dress shirt problem - wrinkled arms

[p.m.a.]

Greeting Gents,

Here's my problem, especially since the weather has turned warm & sticky: after I tie my tie in the mornings I'm ending up with unsightly wrinkles in the inside arms of my dress shirts. These are pressed cotton dress shirts, light starch. Anxiety on this grows each morning, and I get hot and bothered which only makes things worse. Sometimes I have to redo the tie because I'm trying to get it done quickly and not wrinkle the shirt, and end up just wrinkling it more. On the very worst days, I mess up my knot and/or tie length several times because I'm so agitated, then I'm running late, I'm sweaty from all the agitation, and it's a colossal mess! If I up the starch will that help allay these wrinkles?
Maybe I need to switch to decaf
Any suggestions?

 

[Kazeryu]

I think you might be overthinking it. Just slow down a bit and if it's not quite perfect - let it go. Or at least take a few deep breaths.

 

[Cuttingboard]

By pressed cotton dress shirt do you mean you take them to cleaners? I find that my shirts wrinkle less when I do not use starch or sizing when I iron them.

 

[p.m.a.]

Kazeryu - no doubt that on my worst days I am overthinking things! However, even on my best days such as today (tied a quick good knot) I'm getting these wrinkles. I think it's mostly due to the humidity - there's no exhaust vent in our master bath and this just adds to the humidity in the bedroom where I get ready in the morning. I'll tie the knot in a different part of the house tomorrow and see how that goes.

Cuttingboard - Yes, I take them to the cleaners. What is sizing?

 

[closer]

Are you wearing thick oxford-cloth type shirts? I get my BB shirts laundered at the cleaners, and they get at the most medium starch, and I don't see this creasing problem. I used to see wrinkles on my OCBD, but I don't wear those anymore.

 

[p.m.a.]

Hi closer - not oxford cloth, just regular cotton dress shirts. I have a few Burma Bibas, a few Nordstrom brand, and a few other brands. I have one DKNY dress shirt that I like a lot, but wrinkles as easily as a piece of tissue paper. I shop at Nordstrom Rack for shirts and ties.

 

[Commander Quan]

I'd guess you are probably over analyzing things. Fabric gets wrinkled when you move around and sit down. Humidity relaxes the fabric and actually helps with wrinkles.

I'd dry the decaf.

 

[Cuttingboard]

I have no problems with any of my 100% cotton shirts wrinkling. I wash them in cold, delicate cycle, hang dry on large hangers and iron while damp.

 

[jones2289]

I've had the same problem due to humidity in my apartment. I hang dry most of my clothes, and although they feel dry, they are never completely so. Therefore, as soon as i sit down in the morning, my pants will have a few wrinkles, and the shirt even more so.

I started putting my shirts on hangers, and hanging them outdoors on the patio, and the same with pants. In the winter, I just close the bathroom door, and let the heat from the vent dry them completely. This has helped considerably, and I don't really have the problem anymore.

If you're taking your clothes in the bathroom with you before the shower, having the hot water on for 10 minutes with no vent may be enough to make them just damp enough to cause wrinkles in areas that are compressed, like the creases of your elbows, etc.

 

[Manning]

Given any thought to non iron shirts?

 

[Cuttingboard]

Given any thought to non iron shirts?

hoax...they still have to be ironed. My cotton shirts have less wrinkles than my non-iron shirts. And they're not good in summer since they do not breed.

 

[the_edski]

+1, much of this site is dedicated to slowing down the pace of things in opposition to the hurry-up modern world. I think if you just take a deep breath and go with the flow and not worry yourself about it, you won't notice/care if there are a few wrinkles. If you make a conscious decision to look good and think that you do look good, well sir, you have 95% of the male population outdone right there!

I'd guess you are probably over analyzing things. Fabric gets wrinkled when you move around and sit down. Humidity relaxes the fabric and actually helps with wrinkles.

I'd dry the decaf.

 

[Larry C in Texas]

Just go to clip on ties. No muss, no fuss, no issue with the knots. Genius, huh?

 

[Kazeryu]

And they're not good in summer since they do not breed.

Man, I guess my shirts are all sterile or something...

 

[Doc4]

Yeah, the sleeves will do that.

If it really bothers you, try a thicker fabric (like an oxford cloth) and skip the starch.

 

[Ulsterman]

Take cool showers during the warmer months to cut the humidity in your room, it will be cooler and you'll be less likely to get flustered. If you don't have central AC invest in a window AC unit for your room, nothing worse than trying to get properly dressed and your sweating.

As for the shirts, try Charles Tywhitt non iron dress shirts, the fabric is treated not to wrinkle and can be hung dry winkle free.

 

[the_edski]

Consider yourself lucky, I have to remember not to feed my shirts after midnight...

Man, I guess my shirts are all sterile or something...

 

[Rudy Vey]

Just go to clip on ties. No muss, no fuss, no issue with the knots. Genius, huh?

...and combine this with a short sleeve shirt - no wrinkles.... and add a pocket protector....

 

[Manning]

hoax...they still have to be ironed. My cotton shirts have less wrinkles than my non-iron shirts. And they're not good in summer since they do not breed.

YMMV.

I've had good luck with some non-iron shirts (BB and Charles Tyhrwhitt) and the key for me is that they wrinkle less throughout the day than my cotton shirts.

With that said, I just wouldn't worry about wrinkled sleeves at my elbows. Its one of those things thats going to happen to some degree no matter what you do.

 

[Kazeryu]

Consider yourself lucky, I have to remember not to feed my shirts after midnight...

Don't forget that they have to be "dry" cleaned, too.