Last week my client challenged me to find him some smart casual work wear which was crease resistant, as he travels a lot for work and often goes directly to meetings. I researched thoroughly before our personal shopping trip and here are some of the things I saw that were non iron, crease resistant or part of a travel range.

Admittedly most of the shirts are white, varying shades of blue, and a few in pink, but nevertheless this is a good place to stock up on non-iron shirts that will stay wrinkle free. They come in a longer length too, which is handy if you're tall. Also in the traveller range are trousers, jackets and suits made of a high twist yarn that makes it bounce back into shape.

Light blue plain traveller shirt - Suit Supply - £69

As Alex says "Made from a crinkle cut seersucker, this is the most comfortable, easy to look after sports jacket you’ll own. Made from 98% wool and 2% elastane, it makes this a great travel companion. Simply fold inside out and fold over, pack in your bag and it will remain crease free."

You can see the texture better when you click through to her website and hover over the image, and as you can see you can upgrade to have it 'made to measure' too if you find it difficult to get the right fit. Alex is lovely so if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask, she'll be really happy to help.

Seersucker lightweight lightweight summer blazer - Alexandra Wood £495 (or £795 for Made to Measure)

These chinos are actually available in a variety of colours in store (not shown on the website), so if you're able to, it's worth popping in. They're a straight cut, not too skinny, which makes them more versatile for work and if like my client, you have larger calves due to lots of running or cycling then these will be a good shape for you.

Non-iron Milano fit Supima cotton chinos - Brooks Brothers - £129

We weren't looking for a suit but I spotted this one in Hardy Amies when I went in. It comes in grey or navy, or if you're looking for something a bit more out there, there's also a blue or grey check. Slightly strangely, both the navy ones are in a slim fit and both the grey in the classic fit.

It's worth noting that Hardy Amies comes up on the short side which will be beneficial to those that need a slightly shorter length. (The measurement given for a 40" chest is 29.7" from back neck to hem).

Grey wool crease resistant suit - Brinsley classic fit - Hardy Amies - £325

I did the "screwing up the fabric in my hand" test on this one and it passed with flying colours......completely unscathed from my attempts to crease it! (And yes, the shop assistant was watching on!)

So, I have no doubt this would come in really handy for all sorts of occasions - it's smart enough and I think it would be just about long enough to wear over a suit but also would look great with jeans. Although, it's not the cheapest of jackets, if it works hard in your wardrobe and you get loads of wear from it, then it would be worth it.

Caruso "Houdini" field jacket - Caruso travel capsule - available from Fenwicks - £885

 

If you'd like to go shopping for a crease free travel wardrobe then contact me here about my personal shopping services

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