Packing dress shirts can be a stressful experience – especially if you are packing for work or a special event. After all, you don’t want to end up with a wrinkly dress shirt before a big meeting or wedding! Even if it seems that no matter what you do you still end up with an unwearable dress shirt, there are some new things that you can try to ensure that your dress shirt can come out of the suitcase looking great and ready to wear! Here’s everything you need to know about how to pack dress shirts:
Folding
The first method of packing dress shirts involves the classic folding method. However, folding a dress shirt isn’t really that straightforward. Thankfully, it just takes a little bit of practice to learn how to fold a dress shirt like a pro and prevent wrinkles. Here are the steps to follow:
· Lay the shirt face down on a flat surface with the sleeves out
· Fold one of the arms inward a few inches so that the edge of the shirt is in a straight line
· Take the arm of the shirt and fold the top of it in a diagonal shape so that the cuff of the shirt is straight against the bottom hem
· Repeat this process on the other side of the shirt
· Fold the shirt in half from the bottom to the middle, and then again from the middle to the top
Rolling
Another method of packing shirts is rolling. If you’re a seasoned traveler then you may have heard of the rolling method before but probably not for dress shirts! But hear us out, it totally works and here’s how to do it:
· Start with the shirt face down on a flat surface with the sleeves out
· Fold the shirt in half so that the sleeves are on top of each other
· Fold the arms of the shirt inward so that the cuffs are in line with the bottom hem of the shirt
· Smooth out any wrinkled and begin to roll the shirt tightly from bottom to top
Material Matters
Even though the method of packing dress shirts to prevent wrinkles is important, you still need to remember that not all dress shirts are created equal. Dress shirts come in a range of different materials – some that are more prone to wrinkles than others. So before you travel with a dress shirt, it might be a good idea to check out the material to get an idea of how it will hold up on the road. Here are some of the different dress shirt materials and how prone they are to wrinkles:
· 100% Cotton: Cotton dress shirts are nice but they do wrinkle pretty easily.
· Cotton/Polyester Blend: Blended dress shirts are a cheaper option than 100% cotton and they don’t wrinkle as much.
· Performance: Performance shirts are a different dress shirt option that’s quite wrinkle resistant and even moisture-wicking as well!
Be Prepared
Finally, even if you pack the right dress shirt perfectly, there’s still a chance that you could end up with wrinkles so you need to be prepared to deal with that! Here are some quick fixes for annoying wrinkles on the road:
· The classic iron and ironing board
· Steaming your dress shirt with the steam from a hot shower
· A portable clothes steamer
· Travel-sized wrinkle-removing spray
Packing dress shirts can be a frustrating experience – but it doesn’t have to be! Taking the time and effort to pack your dress shirts properly can save you a lot of stress and headaches later on. However, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan and be prepared to fix any issues prior to your big interview, conference, party, etc.
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