I purchased three of these last year. Two are still in good shape, while is so frayed at the collar and elbows that I can no longer wear it to work. What gives, LL Bean?
These are the best shirts ever! They maintain their wrinkle-free look through many washings. Please bring back the ecru color though. My husband just wore his out after many years, and we'd love to replace it!
Apparently the no-iron treatment makes the Oxford cloth stiff, which makes the shirt wear out quickly along the edges, especially where the fabric is doubled in thickness. Apparently the fabric also wears out quickly at the elbows, where you ladies' husbands are grinding the creases while leaning their elbows on the bar. And rolling up the sleeves to the same point every day pre-weakens the fabric where your folds cross the creases.
To launder, leave the shirt front buttoned up, unbutton the collar points, and turn the shirt inside-out; this will turn the long creases inward and thus shield them from the beating the shirt takes in the wash.
The edges of the cuffs will still fray eventually, as will the edge of the collar--but not the crease at the top of the collar as you wear the shirt. The frugal consumer can easily trim the stray threads along the edges with a good sharp pair of scissors. The small, normally inward-facing creases at the top of the cuff will also fray, but the resulting holes are not visible when the shirt is right-side out.
Finally, if you can just train your husband to sit up straight and not lean on his elbows--and perhaps to live wild by rolling his sleeves up to different points on different days--you will have a shirt that looks smooth and neat right up until the day it falls apart.
