Full Steam Ahead With Philips
Last week I had one of those work days where you literally love your job so much. I was asked by Philips to give a Wrinkle Workshop to celebrate their product launch of the new Steam & Go Plus, a fantastic new hand held steamer they have just bought out. My audience was made up of ten of the UK's finest lifestyle influencers hosted by Ella from Coco’s Tea Party and Monica from Elgin Avenue, the group of women were just so fab and it was such a fun and informative day at TheLimewood Hotel. I shared with them my top steaming tips and then I got them all steaming away some lovely L.K. Bennett clothes called in for the event. I have to say they were very good students and took lots of tips away from the day becoming a team of pro steamers.
To be a good Stylist you have got to know how to steam and iron properly. Here are my top tips on how to get the best out of your steamer and make your clothes look just fab.
Always start from the back of your outfit, that way if anything goes wrong you can have time for it to dry especially if you're on a shoot or having your picture taken.
Turn sequinned, vintage or lace outfits inside out and use the steamer in exactly the same way you would with other clothes.
Have a hairdryer on standby encase you have any accidents ( I promise you won’t with the Philips Steam & Go) with the water bubbling. A quick zap with the heat of a hairdryer and it will dry in no time.
Pleats are easy to steam, just make a fan shape with the material and very gently steam down the flat area of fabric.
Make sure your wrinkled outfit isn’t bone dry so that the wrinkles are really defined before you start steaming. Instead, when getting out of the washing machine making sure you lay it flat or on a hanger to let gravity do some of the hard work for you.
When you steam your cashmere lay it flat on a bed or a table and make sure its very dry, don’t over steam as wool absorbs more water than other fabric and you will end up looking and smelling like a wet dog if you don’t adhere.
Steaming can refresh outfits and save on those dry cleaning bills so I really encourage you to give it a go as steaming is good for the environment too.
To make steaming easier especially on holiday or travelling, roll up your clothes into sausage shapes and put them in yours suitcase, that way no harsh creases form like if you had folded them.
Pre steaming, make sure you have good foundations to start, a great padded hanger to put your clothes on, a clipped trouser or skirt one and plenty of distilled water on standby.
I love putting a few sprigs of lavender in my distilled water, it helps make clothes smell so good and is a lovely aroma to work to steaming away.
I must quickly tell you about the Philips Steam and Go Plus, it really is excellent and I have used it nearly everyday since the workshop. I even steamed my sheets the other day on the bed too! Talk about hospital corners. The Steam & Go Plus is a game changer, its light, easy and super quick to use. It heats up within forty five seconds, and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria. You can steam both vertically and horizontally, and it has a ceramic head so doesn’t burn clothes. A brush for using on coats and knitwear and its super lightweight and compact. There is a detachable water tank, mittens for protection and a heat resistant bag and a long cord.
I'm super obsessed with Love Island this season and all I wish is that some Steam and Go Plus could be magically dropped in the villa so Dr. Alex didn’t have to spend so much time ironing everybody else's shirts!