The ironing or steaming routine of my friends, family and clients runs the gamut. Some of them enjoy the chore and find it relaxing. Some do so regularly, despite not enjoying it. Others iron or steam sparingly, putting things off as much as they can. And some don’t iron or steam at all because they can’t stand doing it. In fact, they don’t even have an iron or steamer.
I believe that the amount of ironing or steaming you do depends on how at peace you are with creases and how particular you are about the fit of knitwear. If you enjoy a very polished style and pristine looking wardrobe items, chances are high that you’ll go the extra mile. If your style is a little or a lot more RATE (rough around the edges), you’ll probably be more relaxed about having some creases.
I do not enjoy ironing or steaming, but I have a very low tolerance for wrinkled clothing. I’m also pedantic about how things fit and drape. I do make the exception with linen, because that’s the nature of the beast. For the rest though, I cannot make peace with the crease. Creases make me feel unpolished and untidy. I like my wardrobe items to look very neat and new, even when they aren’t new. My style is the opposite of RATE. And since creases are for the most part under my control, I haul out the iron and ironing board and get on with it.
I send some clothing items to the cleaners, which greatly reduces the amount I have to iron. But I still iron a few items every day because it makes a huge positive difference to how I feel in my outfits. Items that can be worn multiple times before going into the laundry are usually re-ironed every time I wear them. I’ll give some of my coats a quick iron too. Clean clothing, like knitwear, can crease while it’s being stored folded, which means I have to give it a quick once over with the iron before I pop it on. And knitwear often loses its shape after the laundry or a visit to the cleaners, so I’ll re-iron knitwear to achieve the original fit. And last, I absolutely re-iron my clothes when I’m on a trip because suitcase creases annoy me.
For someone who doesn’t like ironing, I iron very regularly because I loathe wrinkles even more.
Over to you. Does ironing or steaming play a small or large part in your style?
