Welcome to our first KITRI guide: How to iron a shirt. Yes, we know that it’s not the hottest of topics (pardon the pun), but let’s face it, a cotton shirt doesn’t quite have the same chic finish when it’s half crumbled straight out of the wash. If you’re like us and prefer a crisp shirt, follow our guide to ironing like a pro.
1. UNBUTTON
The first step and probably the most important. Make sure all buttons are undone before you start.
2. INSIDE OUT
Place your shirt on your ironing board with the buttons facing down so you iron on the inside of the shirt. The buttons will sink into the ironing board foam and leave you with a smooth surface to iron on. Starting with the front, iron gently making sure you go over every part of the shirt.
3. SO IT SEAMS
Always go over the side seams with the sleeve out of the way and the shirt laying completely flat. It might seem like an extra step, but it’s worth it because you don't get that sharp crease on the sides of your shirt.
4. PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT
After you've ironed one of the front panels (and the side seams!) you can now move on to the back. If you encounter a pleat, fear not. Just iron on each side of the pleat then down the middle. Iron the other front panel and your almost there!
5. SLEEVE IT OUT
The sleeves can often be the tricky part. We recommend unbuttoning the cuffs and laying the sleeves down flat with the back of the sleeve facing up, making sure the underarm is folded on the seam.
7. CUFF UP
Iron your cuffs from the inside. Start on one side and as iron the cuff will roll out to the other side in one smooth motion.
8. POP THAT COLLAR
Place your shirt so that the back of the collar is facing up. Watch out for your collar stand (the section which buttons) as they go in opposite directions and you might have to wiggle it a little when ironing.
9. LET IT ALL HANG
When hanging, it's always better to leave the collar facing up to avoid creasing. Button up the top button and one or two more on each end so it doesn't swing open. Et voilá! Just like that, you've got a perfectly ironed shirt!
Need some new shirts to practice on? We've got that covered with our Shirting Edit. You're welcome!