and whether the collar stays themselves are high quality. Buying shirts with removable collar stays, is a sustainable fashion tip since if they get damaged you can very easily replace them yourself without need to resew the collar. You can purchase new collar stays for a very reasonable cost. The other thing to be mindful of is their quality. Many manufacturers will try to save a dime by inserting cheap stays into the collar. As a result, they are easily damaged when put through the wash and bend, this then inhibits the collar from sitting properly. This is particularly vexing as it may only take one or two washes for you to find that a shirt you bought recently is already in need of repair.

Sew a replacement collar on yourself

If you are sewing enthusiast, you can sew on a shirt collar yourself.

Gently remove the worn-out collar from the shirt using a seam ripper, take care not to rip it.
Iron the new collar and then attach it to the neckline using pins to hold it in place.
Sew the collar onto the neckline of the shirt. You’ll want to sew about half an inch from the edge of the collar. Use a sewing machine for more uniform sewing.

Is it worth the cost to replace a worn out shirt collar?

You might be wondering whether it is worth the cost to mend a frayed shirt. This comes down to the cost of buying a new shirt. For a $45 shirt it probably isn’t worth it unless you had a particularly sentimental attachment to it. Fast fashion shirts though probably won’t last very long though anyway so you may feel like you are saving money but it starts to fall apart in the first year you are much better off investing a high-quality shirt with a longer lifespan. Fast fashion provides the illusion of savings. You feel you are buying something cheaper and yet you will end up having to purchase the same item several times over to replenish it over time. For quality dress shirts it’s hard to find something for under $100. When it comes to designer shirts prices can rise to $200-$300 if not more all the way up to $600. When evaluating the cost of a new shirt you also need to factor in shipping costs. Online made to measure services may have a lower sticker price, yet by the time you account for international shipping, it’s no longer cheaper. For shirts over $200 replacing a frayed collar is a no brainer. For shirts between $120 and $200 it also financial sense. For shirts below $120 you would want to prioritize shirts you either have a sentimental attachment to or are particularly fond of the pattern and are unlikely to be able to replace it.

When it comes to savings money on clothing there are a few models. The fast fashion model has well documented limitations. An alternative that is very popular in the United States is second hand clothing with major purveyors generating billions of dollars in volume. Second hand clothing can often be low quality though and you may struggle to find something that fits you exactly and may require major alterations to achieve a desirable. Collar Replacement offers an alternative both fast fashion and second-hand clothing by letting you wear your own clothes for longer instead of trying to fit into someone else’s. Collar Replacement is a sustainable fashion company that not only mends frayed shirt collars but also designs clothes with alterations and mending built into the foundation. This includes selling shirts that come with spare collars and cuffs, manufacturing pants and shorts that include extra fabric at the seams to allow for future adjustments so that you don’t outgrow your clothing, while applying the same principle to suits and blazers. We also source high quality fabrics rather than the cheap textiles used by fast fashion outlets.

In terms of return on investment, replacing the cuffs and collar should buy you another four or five years with reasonable usage.

Matching a shirt to a tie

When making alterations to your shirt you may want to consider how you are going to match the shirt with a tie. For a white shirt, any tie goes. If you want to be more adventurous and wear a colored, patterned, striped or checkered shirt you will want to be more thoughtful about what tie you select. When matching a shirt to a tie you need to take two variables into account. Color and pattern. Patterns should contrast. For example, it’s not advisable to wear a striped tie with a striped shirt. For a striped shirt a consider a motif or a herringbone tie. For a pin dot or paisley shirt consider a tartan or houndstooth tie. You can pick both a shirt and tie that are striped but you would want them to have distinguishable different sizes. This could be a chalk stripe tie on pencil stripe shirt. Generally speaking, the tie should have a bolder pattern than the shirt. The shirt should be more subtle than the tie.

In terms of color, it all starts with the color wheel. Analogous colors are adjacent on the color wheel. For example, blue goes well with a green shirt. A light blue shirt grooves with a navy-blue tie. Analogous is slightly different from tonal dressing where you pick different shades of the same color instead of different colors. Different shades of pink would be a tonal outfit.

Triadic colors are ones that form a triangle on the color wheel. Blue, red and yellow are triadic colors. As are green, violet and orange. Triadic color schemes refer to a set of three colors that form a triangle on the color wheel. Hence why yellow and red both work with blue. This is true of a tie as well as if you are crafting patterns for a multi stripe shirt. Shades of blue with yellow are a common combination.

Contrast colors which represent opposite sides of the color wheel are the toughest to match and so should be avoided. Trying to wear green with a red tie is not easy to pull off with the possible exception of a Christmas cocktail party.

Does a shirt with a different color collar affect the tie I can wear

White contrast collars go with any shirt and tie so replacing your worn out shirt collar with white contrast will not limit what tie you can wear with that particular shirt. Similarly, if you pick a coordinating color or tonal color you should be able to work with whatever ties matched the original shirt. If you replace a pink shirt collar with a different shade of pink, that will not change what ties can be paired with that shirt.

FAQs for frayed shirt collar repair

When is it time to replace my shirt collar? Once the fraying becomes visible especially at the front of the collar you should consider replacing the collar in order to maintain an elegant and polished look.
How can I get my shirt collars replaced? You can mail your frayed shirt to Collar Replacement and we can change the collar for you.
Can a shirt have a different color collar? Yes, it can! In fact, we are unlikely to be able to source the original fabric used in the shirt. Therefore, we default to white contrast collars that can match any shirt pattern. Upon request we can work with a coordinating color.
Must collars match cuffs? You either want the collars to match the cuffs or you want the cuffs to match the shirt while the collar can be used for providing contrast.