Will this simple trick fix my worn-out collar?

Other people have a weakness for crystal figurines or stamps, I collect vintage T-shirts. Out of passion. The catch with my trouvailles? Their long life has usually left its mark. Maybe a small stain has made itself at home somewhere, maybe a small hole needs to be plugged here or there. No problem. It gets more annoying when the collar starts to droop. Instead of a round neckline, you end up with an indefinable something or other slithering around your neck.

For me, this is by no means an exclusion criterion for a cool shirt, but it's not ideal either. As if social media could read my mind - yes, I know, they can - they keep sending me short videos about precisely this problem. Videos in which a motivated man or a dynamic woman explains to me that all I need is a rubber band and a pot of boiling water to bring said collars back to their flawless curves. The whole thing is dodgy to me, but of course I'm going to give it a go anyway. What have I got to lose?

So I put a pot of water on. While it slowly starts to boil, I gather up the T-shirt collar and secure the fabric with an elastic band. Then I hang it in the boiling water for five minutes. That's the viral legend.

When the timer beeps, I take the T-shirt out of the pot, press it dry with a kitchen towel and carefully remove the elastic band. At first glance, everything looks the same. The collar still looks worn out and wavy. But wait and see, the fabric is still wet - maybe a miracle will happen.

Bye-bye egg, hello round neck

After hanging the textile guinea pig over the radiator all afternoon, I take a second look. Has the short, constricted cooking really done any good?

I would say: You can do it. Although not overwhelming, the effect is better than I expected. Similar to washing it too hot, the fabric of the shirt around the collar probably just shrinks and therefore contracts a little. The exercise would probably also work without elastic - but safety first.
Thanks, Internet, for this little hack. It certainly didn't do any harm.