First of all, you laundered them properly, didn't you: in cold water, probably, and you turned them inside out before you put them in the washer.
Ideally, you haven't dried them yet, or not much. Dampness helps in ironing trousers, even more than in ironing shirts. But this isn't critical, because you'll be employing an ironing cloth.
An ironing cloth is simply an old, non-linty towel that you're going to soak in hot water, then place atop the portion of the trousers you'll be ironing. The logic behind using the cloth is the same as in turning the garment inside out prior to laundering: you want to slow down the process of wear, which wiill show up as a shine you do not want.
Be advised, too: this method, although it doesn't take long, is not suited for those ironing in a hurry. Trousers ironed this Marine Corps way will not be ready for wear immediately, as they will still be considerably damp and in need of drying out, which will take time.
Stanley Agar recommends holding a pair of trousers by the waist and letting them hang naturally -- that way you'll find the natural crease for both legs. This is true, but I've also found that after a while, trousers, like shirt sleeves, will have a permanently ironed-in crease anyway. You do want to delay this, but it'll probably happen. So just find your crease and lay one trouser leg flat along the length of the ironing board. Wring out your ironing cloth slightly, and place it atop the trouser leg to be ironed. Press a bit, get that moisture in. Let it sit there for a minute, while you're writing out another blog post or getting a sixth cup of coffee or something. You don't need to soak the material: the dampness from the cloth is enough, and you'll be adding a touch of starch, anyway, which will also bring more dampness of its own.
Press small areas at a time with the hot iron. Home Comforts recommends doing your ironing jobs in the order of increasing heat; in other words, your wool trousers for example, would come before your cotton or dress shirts. I concur, but I'd also point out that you're using a wet towel (that ironing cloth, remember?), which should help mitigate this.
Don't forget to do the other leg. Hang your trousers upside down (that is, waist down, legs up), and you are finished, my sharp-creased, snappily-dressed friend!
Now for some questions:
(1) You don't iron both sides of the legs. Why is that?
Answer: No, I don't. I was taught to do that, at Parris Island, but I noticed over time that it didn't make a difference. When I say "over time," I mean years, because for years I just put all of my uniforms into the cleaners on a weekly basis. Later on I began caring for more and more of my own stuff, and I just dropped the habit as unnecessary. Oh, with the camouflaged utility trousers, I still ironed both sides. Stanley Agar, by the way, agrees with me on this.
(2) What about difficult areas such as cuffs, pleats, or women's pants?
Answer: Well, they're not really more difficult, just smaller. Smooth them out by hand and work on ironing that smaller area by itself. The same advice goes for irregulars you may have bought: if it doesn't bother you to buy and wear them, don't let it bother you to iron them.
(3) What about ironing jeans? I've heard they can be a special case.
Answer: Indeed they can. The classic jeans are Levi's 501s with the button fly, and the classic advice goes for them: launder them a few times, inside out, possibly with a tiny bit of bleach, perhaps possibly in hot water, and they'll shrink to fit. No need to iron them at all. But if you do, you'll probably find that that's just how jeans fit.
Now, for other jeans, all of the above bets are off. Since the 1970s we have seen the breakup of the Beatles, women's suffrage in Switzerland, the Carter presidency, and other outrages, as well as a proliferation of brands and styles of blue jeans. Many are treated these days for a certain look or feel or fit, and in many cases the materials are softer than the cotton denim of the original Levi's. Therefore, your miieage on "don't iron 'em" may vary. Use your own eyes.
(4) And my suits? What about them?
Answer: Hey, if the tag says "Dry clean only," then guess what? Dry clean only. Keep in mind that your clothes -- including your suits, will fade in time. All of them. The best advice is to dry clean your suitjacket and its attendant trousers together, so that at least as they fade (slightly, we hope) over time, they'll fade at the same rate. I try to do this myself, but it also means I resist touching a hot iron to any part of a suit.
(5) You mention a "touch" of starch. Do you use less starch on trousers than you do on your shirts?
Answer: I do. That's a personal preference, and yours may of course vary. But whether it's a suit or a Marine Corps uniform, I do not care to screech and spark and crackle as I walk. Ironing is for visual, not auditory, effect.
So that's it. Go thou and sin no more -- and wear those trousers where they rightfully belong, son, which is not two inches above the knee.
Posted by Craig Ceely at September 28, 2008 11:01 PM