How to Iron a Shirt Collar Like a Tailor

The collar should be the first thing you iron, not the last, and it should go under the iron slightly damp rather than bone dry. Both of those go against how most people were taught, and both make a real difference to how long the shape lasts.

Why the collar goes first

By the time you've ironed the body, the yoke, and both cuffs, the collar has had time to sit and cool — and a cool collar is a collar that's already lost the shape you're about to give it, because you'll inevitably fold or crease it slightly while working on the rest of the shirt. Iron it first, and it stays sharp while you finish everything else.

The sequence

• Unfold the collar flat, wrong side up, and iron from the underside first, working from each point toward the centre back — never in one long stroke across the whole width
• Flip it right side up and repeat, using slightly less pressure, just to smooth the top fabric
• Fold the collar down into its natural, worn position while it's still warm and press the fold lightly, which sets the roll
• Move on to the yoke, then the body, then the cuffs and sleeves last

Heat and dampness

A collar irons best slightly damp — either straight from a low tumble dry, or with a light mist from a spray bottle if it's already dry. Bone-dry cotton presses smooth on the surface but doesn't reshape the interlining underneath nearly as well as damp cotton does, which is the layer actually responsible for the collar holding its shape through the day. Set the iron to the heat appropriate for the fabric — cotton and linen can take real heat, but check the care label if the shirt has any synthetic blend, which scorches at a much lower temperature.

Iron the collar from the underside, not the front. It's the side no one sees, and the side doing all the work.

If you only take one thing from this: iron from the underside, first, while it's damp. That single change does more for how a collar holds up over a day, and over years, than any starch, steamer, or collar stay ever will.