They Could be Cost-Effective, Depending on Your Lifestyleīut what if $65 per shirt was actually a good deal too? And since we are talking about economics, I might as well say that something as simple as appearance can lead to more sales or a better salary.
Shabby chic is unfortunately no longer the in-look, and while a 5 ‘o’clock shadow might be acceptable, a wrinkly shirt looks sloppy.
Another plus of higher-quality no-iron shirts is that they are still crisp at the end of the day.įor certain jobs, looking pulled-together is important. They Stay Wrinkle-Less All Day LongĮven though the shirts cost an arm and a leg (Brooks Brothers full-price retail is as high as $80, while Charles Tyrwhitt can go for as low as $39), they have so far lived up to their crease-free promise. So by spending more on the shirts, we saved time and gained quality. But my wrinkle-tolerance threshold is pretty low, and they definitely passed my muster.
Yes, I admit that on some of the shirts (not all) there is a very subtle waviness in the fabric. It was kind-of weird: there was virtually no sign they had been through the wringer. I was shocked, however, to see how crisp and smooth these luxury-brand shirts looked when I pulled them out of the dryer. Most wrinkle-free shirts we’ve had in the past either have to be ironed anyway (what’s the point?) or they look cheap and polyestery. Spending on high-quality non-iron shirts, like Brooks Brothers or Charles Tyrwhitt, did pay off in the labor department. The Obvious: They Save LaborĪs my new accountant says: it’s either your time or your money. So let’s go through some of the reasons why and why not to buy wrinkle-free dress shirts. Scoring brand-name dress shirts for $1 to $2 at thrift stores is more my style, and the huge savings make up for the fact that the oxfords have to be ironed the old-fashioned way. And I would not have allowed myself to spend $65 for a shirt, even if it did shorten my Sunday chore list. However, it is difficult to find a true iron-less shirt unless you spend a lot of money. I do all the ironing in the house (although my 10-year-old sometimes chips in because she thinks it’s fun), so the shirts were just as much a gift to me as they were to his closet. Believe me, I was touched that he was thinking of me when building his wardrobe. So this is why hubby was forced to go to Nordstrom Rack on his own, and how he returned with an armload of no-iron shirts (and some work pants) and a bill for almost $500.
However, now that we have a toddler with a penchant for knocking merchandise off shelves with a velocity that only increases when he is told not to, we try to whip in and out of stores as fast as a greased skateboard. We can usually find nice dress shirts for about $20 a piece in these kinds of stores. There are kids hanging out of shopping carts, hiding under racks of viscose blouses, rolling around the floor of the lingerie section, and sometimes, there are kids plied with toys to make it worth their while (now you know who is really in control around here). We usually go shopping together, and when I say together, I mean the whole family takes a field trip to TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. When my husband took clothes-shopping into his own hands last weekend, I was forced to ask myself: how much is a get-out-of-ironing card worth? Forty-five dollars? Because that’s how much more he paid for a Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt than I pay for a regular dress shirt.