What we wear affects the way we feel

In case you guys are wondering, yes, this is a Wayne Lowe shirt and the reason it isn't in our store is because we haven't launched the collection. Wayne Lowe Egyptian Cotton Shirts teaser alert!

Good day viewers of The Art of Wayne Lowe. I'm Reine, founder of Wayne Lowe. I was asked by my team to write an article for our blog (never thought that was part of my job scope), so here's something I came up with that would hopefully be of some help to you viewers.

Okay, here's what most people think: a shirt is just something you need to put on at work, thus any shirt will do as long as it's low-priced (admit it, most of us never really budget for dress shirts :( how unfortunate...), right?

For the yaysayers to the above....NO! YOU ARE WRONG! DEAD WRONG! Do pardon me as it kills me a little inside every time someone says that a shirt is merely a necessity for work and that it brings no value to their life. Allow me to explain why by relating a part of my life experience. 

Before I founded Wayne Lowe I was a practicing lawyer (yes, surprise surprise, a lawyer who gave up lawyering and became a shirt maker) and I viewed shirts only as a necessity for work. Back then I was a recent graduate and haven't really worn shirts throughout my life (youngsters always wear t-shirts, they are more comfy than shirts , or so we thought....). So what did I do? I went to Marks and Spencer and bought myself five white CVC (chief value cotton) shirts. Oh, and how did I end up with M&S shirts? I originally wanted to buy G2000 shirts since they were seen as the 'go to' brand for work shirts (kudos to their marketing team) but being a fairly large person, I couldn't get my size which was a 17.5 collar (they only carried up to size 17). 

So my work life started, wearing a M&S CVC white shirt everyday to work. I must say back then I hated to wear shirts. There's this 'hard' and unnatural feeling about those shirts and I dreaded going out for lunch every day. Oh my god..... The moment I was exposed to sunlight I started to melt, and this is when the shirt starts to make me feel miserable. The fabric begins to 'stick' on my skin, the course feeling from the fabric felt repulsive, ugh....the shudders... Now, that wouldn't be so bad if my day went smooth and well. However, in the world of lawyering your days usually don't sail smooth as butter. I remember one day especially where I woke up late (pulled an all-nighter due to work), had to rush to work and upon arrival, sweating, panting, I saw on my desk - a whole bunch of new files gleefully staring back at me, adding to my misery. At that point of time my blood was boiling, I was feeling upset, pissed at work, and the sticky course fabric clinging onto my skin like an insane ex-girl friend who won't let go aggravated the situation. My day was ruined. 

Now now peeps, I know you're thinking 'hey, your day was ruined by the chain of events that occurred, not because u wore a lousy feeling shirt!'. Look, I won't deny that, but I will also like to point out that the lousy shirt made my day worse than what has already been a disastrous day. Okay, let me give another narrative.... 

Fast forward to recent times, I wear shirts on a daily basis now (which shirt maker wouldn't?). I'm sure you have had those days where u woke up on the wrong side of bed and just felt like calling in sick, dreading to go to work. So I had one of those days, and my old nature struck where I felt frustrated that I had to put on a shirt for a meeting. Since I'm running a company now I can't just call in sick, I reluctantly washed up and starting putting on my shirt. Here's the amazing thing that happened and I kid you not.....the moment the sleeve of the shirt went through my arm, my first thought was 'oh! This shirt is good!' ( shameless advertising - I was putting on our shirt). I took some time to enjoy the feel of the shirt draping over my body, the smooth fabric that laid gently on my skin. At that very moment my frustrations for the day vanished into thin air and I went about with my chores feeling totally fine, in fact even a little jolly. 

So, the point I'm trying to put forward is that your shirt does affect how you feel way more than you might think. Gentlemen, please stop thinking that a shirt is a mere necessity for work. Transcend that, seek the intangibles a great shirt could provide you.

I would like to end this article with a shameless advertisement for our brand. Wayne Lowe shirts provide you what generic brand shirts could not- the comfort, the confidence and pride that you are wearing a great shirt that has been crafted with your comfort in mind instead of to maximize profit. Transcend basic necessity, seek comfort and the intangibles in our shirts.

How to Iron A Dress Shirt

Do you want to spend your whole Sunday ironing? It is a day for relaxing and catching up with your Zzzzs, to feel recharged for the coming work week. But you have a whole load of shirts just waiting to be ironed, for your Monday to Friday wardrobe (and no one is around to help you). What’s a bloke to do?!

We have shared with you the right TOOLS needed to iron a dress shirt in our previous article. Today we will take you through, step by step, HOW to iron a dress shirt. These time saving tips will ensure you do a fast and great job leaving you enough time for your weekend pursuits. 

PREPARATION


It is a great idea to iron shirts in a batch, you will save time and electricity (think of the many times the iron needs to warm up, if you iron a single shirt at a time)!

Have a look at the care label. It tells you how to care for your shirt. This picture should help you decipher the symbols! Shirts made of 100% cotton or cotton blends can withstand high temperatures, but polyester shirt fabrics are more fragile (Please, for the love of god... do not buy and wear polyester shirts... it kills us a little inside every time we see someone with a polyester shirt...). You can start with a low heat setting on the iron and slowly turn it up once your shirt responds well.

Check whether there are any stains on the shirt, particularly at the cuff, collar or underarm areas, because stains that are ironed in can be very difficult (or even impossible) to remove.



It is best to iron a damp shirt. If the shirt is totally dry, then spray the shirt with water and leave to sit in a ball for 10-15 minutes.


