Be Better Guys

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring reviews of BBG-recommended gifts  for guys. Check out our list of gift ideas, updated throughout the week, all the way up to Christmas.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention.  Jonathan Boos runs into his home, late for an evening out with his wife. She hands him a brand new shirt and the collar points are “flaring out like John Travolta’s.”  Boos quickly grabs two paper clips, rips a pair of magnets from an old security badge, puts the clips in the slots for collar stays in the shirt and the magnets on the inside of the shirt. Sure enough, the collar stays in place and Boos spent the whole night asking his wife “How does the collar look?”

With that, Würkin Stiffs® Power Stays™ were born.

If you’ve ever worn a dress shirt, then you know how the stiffness of the collar point is dependent on the construction of the shirt and the plastic Popsicle-stick-like collar stays of varying lengths. Even if the shirt you’re wearing has a well-made collar, over the course of a day, it will begin to wilt. Generally speaking, they do a decent job, but they break, get lost at the cleaners, and most importantly, stiffen the points, but don’t prevent them from flapping around. What Power Stays™ does is use small powerful magnets and strong, polished alloy stays that literally stick together, holding your collar in place all day. The magnets are placed between your skin and the shirt, while the stays go into the pocket beneath your collar points. Suddenly, you have all the benefits of a button-down shirt, without the buttons.

I tested a set of 2.5-inch stays out on a day when I had meetings (lots of leaning to one side), one when I was out and about, and was going to work out. The Power Stays™ didn’t budge, kept me looking sharp all day long. And even though the stays are metal, they won’t set off metal detectors, so traveling with them in isn’t a problem. Don’t be concerned about the stays poking into your clavicle. They come in 3 sizes (2-inch, 2.5-inch, and 3-inch stays), with 3 magnets per set (in case you lose one) and have very cool packaging. A set of 2 stays and 3 magnets run $20.

If magnetic collar stays sound like a “Tool-Time” answer to a men’s clothing dilemma that’s because Boos was an auto fabricator—you know, tricking out cars, detailing them—then an insurance claims adjuster before stumbling into a new career as designer and manufacturer of men’s accessories. He’s a regular guy who cares about the details in his life and figures you do as well. Once guys find out about us, they usually stay with us.” No one in the men’s accessories market has this level of care in production and packaging, giving him a niche within a niche market. This makes Würkin Stiffs® a favorite at Bloomingdale’s,  Nordstrom’s, Saks, and specialty stores.

Boos’ skills in fabrication can been seen in the new line of products that include Fashion Power Stays™ with images of Elvis, Muhammad Ali, and art from Simon Oxley (the man who designed the Twitter logo), covered in resin; Polo Stays,  and Fashion Cuff Links with similar images.  Boos concentrates on the individual pieces down to manufacturing the cuff links from one single billet of metal to reduce welts and fissures from welding.  The newest product for Würkin Stiffs® is silk knots (Knotz), packaged individually in vials to ensure you get exactly the color combination you want. This level of detail, Boos believes, is what makes his customer base so loyal. They contact him for lost packaging, because the whole set is so well done. Coming soon, small leather goods, including money clips.