Help me dress to impress.

October 5, 2009 7:59 PM

How do I press/iron a woman's business pant suit? Am I supposed to iron out the creases?

I have a random interview that came up suddenly. I got a suit yesterday but it has a few wrinkles. I want this particular job more than anything. I do not have enough time or money to bring it to the dry cleaners to have them press it.

What's the best way to get the wrinkles out (in 12 hours or less). Also, there are sharp creases down the front of the pants. Am I supposed to iron those out?

Pants are 65% polyester, 31% Rayon, 4% Spandex

Also, tips on how to get from my house to my interview without wrinkling everything all over again?

Any ideas on what I should wear under the suit? Button down, solid, striped, colors?

I want this job so bad that I am nervous and thinking of all the possible details that might possibly be influential.

(Anonymous cause there are people that know my username that shouldn't see I am interviewing for a job.)

posted by anonymous to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 comments total)

You probably couldn't iron out the creases if you tried! Keep 'em. Iron out the wrinkles with the iron on medium setting for that fabric. Wear a white button down shirt under the jacket.

Remember to relax.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:13 PM on October 5

You'll want to leave the pant leg creases in; they're meant to be there. As for the wrinkles, spritz the fabric with water (or use the steam button on your iron if it has one) and iron it using the polyester setting.

As for what to wear under the suit: A nice shirt in a contrasting color or a simple pattern is always a safe bet.

Best of luck!
posted by amyms at 8:17 PM on October 5

Don't press down too hard or you may ruin the fabric if the setting is slightly too high. Leave the creases in. You can even let the steam do the work by hovering just above the fabric with the iron.

Wear something that won't make you feel weird or uncomfortable. Solid colors are fine.

Good luck.
posted by bread-eater at 8:23 PM on October 5

Not to freak you out, but poly will melt under a hot or left-too-long iron.

My plan would be to wet a tea towel, ring it out, and iron that on top of the wrinkled areas only. Otherwise, hang them on a hanger and use steam from your iron if that works. Realistically, it's OK to be a little wrinkled - wrinkles happen. The people interviewing you will have wrinkles, too - they just make you look like a busy person who does things!

And yes, the crease is supposed to be there, don't worry about that part.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:33 PM on October 5

Yeah, if you want to be extra-careful, put a thin cloth between the iron and the pants. And wear a button-down shirt or blouse that you feel awesome in (but isn't too low-cut or anything, of course).
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 8:40 PM on October 5

You could also try Downy Wrinkle Release on the smaller wrinkles. You can get a trial size at Wal-Mart/Target/etc. for just over a buck. You spray it on, tug at the fabric, smooth it with your hand and are done! The big creases down the front stay there.

I wear a non-collared, solid knit shirts under my suits in some contrasting color (dark orange shirt with a light brown suit; muted red shirt or blue with a grey suit, etc.). I just feel more comfortable with the knit shirts than with collared shirts because of how my suit collars lay. Some of these knits are a thin silk-blend and others are more like thin sweaters. Just as long as it doesn't look like a cheap t-shirt underneath, you'll be ok. I also never wear sleeveless things under the suit jacket in case I need to take the jacket off, but other people do.

Good luck!
posted by BlooPen at 8:41 PM on October 5

You sound as bad at ironing as I am. I can wrestle with a shirt for two hours, I swear.

Because this is a bad time for practice, and you probably don't want to ruin/melt your new and important suit, can I suggest you just take it to a dry cleaner to do properly, or borrow a friend/neighbor who can iron for 20 minutes of help? You could buy them lunch.
posted by rokusan at 8:30 AM on October 6