Perfect fabrics for work wear

September 28, 2013 8:29 AM

I'm trying to dress better for work, but some of the nicer fabrics that I like require extra care. I'm looking for nicer-business-casual fabrics that can be callously dropped off at my local laundromat.

In the past I've worn a lot of teeshirts like this or this.

I like this sort of thing from a distance, and these things are easy to wash, but up close the fabric looks cheap and synthetic to me.

Lately I've been buying more button-front shirts - I love the look of them but they generally require some combination of hand-laundering, no dryer cycle, drycleaning, and nearly always ironing.

And then there's cardigans - I love love them but they generally require either drycleaning or cold water with line drying and then probably ironing.

So, mefites: when I'm shopping for work tops (cardigans, button-fronts and tees), what should I be looking for? Is there a magic combination of lycra, cotton, silk or linen that looks professional, doesn't wrinkle, and can handle being dropped off at the laundromat with my towels and sheets?

posted by bunderful to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

Your laundromat will iron shirts for an extra fee.
posted by brujita at 8:56 AM on September 28, 2013

For cardigans and other knits, I get rid of wrinkles with a spray bottle of heavily-diluted fabric softener (like, a small glug of fabric softener for 1-2 liters of water). Spritz lightly and let hang overnight. It won't get button-downs crisp like ironing can, but it's a huge timesaver for drapey garments.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:21 AM on September 28, 2013 [4 favorites]

You could try looking at stuff marketed as travel clothing, which tends to be made from better-quality synthetics that won't have the 'cheap' look that low-end synthetics do. Tilley, for example, and ExOfficio have some work-appropriate stuff.
posted by kmennie at 9:22 AM on September 28, 2013

You sound like me! I hate ironing and do a lot of spraying stuff with water and hanging it up, throwing stuff in the dryer, etc. The thing is that I've kind of accepted that some stuff might not last forever if I can't launder them appropriately all the time and I'm okay with that.

I wear a lot of cardigans and light sweaters. If I fold them right out of the dryer or can throw them back in the dryer before work, usually they don't require a lot of maintenance. I air dry some. Cotton and cotton blends seem to be the best for this. It also works well for me because I feel too hot in my office if I wear wool or cashmere.

I also wear lots of ponte and jersey knit, especially dresses. I wear jackets and blazers a lot too. I use Dryel often and have to iron them sometimes but you don't need to launder them after you wear them every time.

Have you looked at no-iron shirts? Might help. You might need to iron to touch them up but they're okay.
posted by kat518 at 10:30 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

I wear a lot of J.Jill's Wearever line. Comfy, easy care, and if a piece seems too expensive, just wait and it will go on sale. Recently, I've been wearing the hell out of this dress, which is super flattering as well as being wash 'n wear like the whole line. Be sure to look at the whole sale selection.
posted by janey47 at 11:01 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have a few button-front shirts from the Eddie Bauer no-iron collection, and they're great. They can be machine washed and dried, and as long as you take them out of the dryer promptly and hang them up or fold them neatly, they don't need ironing at all.
posted by decathecting at 2:40 PM on September 28, 2013

Yeah, basically if you're willing to pay more, many outdoor companies have travel collections with very easy care (although some might not dryer friendly). Patagonia is another example. Also, the term "urban functional" is trending now, with companies like Nau making office wear which from high-tech, low maintenance fabrics.

However, I think your problem stems from the price category of your clothes. My 20$ cotton button down looks worse ironed than my 50$ cotton button-down, straight from the laundry. Fabric quality matters a lot. Also, in my experience, more expensive clothes last longer and fade/fall apart slower, which means they look better and more professional over time.
posted by sockpuppetdirect at 2:56 PM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh, also, for cardigans, Land's End. I don't know how they do it, but they make a cotton cardigan that can be machine washed and dried in an industrial machine (like, at the laundromat) hundreds of times and come through looking good as new. No shrinking, stretching, pilling, or fading. And if something does happen, they have a lifetime warranty.

I buy a lot of my nicer clothes on eBay, so that I can get Land's End quality at Old Navy prices.
posted by decathecting at 3:56 PM on September 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

I just placed a big Lands' End order today. Their no iron stuff is truly no iron if you grab it right away from the dryer. I've also had very good luck with their tee shirts which have zero show through and nice tailoring. Their sweaters hold up well and don't pill (though the color does fade eventually). They also cut for a woman's shape and don't rely on lycra to get things to fit. Clothing will always fall apart when manufacturers over-rely on stretch.

Plus, they hem to size for free. Which makes this 33.5 inseam wearing woman want to tongue-kiss them.

They do size a bit big. However, returns are taken at any Sears which is nice.
posted by 26.2 at 5:01 PM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]