Non-Iron Dress Shirts: Fact or Fiction?
We're here to set the record straight on a few of the most common misconceptions about non-iron dress shirts. Read on to find out what's fact, and what's fiction:
Claim: Performance dress shirts don’t feel as good as regular cotton.
FICTION. Many hold the mistaken belief that non-iron cotton will be scratchy or that it won't be as soft as a regular cotton dress shirt. Once upon a time, this may have been true, but enormous advances in our non-iron technology have made this distinction history. We work with industry innovators to be at the forefront of new non-iron technology, so you’ll always get the most state-of-the-art developments in clean, classic fashions.
Claim: All cotton is better.
FACT The clothing industry has indeed done some very impressive things with man-made fabrics, but 100% cotton is still king. Compared to man-made fabrics or blends, pure cotton is more breathable, soft, and generally drapes more attractively, which is important in achieving a polished and professional appearance. Pure cotton dress shirts also tend to have easier care requirements than these other fabrics, which result in you saving time and money.
Claim: Non-iron is the same as wrinkle-resistant.
FICTION. Definitely not! Non-iron is the clear winner here. Essentially, wrinkle-resistant denotes that the fabric is dipped into the wrinkle-preventing solution and subsequently made into a shirt. A non-iron shirt, on the other hand, is constructed, put on to a special form for each individual shirt size, and then dipped completely into the solution – this is known as the superior “post-cure” process. The former can result in puckering and uneven seams, but since our state-of-the-art process treats the entire shirt, it creates a protective barrier that helps to prevent shrinkage and retain color, resists pilling, and extends the life of the shirt.
Claim: Do not dry clean or commercially launder.
FACT. The high temperatures used in commercial laundering and harsh dry-cleaning compounds break down the fundamental agent used to prevent wrinkling, which effectively erases any extra benefits that the non-iron treatment would offer. Instead, machine wash your non-iron dress shirt in warm water and tumble dry it at a low temperature. Remember, the warm heat of the dryer will active the non-iron properties. Right out of the dryer, it’s ready to wear and fit for any occasion. If your shirt is slightly creased from folding or traveling, simply place it in the dryer for ten minutes and the low heat will activate its non-iron properties, leaving you with a shirt that appears freshly pressed.
Congratulations! You’ve just saved countless hours you'd have otherwise spent ironing, and that hefty biweekly dry-cleaning bill is a thing of the past.
We hope this short guide was helpful in bettering your understanding of one of the most popular items in our collection. And remember, don’t be fooled by imitators - choose only Paul Fredrick Non-Iron Dress Shirts.
