I hate ironing. My Mom used to iron everything, sheets, Dad's underwear, just everything. she taught me how to iron when I was about 8. Started with flat stuff, handkerchiefs,etc, finally learned how to iron blouses and shirts. I was darned good at it, but HATED every minute. Now I look at labels and refuse to buy anything that requires ironing. I do use a clothes pole outdoors to dry most of my items. But I always put jeans and towels in the (gas) dryer because I hate the way they get so hard and scratchy. I will try this tip.

Aamassther, thank you so much for your detailed (and welcoming) reply! In all honesty I had never seen anything quite like it, which is why I found it so puzzling. Back in the day, when my grandma taught me to iron men's shirts (and as an ambassador's wife she had plenty of experience in that field), one of her main rules was that there should never be any visible creases, under any circumstances. So I always attributed those to the drycleaner's sub-par method. And then I decided to surprise my fiance by hand washing and ironing all of his shirts while he is away to show him the huge difference that would make... only that didn't go quite as planned, and caused quite a bit of frustration. This is definitely a lesson learned. I'm not sure we will be able to return his existing shirts, since he has had them for a while, but going forward we will never purchase "non-iron" again. I also noticed that there were several spots where the fabric started developing tears, only they didn't look like regular fabric tears with fraying at the edges, more like plastic cracking, if that makes any sense. Who would have thought? I have already written a message to BB customer service, asking them to let me know which of their shirts do not have the permanent creases, and we'll start replacing the existing ones with normal cotton ones. Once again, thank you for understanding and helping me figure this out. It's a shame that nothing can be done about the existing shirts, I was hoping there was some magic method that I just didn't know about, but at least I learned a valuable lesson.

I always wash my dress shirts in my Miele washer, either on the shirts cycle, which I think is called something else in countries outside of the U.S.A or on the perm press cycle. I hang everything even t shirts up as they come out of the dryer so most times no ironing is involved. The exception -- thin linen shirts. I send these straight to the professional cleaners who insist on starching them even while I say no starch. We have finally reached an understanding that when I say no starch I MEAN NO STARCH. I understand why they want to starch them because without starch they return to me looking like something I might have done myself..but that is the way I want them soft without starch. This year I bought wrinkle free linen shirts which seem to work OK in the washer. I wash wool using the wool cycle, and silk using the silk cycle, but do not wash 100% or 95% wool dress slacks in the washer...I they go to the professionals. I use PERWOL for wool and silk.

Wertach, keep looking at all thrift stores. Some are better than others. You might also ask on FreeCycle. Cut the collar off above the collar stand. If fraying, you can use zig zag stitch. (Get a decent used sewing machine ;) ) Here are some links that might be helpful. What you seem to want is a Henley or Nehru style collar. He lets can be made looser and in cotton broadcloth or linen instead of the traditional knit fabric. Note the link for the Civil War period costume shirt. Perhaps you can find someone to sew you up a few or you can learn. I take it that you're not aiming for Brooks Brothers. Men's Henley or Nehru collared shirts https://www.google.com/search?q=men's+shirt+sewing+pattern+nehru+collar&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&fir=vJbbDZk7u-BEQM%253A%252C3h8T-6KZhWPrHM%252C_%253BFVELkYEZ2kZEnM%253A%252C7eB3A5jX3EDfdM%252C_%253BKmjWyHzD9812rM%253A%252CE0dTP_xA1Ohp0M%252C_%253BQv-mfuSqqNCp-M%253A%252CE0dTP_xA1Ohp0M%252C_%253BOEwL2nu6rdrk9M%253A%252CMsBVegirwvis6M%252C_%253B1ttsTqOrzADUPM%253A%252C-uFFSq4TooeyPM%252C_%253BBh3VzSPEaQuYHM%253A%252CY-fsvw0o3zBcQM%252C_%253BwVLxkb0f5HNorM%253A%252CfzkYG1pY43DfCM%252C_%253BvBU687xnRpd9FM%253A%252CrogslHIEL3jeYM%252C_%253BahW9mp-Ww76KpM%253A%252CFAt0BG8DjDaCOM%252C_&usg=__gAQhy_8XabWjRzf39rsokD1GYCs%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje2LeGwv_MAhWE2D4KHdaxBX8Q7AkIGw&biw=1024&bih=672#imgrc=1ttsTqOrzADUPM%3A https://www.etsy.com/listing/231536560/mens-nehru-collar-short-shirt-kurta-in?ref=market https://www.etsy.com/listing/244074836/pre-summer-clearance-vintage-1970s?ref=market https://www.google.com/search?q=sewing+pattern+men's+henley+shirts+long+sleeve&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sinv&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&fir=lerCpYnkE3jM0M%253A%252C_xAOkJPo3su9oM%252C_%253BASf7pT9NrvFqPM%253A%252CirnkXeIEFR2Y_M%252C_%253BaX0O80SgQzVhGM%253A%252CEnaBwzSHuRQfJM%252C_%253BUubfcAid_NZ43M%253A%252CSSNfZBl_faVznM%252C_%253B3_COxMfdHTOK2M%253A%252CInE0xmC7ePoP9M%252C_%253BNREgQ6TL5nVW7M%253A%252CSSNfZBl_faVznM%252C_%253BkBDl0ZwQ_1wXjM%253A%252CRPrfkm2mcBKH3M%252C_%253BXiWbXN738UPrzM%253A%252CAhkYyBNgZ-tvWM%252C_%253BwSK6rB2V_qmZsM%253A%252C_xAOkJPo3su9oM%252C_%253BlWEQ6iN61mFxkM%253A%252CnpYDkeq96yKdmM%252C_&usg=__YSecoyMzp9y12wLyqWMqL90y0cU%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje1Piiw__MAhVMbj4KHcIeCW4Q7AkILw&biw=1024&bih=729#imgdii=6Pseg0lzgiY8LM%3A%3BjBgWuwLv4aV46M%3A%3BjBgWuwLv4aV46M%3A&imgrc=jBgWuwLv4aV46M%3A https://www.etsy.com/listing/248600625/mens-civil-war-confederate-regimental?ref=related-7 *** Burda pattern - Men's Linen Shirt (for garden shirt, you could have made with cotton) http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/mens-linen-shirt-062011