Why do the more expensive shirts tend to crease faster/more often?

June 14, 2009 1:18 PM

Why do the more expensive shirts tend to crease faster/more often? Secondary question: Which looks better a creased expensive shirt or a non-creased cheaper shirt?

I am guessing this is related to the material. Personally I think a crease-free shirt looks better than an expensive creased shirt.

posted by errspy to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

Best answer: By "expensive", I'll assume that means shirts with natural fibers, and the inverse that "cheaper" shirts are a blend with polyester or some other type of synthetic thread. Polyester fabric and blends are famous for being "non-creasing" and are what are used to make shirts "non-wrinkle" or "iron-free".

So, to have the comfort and look of a natural fabric, such as cotton, you get one that also wrinkles. You can use starch to start off looking a bit less frumpy, but that will soon give way to very sharp creases.

On the other hand you can be fairly wrinkle free in a less breathable and arguably less attractive fabric that contains a blend of cotton and polyester. The problem with many blends is that the polyester nevers wears out and can tend to shine as the natural fiber wears away - usually on shoulders, elbows, and other high friction areas.
posted by qwip at 1:46 PM on June 14, 2009

For formal settings, I would also say that a crease-free shirt looks better than an expensive but creased shirt.
posted by 2X2LcallingCQ at 2:49 PM on June 14, 2009

Cheaper shirts start to look cheap pretty quickly. The points of the collars, edges of cuffs and other areas start to fray and wear depending on how often they are cleaned/washed/worn. I don't buy expensive dress shirts, but when possible financially I avoid buying dress shirts that are cheapy cheap because they don't last as long. You get what you pay for, as with most things.
posted by archimago at 5:17 PM on June 14, 2009

If a good-quality dress shirt fits properly and was well-starched and -pressed, it will keep up its looks for most of a day. The fit is key: dress shirts are not supposed to be baggy, and there is no way for a baggy shirt with starch and natural fiber to do anything other than crease itself to death.
posted by MattD at 6:11 PM on June 14, 2009