Step 1. Iron the collar



Remove the collar inserts if there are any. Start with the front of the collar. Pull the fabric of the collar taut. Press the top of the collar and moving your way to the tips. Repeat the same with the back of the collar and also iron the strip of fabric under the collar.


Step 2. Iron the back of the shirt


Next press the yoke, which is actually the upper back of the shirt. Also iron the pleat on the shirt (if any) which is under the yoke.



Lay the shirt flat on the board. You can position one of the sleeve heads into the edge of the ironing board. There will then be half a side of the shirt back in a good position to be ironed. Then slide the shirt over to complete the other half. Start with the top (shoulder area) and slowly slide the iron down.


Step 3. Iron the cuff and sleeves





Unbutton the buttons and lay the cuff out flat. Iron the outside of the cuff first followed by the underside. Carefully iron around the buttons and don’t iron over them as it can leave a mark. For the French cuff, repeat the above.

Next, before you iron the sleeves, make sure the fabric is flat and smooth! This is because you are in fact ironing two layers of fabric, and slightly more care is needed for this step. Lay the whole sleeve flat and make sure to line up the seam properly. If there is a crease on the sleeve from the previous ironing, use that as a guide. Start from the top of sleeve and work down to the cuff.

Turn the sleeve over and iron, and repeat the process with the other sleeve.


Step 4. Iron the front of the shirt



You can start ironing the side that has buttons. Using the tip of the iron, carefully work your way around the button area. Remember not to iron over buttons, besides leaving a mark, it may even break the buttons.



Go around the arm hole with the iron tip, and work your way down the shirt front. Repeat on the other side of the shirt front and if you have a placket, iron the fabric underneath the placket, and then over it. This part of your shirt receives a lot of attention, so make sure you spend some time here!



Then, iron the pockets upwards.


Step 5. Inspect and hang the shirt



Take a good look at the shirt and if you need to, spot iron for some touch ups. And that’s it. We’re done! Now it’s time to hang the shirt so that you do not undo all that perfect ironing. Make sure you button the top collar button so that the collar stays in shape.



Just kidding guys, with our explanation above, you don’t need to resort to this.

We hope you enjoyed this article. Do share with your friends and like us on Facebook!

If you would like to receive updates on our blog posts do subscribe to our newsletter at www.waynelowe.com.

Why Men iron shirts while Boys buy wrinkle free shirts

You know that feeling when you step out of your front door wearing your best dress shirt looking all dapper. You’re ready for battle. Now imagine that same shirt full of creases with a droopy front pocket. Suddenly you look like a tired and lazy person.

When you wear a perfectly ironed shirt, it gives others a positive impression of you. A man who is bothered enough about how he looks and who pays attention to detail is a man who can be trusted with greater responsibilities.

Here are 5 reasons a man should iron his own shirts:

1. It is the manly thing to do – being self-sufficient and independent is empowering. Besides, when a woman knows a man does his own ironing (and not his mum), she thinks he’s such a great catch.
2. You save on dry cleaning and pressing costs.
3. You are in control of the situation – no frantic, last minute trip to the dry cleaners!
4. You know which parts of your shirt need extra cleaning.
5. Your other half will LOVE you for it!

At this point, you’re probably thinking why not go for a wrinkle free shirt instead! Look, that's a "boy move", avoiding problems (or trying to find short cuts that don't really solve the problems) instead of facing and solving it. Be warned that the fabric of wrinkle free shirts is treated with a layer of chemical which contains formaldehyde (Alert: Cancer causing potential and oh... not to mention the skin irritation it will cause if you have sensitive skin....) to keep it wrinkle resistant. This wrinkle free chemical also weakens the fabric, making it less durable and less comfortable.

Ironing isn’t as tricky as it sounds. It doesn’t have to be a tiresome task too. Still not convinced? Here are some tips to get you on your way to become the ultimate Iron(ing) Man:-

1. Invest in a good quality iron

There are two types of irons - the dry iron and the steam iron. Choose an iron with a good quality soleplate. Well-built soleplates are often made of ceramic or stainless steel. A thin and tapered soleplate will be easier to steer around buttons and seams.

Steam irons are simply irons with a built-in steam function. A good steam iron pumps out plenty of steam to smooth out the toughest of wrinkles. You may also go for energy saving irons too.

The higher the wattage of your iron, the shorter the heat up times will be, and the better your ironing results!

Avoid standing garment steamers. They are useful for lightweight fabrics like silk, but will not do a good job for your 100% 2-ply cotton dress shirts. A good, solid iron makes a huge difference and is definitely worth your pennies.

In a hotel on a business trip? No sweat. There are many good travel irons in the market. Just place a towel on a smooth, hard surface and voilà, you’ve got your ironing board.

2. Get a wide ironing board

Find a sturdy ironing board with a smooth cover. Here’s a reminder, the wider the board, the better. Full size ironing boards are usually about 15X54 inches. Using a wide ironing board will ensure that you can iron the hard-to-reach parts of your dress shirt more effectively. Also get one which has an adjustable height and with an iron rest.

3. Iron a damp shirt

The best time to iron your dress shirt is when it is 80% dry (not dripping wet) because creases are easier to iron out when the shirt is damp. If your shirts are already completely dry, fill a spray bottle with water and spray the mist to thoroughly moisten the shirts.

Now, time to take out the iron and board and do some ironing! The more you practice, the more you’ll get the hang of it. There is nothing better than walking out the door in a freshly pressed, crisp shirt that makes you feel like you could take on the world!

Make sure you keep coming back to our blog for more useful tips to share with family and friends!