Quote Originally Posted by mcnice

ham what is the procedure when restoring pleats; i understood that they could only be refreshed by my own iron? and how is the hoffmann press working?
even if i don t nknow this one, i m sure not to find one in central europe
Hi Mcnice,

When 'refreshing' the pleats myself, I carefully lay the kilt on my carpet (yes, on the floor. That way you can lay the kilt out fully and keep it flat), and take time to arrange each pleat into its correct position. I then press the pleats through a damp cloth, running the iron from the hip position down to the bottom/hem, maybe two or three pleats at a time. I exert as much pressure as I can whilst doing this, but take great care to ensure that the pleats have not moved under the damp cloth. When I have finished, I leave the kilt on the floor until it has cooled and any dampness dried, before hanging it.

It is a nightmare trying to do this on an ironing board since the weight of the fabric hanging either side makes it very difficult to position the pleats.

I have not seen a Hoffmann press at close quarters, but it is an industrial, part mechanical, steam press that, I believe, presses virtually all of the kilt's pleats at the same time. It also exerts far greater pressure than one can achieve with a hand iron. I would expect almost every dry-cleaning establishment to have one of these - or something very similar.