How to Fold a Dress Shirt
Men's Shirts
The only time you want to be folding your dress shirt is to pack it in your carry-on or check-in luggage for travel. Or perhaps a long-term storage situation. All other reasons to store your dress shirt, you will want to hang it up. Remember to iron your dress shirt and smooth out the collar and cuff links before you start folding.
This is How to Fold a Dress Shirt: 2 Folds to Try.
Welcome to our article on how to fold a dress shirt.
There are a few reasons you are looking to fold your dress shirt: to put in your suitcase, it’s moving day, or you are putting them into long storage, and you don’t have a suit carrier.
If you’re looking this up for general storage, let me help you out!
You should ALWAYS hang your shirt up in your closet. Hanging will stop it from wrinkling and keep your cuffs and collar in the correct shapes.
How to Fold a Dress Shirt
Be patient when folding your dress shirt, and keep your iron and ironing board nearby and hot (also make sure your dress shirt is washed). Giving any wrinkles a spot treatment before completing the folds will make your life easier when you pull it out to wear next. Learning how to hang a dress shirt correctly is also important for keeping your garment wrinkle free. If you’ve never ironed a dress shirt before make sure to learn how to properly iron dress shirts first.
Follow our other step-by-step guides on all you need to know about wearing the perfect shirt.
1. How to Fold a Dress Shirt
1. Lay your dress shirt flat
Lay your shirt facing upwards on a large flat surface like a table or bed. Smooth out the back of your shirt the best you can.
2. Choose your button option
You can button all the buttons or do the top, bottom, and center buttons. Either choice will keep your shirts straight and reduce wrinkles as you pack.
3. Make your first fold
Place your shirt front-down and make the first fold. Turn your shirt over and fold one sleeve towards the center of your shirt. Your fold line will be just before your shirt’s collar, starting at the center of the shoulder. Your shirt should have about ⅓ of the front folded over the back.
4. Repeat the fold
Fold the second sleeve the same way. Fold the other sleeve towards the center, so your fold is made near the shoulder.
5. Pinch your sleeve
Pinch the top and the bottom of your sleeve. Fold your sleeve on top of the rest of your sleeve. Make this fold at an angle, forming a broad “V” shape with your fold. Your sleeve’s folds should meet right around the shirt’s collar, laying flat at the seam.
6. Finish the folds
Hold the tail of your shirt with two hands and fold the shirt lengthwise. You can make 1 or 2 folds based on the length of your shirt. For shorter shirts, make your fold from the bottom up so the bottom edge rests below the collar. For longer shirts, make two folds from the bottom, so your folds stack on top of each other.
How to Fold a Dress Shirt: Tips
- Iron your shirt before folding, if it has any hard to smooth out wrinkles.
- Be sure not to squish your collar or sleeve cuffs when making your folds.
2. How to Fold 2 Dress Shirts Together
1. Lay the dress shirt flat
Lay the first shirt flat, with the backside up. Button up the dress shirt before placing it on a large flat surface (table, bed).
2. Fold the sleeves
Place your finger at the neckline and fold your sleeves to create a straight edge. You can do this for either short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts.
3. Move the left sleeve
Move the left sleeve to the fold line. This will fold your sleeve on top of the back of your shirt.
4. Fold the right sleeve
Fold your right sleeve like you folded the left, so it lays flat. Both of your sleeves should be lying flat on top of the back of your shirt.
5. Move second shirt
Place your second folded shirt on top of your first shirt. Place it towards the bottom and leave 3-5 inches of space.
6. Sandwich the dress shirts
Sandwich your second shirt in between both halves of your first shirt. Fold your first shirt around your second shirt. Your second shirt should now be between the top and bottom of your first shirt.
How to Fold 2 Dress Shirts Together: Tips
- Smooth out both of your shirts before starting.
- You can use both dress shirts and T-shirts for this.
- If you are folding a short-sleeved shirt, your sleeve will fold onto the top third of your shirt.
- For longer sleeves, your sleeves will line the length of your shirt.
- Make sure you fold your second shirt before you fold it into the first shirt.
How to Fold a Dress Shirt FAQ
To fold a dress shirt nicely, you will want to first and foremost make sure your shirt has no wrinkles in it and is clean. Then follow our 6-step process.
To fold a dress shirt, so it doesn’t wrinkle, you will need to make sure the shirt is ironed and then use a large flat surface. A kitchen table is the best place to do this.
You should hang your dress shirts. Hanging your dress shirt will keep it wrinkle-free, with no need to iron it everytime you want to wear it. You will only want to fold your dress shirt if you are packing it for a trip or long-term storage.
