No Stupid Questions

Dress has become more casual. The business suit was originally casual dress, for hunting, and that with a waistcoat too. Casual Fridays turned into business-casual in the 90s. Then the pandemic fully killed any context for dress and now for a lot of workplaces you can wear whatever.

I like to iron my button-up shirts after a wash or if they're wrinkled from being packed up for travel but I'm aware it's odd.

I've heard that steamers are a good alternative to ironing, because they're easier to use and quicker. You can't get a crisp crease with them but they will take out wrinkles.

I only iron shirts and trousers if I want to look put together. But like I won't fuss too much for the small wrinkles, just the big ones when I don't hang washed clothes quick enough after a wash or the sun wasn't blazing.

idk I feel like I want to iron some things for some functions. I'm in my mid 30s and somewhere in south east asia

Probably ironed less than 5 items my whole life, last time was solo at a conference and just killing time

Mix colors and whites in the wash, just split between hot and cold wash

Haven't worn a suit in over a decade, don't intend to wear one again either

I do have shoe polish for some leather winter boots, and a sewing kit for mending socks and buttons

My dad wore a dress shirt and tie to work.

I wear pajama pants and a t shirt. And sometimes just the shirt.

So I iron a lot less.

we invented wrinkle-free fabric blends

People used to care about appearances and wear their clothes for longer and so a level of maintenance and care was inherent that extended into clothes and their care. Fast fashion, a lack of social stigma on casual clothing, and ever increasing lack of time and increase in multitasking has lead to people ngaf.

I definitely think it's less common, and my first thought is that it's probably down to a general switch to less formal wear? My dad wore a heck of a lot more white shirts than I do.

In my family, over my lifetime, more people started working more hours outside the home. So choices were made when buying clothes to get items that required less work. Less hand washing. Less dry clean only. Less wash separately. But the clothes still had to look professional. I still have a “permanent press” cycle on my washing machine. I think it’s a relic from that transitional era.

I have seen the shift to more casual work clothes over my lifetime. I remember some places had a day or two of “casual” days. Sometimes employees would have to pay a few dollars to wear casual items. I really don’t remember when places transitioned to such casual clothing. I think I worked a lot for a couple of years, blinked my eyes. And everyone was wearing sweat pants. Is there anyone who was paying attention who can fill me in? What happened?

Most clothes are made out of plastic or plastic blends. So they usually don't need to be ironed. And ironing plastic is a bad idea. If you purchase natural textiles, you will need to iron most of them.

I think it has to do with the materials clothes are made out of typically being more wrinkle resistant these days. No one ever liked ironing so as people were developing new textiles they had an eye towards that.

Same reason no one shines their shoes anymore, a lot of shirts just don't need the same level of maintenance anymore

Many newer fabrics don't require ironing, or not as much of it at least. Newer washing machines and driers, as well as newer fabric softeners and detergents, seem to play a role in the non-wrinkliness of clothing, too.

I rarely own anything that would require regular ironing these days. I tend to avoid buying clothing that looks like it would be a pain in the ass to keep wrinkle-free. I guess in our parents' era there ware no such choices available.

Plastic in clothing might have circumvented the need for ironing, but of course it has brought its own issues. Plastic might be an apocalyptic death substance, or it might actually be fine to have 5% of our bodyweight to be nylon. Not sure which yet.

i'm well over 45 and have never once ironed anything. fuck that shit

Maybe I just care less but none of the wrinkles in my clothes seem noticeable enough to need ironing.

plastic clothes doesn't seem to get wrinkled as easily, and i guess they shouldn't be ironed.

Dryers and fabric conditioners mainly. Clothes were handwashed and dried in the sun when I was growing up, so they had to be ironed to remove wrinkles.

When I worked in a real IRL office, I ironed stuff all the time. Now, rarely.

I always wonders wtf are those for. I never seen it being used. Gen Z, born post 2000.

Me mam irons daily but she's mental

I used to iron shirts when I worked in an office/hotel

Now I find myself hand washing items in Travelodges and drying them either on the shower rail or the tiny radiator

No suit, shirts, and tie for the office grunts anymore. Lululemon plastic also doesn’t really take to ironing.

My wife and I hate ironing so we use the dry cleaners.

Overall though people do wear a lot less formal clothing,