Here's How to Fold a Dress Shirt, Because Sometimes You Have To

It's a basic rule of home organization: Hang your dress shirts, don't fold them, if you want to avoid unsightly wrinkles and muffed-up collars. But sometimes — when you're traveling, for instance — folding can't be avoided.

In search of best practices for this tricky task, we turned to folding extraordinaire Marie Kondo, the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and star of Netflix's hit show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, for her expert tips. Next time you find yourself packing for a big trip, avoid resigning yourself to an afternoon spent with the hotel iron and use the KonMari Method to tackle your dress shirts instead. (Just promise us you'll hang them up in the closet as soon as you get there.)

How to Fold a Crisp Dress Shirt

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If your button-down shirt has some structure to it, follow these steps before stashing it away in your suitcase.

Step 1: Set up your folding workspace.

Lay the dress shirt facedown on a completely flat surface, sleeves spread all the way out to the sides.

Step 2: Fold one sleeve.

Take one side of the shirt and fold it in toward the center, pulling the sleeve across. Fold the sleeve back in the opposite direction, and then back toward the center again, until no part of it is hanging out past the edges of the shirt.

Pro tip: Maintaining a crisp collar is key when folding dress shirts, Marie says. Be sure not to squish it as you fold.

Step 3: Fold the other sleeve.

Repeat step 2 on the other side of the shirt. Your shirt should now resemble a long, narrow rectangle.

Step 4: Fold the shirt into a more compact rectangle.

Fold the collar all the way back to the bottom hem of the shirt, creating a small rectangle shape.

Step 5: Store your shirt.

Ta-da! Your shirt is now suitcase-ready.

How to Fold a Silky Dress Shirt

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The process of folding a silky dress shirt is similar to that of folding a crisp button-down. Because the fabric is thinner and more delicate, however, you'll need to take a few precautions to avoid wrinkles and protect the collar.

1. Lay the shirt out on a completely flat surface, buttons facing up this time.
2. Fold one side of the shirt in toward the center, pulling the sleeve across and over the tips of the collar. Fold the sleeve back the opposite direction, and then back toward the center again.
3. Repeat step 2 on the other side of the shirt.
4. Fold the collar down toward the bottom hem to make a small rectangle. Then, carefully roll the shirt from one end to the other, until it forms a compact cylinder.