MTM shirts 'bubbling'. whos fault is it?

hi guys. i have a couple of tailor made shirts that are showing bubbling at the collar after only 1 wash! more specifically: theres a few bumps around the edges of the collar that cant be smoothed down because theyre completely warped.

where should i throw a fit? does the dry cleaner get it or the tailor? at 100+ a pop, they shouldve lasted me at least a year.

If they are fused, it is a possibility.

Jon.

Is it delamination of the lining, or is it around the stitching? I once had a shirt on which the stitching shrank so much that it puckered up all the edges, especially on the placket. I had to return it because I couldn't iron it. If the stitching and fabric shrink at different rates (either way), it can cause puckering.

You can get some bubbling in collars that haven't been fused. The fix is to have the shirt starched a couple of times when it's laundered and pressed. That should fuse the pieces.

Originally Posted by plazdiddy

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i have a couple of tailor made shirts

Who's the maker?

Originally Posted by Will

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You can get some bubbling in collars that haven't been fused. The fix is to have the shirt starched a couple of times when it's laundered and pressed. That should fuse the pieces.

I don't think its possible to bubble when its not fused

Originally Posted by Tomasso

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Who's the maker?

http://www.hongkongcustomtailor.com/

none other than mr kelly. im getting a little sore on the whole mtm experience. i checked the collar material and it appears to not be fused, so its most likely due to shortcuts taken during construction (is that what you meant, J?). i know fused = bad in the suit making process, but is it par for course for shirts? even my cheapo express rtw shirts never gave me this much trouble. either way...i am now the proud owner of 2 shirts that fit spectacularly but have the unfortunate collar

perhaps a damage Appreciation picture is in order?

Try to post a pic of the collar.

in this pic you can see the bubbling on the left tab. note that this just came back from the cleaner pressed and washed.



another shot from a different angle. you can now see the bubbling on the left tab in glorious 3d and also the crease on the right tab, which im sure will bubble some more to catch up.



even my crappy camera phone pic cant hide the obvious bubblin on my poor lavendar shirt


should i bring a bat with me to visit mr kelly? does the cleaner get a broken rib? just kidding...but lets figure out who gets the tab for my poor destroyed shirts.

Originally Posted by plazdiddy

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lets figure out who gets the tab for my poor destroyed shirts.

I know what both their reactions will be.

That's bad fusing ... which can be exacerbated by a dry cleaner running their pressing bucks too hot - which many do.

Turn the collar over. Heat your iron to the hottest setting. Have a friend stretch the collar band flat and as taut as possible on the ironing table and hold it in that position.

Sit the iron on the underside of the collar where the bubbling is until it is very hot - about 60-70 seconds. Press down on the iron with all of your might and hold for 20-30 seconds.

If your iron is able to get hot enough, you may be able to heat up the polyamide bond sufficiently to melt it. Your friend's stretching action should be sufficient to pull out the wrinkles/bubbles. Now remove the iron and both of you continue holding it taut until it is completely cool - about 2-3 minutes. This should flatten out the bubbles.

Be aware that this procedure may scorch the underside of the collar.

thanks alexander for the wonderful advice! should i bother with that or would it be a better idea to bring them back for an exchange/refund? the materials of these shirts are rather delicate, and im a little scared that scorching the underside will probably show through.

It doesn't hurt to try for an exchange first. I would do that before attempting some in-home fusing.

send it back and ask for a new collar to be installed.

Originally Posted by plazdiddy

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thanks alexander for the wonderful advice! should i bother with that or would it be a better idea to bring them back for an exchange/refund? the materials of these shirts are rather delicate, and im a little scared that scorching the underside will probably show through.
You can request a new collar, but it is going to be made the same as the present collar and you'll probably end up with the same problem. You might ask your cleaner to check the temperature on his machines. If it is over 300º you will have te same problem.