The gentleman on the left is, of course, Tom Ford, mocking all of us who attempt to rock his signature open-collar look. So often mere mortals fall short, our heavily starched shirts succumbing to gravity and their collars collapsing to disappear below our lapels. Well, while Tom Ford can of course wear any shirt he likes and have the collar retain its tumescent glory solely through the force of ionized testosterone radiating from his chest, we've trialed-and-errored a variety of collar configurations and hit upon one (right) that always seems to work for us. And the secret formula is:

• Traditional (not wide) spread
• 2" back height.
• 3.5" point length.
• If you have a choice of collar stiffness, go stiff (heh) and use your stays.

With this configuration we find starch isn't even necessary. You've found something different that works for you? Let's hear it. Drop us a line.

Bespoke shirt from MyTailor.com.