Washing and Ironing a Pleated Shirt Without Losing the Pleats

Keeping the pleats on a pleated-front shirt comes down to four habits: remove every stud and cufflink before washing, wash gently in cool water, press each pleat in turn along its fold, and hang the shirt on a broad hanger with the collar button fastened. Pleats are lost almost always through rough washing, hurried pressing or careless hanging, and seldom through the quality of the cloth.

Remove studs and cufflinks first

Metal studs and cufflinks can scratch the cloth, tear buttonholes and knock against the pleats as the shirt tumbles. The first job is to take them all out and put them in a small box so that none is lost. Fasten the shirt's own buttons so the garment does not twist.

Take out the collar stays too, if there are any. They do not tolerate a hot iron and can leave an impression on the collar. Turn out the collar and cuffs, since they hold the most dirt.

Wash gently

• Read the care label first. Some high-end evening shirts should only be dry cleaned or hand washed.
• Hand wash, or use a wash bag on a delicate cycle with cool water. Hot water shrinks the cloth and warps or flattens the pleats.
• Use a mild detergent and avoid harsh bleach. Chlorine bleach turns cotton yellow and weakens the fibres.
• Squeeze gently and never wring. Wringing twists the pleats and sets horizontal creases.
• Keep it out of a hot dryer; dry it in a shaded, airy place.

Treat the collar and underarms beforehand with a little detergent or a mild whitening product made for white cloth, so that you do not have to scrub hard later.

Press each pleat along its fold

This is the deciding step. If you iron the whole bib in one sweep, the pleats flatten and overlap.

1. Iron while the shirt is still slightly damp, or mist it lightly to soften the cloth. Use a moderate heat suitable for cotton, with a thin pressing cloth if the fabric is heat sensitive.
2. Start with the collar and cuffs, then the sleeves and body. Leave the bib for last.
3. Lay the bib flat on the board and use your fingers to line up every pleat from top to bottom.
4. Set the iron along one pleat, press it, then move to the next. Always move along the fold, never across it, because pressing across breaks the crease.
5. Do not lean hard on the pleat edges. Just enough pressure to make the crease lie still and sharp.
6. Let the shirt cool and dry completely on the board before lifting it.

Iron from the reverse side when you can to avoid shine, or use a thin cloth on the right side. On piqué with a raised weave, pressing from the back keeps the texture.

Starch or no starch

People often ask whether to starch the bib to keep the pleats firm. For a soft pleated shirt the safe answer is none, or only a very light touch. Heavy starch makes the cloth stiff and brittle, the pleats snap, and a residue builds up. Starch residue left in the cloth for a long time is also one cause of yellowing in storage, as we explain in storing tuxedo shirts without yellowing.

If you want the bib to stand a little more, use a light spray starch, mist evenly from a distance and press at once. Do not starch the whole shirt. A classic stiff-front shirt is a different garment with its own care, and you should follow its label.

Hang it correctly

• Use a broad, rounded-shoulder hanger, never a wire one, which marks the shoulders.
• Fasten the collar button and one chest button so the collar keeps its shape.
• Hang in an airy place away from direct sun, which fades colour.
• Do not cram the shirt into a packed wardrobe, where the pleats get crushed.
• If you must fold it, fold along the body with the bib on top and put nothing heavy on it.

Longer-term storage between wearings is covered in storing a tuxedo between wearings. To understand how the pleats are built, read our article on pleated-front shirts.

Book a visit at Mon Amie

If a shirt has already lost its pleats and you are unsure it can be saved, bring it to the showroom and a consultant can look at the cloth. You can also book a fitting if you would like a new pleated shirt cut to your build.