The Hard Press (re-fitting a 3/2 roll)

Being a cheapskate is no game for the lazy. In order to do it to the hilt, you've got to know how to do a lot of things for yourself that non-cheapskate types readily pay someone else to do. What follows is a brief lesson .

You may remember this navy suit with white stripes, recently acquired in the infamous $30 haul of 2009:

Pressed into what I call a "hard" three button stance, that is, with the lapel "rolled" to the top button. Personally, I prefer what is known as "3/2 roll", that is, a three button jacket rolled to the middle button, or a two button stance. I suspect this suit actually was made this way. Here's why.

On the face side of the jacket, the top button is somewhat unfinished. Compare it with the lower two:

On the inside, it is fully finished, as opposed to the lower two,

I take this to mean that this top button was meant to be seen from the inside, rather than the outside. It's funny, really. A 3/2 roll is one of the hallmarks of so-called "trad" menswear. One of the other hallmarks of "trad" is its supposed separateness from fashion, yet here we have a completely superfluous detail, meant only really to be superfluous. Look at your old Brooks Brothers...that third button hasn't been intended for use in decades.

But I digress. So, how to "re-set" the appropriate button stance for this jacket? It's simple, really. All you need is a common household steam iron, an ironing board, and a little bit of know-how.

First, lay the jacket out on the board, with the lapel laying completely flat. You'll notice a crease along the line of the roll of the lapel.

Holding the iron just above the cloth, apply liberal steam, until the old crease is as completely removed as possible.

In order for the lapel to sit correctly, a slight bit of creasing is required. "Roll" the lapel back so that it sits on the middle button,

then, with the iron just above the cloth, apply liberal steam to the top of the lapel, right where it meets the jackets collar. Be sure not to press to hard near the buttons. This will insure that the lapel sits on the second button, while maintaining a soft roll, rather than a hard fold.

The finished product should look something like this.

Of course, any tailor or dry cleaner worth his chemicals will know how to do this, too. Once, I brought a J.Press navy blazer to the Lee's for cleaning. I said to Mrs. Lee something like "I know it's three button, but when you press it...", to which she interrupted something like " I know, like a two button." She sounded a pinch insulted that I should even mention it. That was the day I really knew the Lee's were running a serious shop.

It was also the day I decided I ought to know how to do this myself.

Give it a try. It's only pressing. If you mess it up, you can always bring it in and have it straightened out.