01 02 03 Erik Peterson Tom James Company Tampa Sarasota St Petersburg Lakeland: The War Between Those That Hate Non-Iron Shirts And Those That Love Them 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

The War Between Those That Hate Non-Iron Shirts And Those That Love Them

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The War Over Non-Iron Shirts Some guys despise non-iron shirts, dismissing them as stiff and uncomfortable. Others swear by the convenience and defend them to their last thread. Can’t we all just get along?

 By GEORGE EPAMINONDAS with select edits by Erik Peterson



 Why We Hate Them 

 “Loathsome” and “hair shirt” are typical criticisms leveled by those in the camp that disdains non-iron shirts. These purists see the wrinkle-free versions as villains—think “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” recast with uncomfortably rigid and stifling clone-shirts hijacking the existence of classic button-ups. “I loathe them,” said George Hahn, a writer who blogs about menswear. “Men who’ve only worn these Franken-fabric shirts don’t know the difference,” he sniffed.


 A product of the Eisenhower era, a period that also spawned nonstick fry pans and frozen TV dinners, non-iron shirts debuted at Brooks Brothers in 1953. Menswear historian and author Bruce Boyer noted that chemicals conglomerate DuPont worked with the menswear retailer to launch the first generation of Dacron-and-cotton shirts. Since then the non-iron formula hasn’t changed much, other than the fact that most are all-cotton shirts rather than blends: The anti-wrinkle properties are derived from a chemical treatment that releases formaldehyde and bonds the strands of cotton fibers to create a stiffer fabric less likely to wrinkle.

 “While the process makes for a wrinkle-free shirt fresh out of the dryer, the fabric breaks down and leads to blown-out elbows, becomes less breathable and feels stiffer,” said Paul Trible, co-founder and CEO of Ledbury, the Richmond, Va.-based luxury shirtmaker. “These shirts are not only bonded fibers, but have fused collars, cuffs and plackets,” said Mr. Boyer, which makes them immobile compared with traditional shirts. “Who wants to look like a sheet of aluminum?” he added.

 “As everything moves to being more environmentally friendly, these artificial shirts seem out of step,” said Greg Broom, founder of MixCraft, a New York juice-drink brand. Mr. Broom likes his cotton shirts the same way he prefers his fruit juice: pure and pressed. “Wearing formaldehyde, the chemical used in embalming, has never sounded tempting to me,” he said.

 Why We Love Them

 It’s difficult to appear buttoned-up in your button-down when it looks as though it was exhumed from King Tut’s tomb. You might say non-iron shirts have liberated men from schlumpiness. “Non-iron shirts are a reliable way to avoid looking like a crumpled mess,” said Tim Kelly, a regional operations manager at Douglas Elliman real estate in East Hampton, N.Y. For men like Mr. Kelly, who want to be dressed in under 15 minutes, having a wardrobe of crease-free shirts at the ready reduces the hassles of the morning routine.

 Non-iron shirts have also made pressing, steaming and expensive laundering services almost superfluous. “These shirts are easy as pie,” said Thomas Lavandosky, a senior project analyst with an investment firm in Los Angeles. “I hang them up right out of the dryer and don’t have to think about them. There’s no bag of button-downs to haul to the cleaner.” But that doesn’t mean that fit, texture and color are no longer concerns. At Brooks Brothers, non-iron varieties currently account for 90% of the overall shirt volume, said Guy Voglino, vice president brand manager, men’s & boys. You’ll find check versions with spread collars, triple-stripe and tattersall button-downs and three different fits. When asked whether formaldehyde is still a key ingredient in their manufacture, Mr. Voglino, like other non-iron makers who were interviewed, would only say a “proprietary formula is used, one that meets global safety standards” for both those involved in the production of them and for those actually wearing them.

 Men also call out the advantage that shirts remain crisp for work and travel. “Non-irons ensure you look presentable all day,” said Eugene Ree, senior director of men’s design at Banana Republic, who favors the brand’s Grant style, notable for its tailored fit. Joe Mc-Glynn, head of new business for New York marketing agency Wunderman, praises Mizzen + Main versions that rely on a stretchy polyester spandex to keep creases at bay. “I can crumple the shirts up in a ball and still put them on without a wrinkle,” he said.  See Erik Peterson to order Mizzen + Main.



 The success of non-iron shirts has inspired a high-end phalanx of “wrinkle-resistant” analogues from Ledbury and Tom James. There’s no ‘proprietary formula’ to fuse fibers together: At Ledbury, for example, fabrics are sprayed with a mild solvent and dried to stiffen the fibers before the shirt is made. Tom James custom performance shirts use 120's compact yard and a touch on Italian woven elastic fiber to give you that wrinkle free stretch that allows for greater comfort, breath ability, luster and style while offering superior performance.







5/14/2016 5:33:20 AM

Posted by +Erik Peterson













+Tom James Company Tampa Bay #300
12100 31st Court Suite A
St Petersburg FL 33716

e.peterson@tomjames.com
727-916-7848

My Other Offices:
+Tom James Company Sarasota           Tom James Lakeland
2100 Constitution Ave                          100 S Kentucky
Suite 166                                                Lakeland FL 33801
Sarasota FL 34231
941- 487-0095                                    863-666-0860


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About: Erik Peterson has been with the Tom James Company since 1995. He serves clients in the Tampa St Petersburg Lakeland Sarasota market with their personal clothing needs. Specializing in Custom Bespoke Mens Suits Shirts Ties and Casual wear Erik Peterson - - Tom James Company would be happy to assist you with your wardrobe planning. He typically sees his clients in their office or home by appointment and is happy to help fit or tailor any of your existing clothing.


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