Jacket lapels should be rolled in not pressed with a crease. This gives the jacket a full soft look instead of a hard military finish. Below we show you how to achieve this without the need for professional steamers or irons.
Lapels
Hold the jacket over the end of the board as shown, with the jacket collar in its right place and your other hand pulling lightly by the button hole.
This gives you the correct line for the lapel, so it falls into the right place when worn.
Place a dampened cloth over the "V" section in the lapel. You can see from the picture that the majority of the lapel is NOT being ironed. Iron by moving the iron 1/2 way in and then reverse out again at right angles to the lapel. That's all you want to do, you're just setting a light crease at the top of the lapel to neaten the area and show you where the rest should go.
With the lapel folded and fully on the board cover with a damp cloth and iron for a very short time with out adding any pressure at all. The aim is to steam the lapel without putting a crease in. Remove the cloth and use your fingers and hands as tools, smoothing the fabric around them to create the shape you want.
Checking that pocket flaps and outside pockets look good is important to the finish of the jacket. You also need to see if the jacket body itself needs any touching up on the outside, where wrinkles might have been set in. Always do this using a dampened cloth - mistakes can be costly and you can always redo any part of the garment if you're not quite satisfied.
Flaps & Touching up
You need to check the whole side of the jacket to make sure it looks right. If it needs more work place a damp cloth on it and iron that section, remember that you can iron a very small section if that is all that needs correction. Often pocket flaps aren't right If that's the case position and flatten them with your hands before making sure the flap looks right before going any further.
Be very careful of bumps from the lining or underneath of the pocket, these can create shining if you go over them heavily with the iron. Place a damp cloth over the area and guide the iron sideways down over the flap. Remove the cloth and smooth the flap down, ensuring it appears dry before moving it off the board.
