“When I first experienced French starch, it seemed like a revelation,” says Adam Empois, the erstwhile wine and ironing critic for The New Yorker. “You have to understand that where I grew up in Nebraska, we didn’t have any of the truffle starches everyone takes for granted now. My mother used to send our clothes to the local dry cleaner.” He winces at the memory.

Today, of course, ironing is an upscale hobby phenomenon, with enthusiasts spending over $300 million annually. Empois himself has just been tapped as editor-in-chief of the new magazine, Pressed! The title will compete head-on with newsstand powerhouse Fine Ironing.

“We feel the market is large enough to support two titles,” says Empois, sporting an immaculate wrinkle-free suit in his new penthouse office. “Fine Ironing is a fantasy title for people who want to look at pictures of elegantly pressed clothes, but it’s unrealistic for do-it-yourselfers. Our focus will be geared toward the consumer, showing her where to buy products she sees celebrity ironers using on the Starch Network.”

The premiere issue includes a ten-page spread for De la Fer, the French specialty store with branches in Tribeca and Bridgehampton. De la Fer just launched a new line of must-have stainless steel ironing boards and appliances, retailing for $7,350 a set.

“Most of De la Fer’s customers actually send their ironing out,” admits Empois. “But so many of today’s homes have open floor plans that incorporate ironing areas into the living room. An attractive appliance is de rigeur, even if you only use it once a month for a quick touch-up at parties.”

For rooms furnished in traditional antiques, De la Fer offers Scalamandré silk ironing board covers, starting at $800. “That’s the kind of value-added tip we’ll offer our readers,” brags the new Pressed! editor-in-chief.

And who will be on the cover of the first issue? Empois is coy, but sources say it will be celebrity presser Mister G, who created an empire with his trend-setting presentation of tiny, elaborately folded garments on big white ceramic trays. (Prices start at $56 for a scarf.)

Credited with single-handedly launching the artisanal ironing movement in America, Mister G appeals to both starch connoisseurs and the general public. Reservations at his Manhattan location are booked two months in advance.

“No one does kick-pleats like Mister G,” gushed a tourist waiting in line recently behind the store’s velvet rope. “I watch his television show every week, but I can never get them right at home.”

Still, others snipe that fame has hampered Mr. G’s quality control. “I saved up for months to send him a suede jacket,” confided a former client, who declined to give her name for fear of being blackballed by other ironers. “It came back with a crooked seam. If you’re not part of the socialite set, he just hands your clothes off to a sous-ironer.”

Empois shrugs off the controversy. Nor will he comment on rumors that Fine Ironing plans to sign Preston Prescott, star of the reality TV show Iron Ironer, as contributing editor – a move that could undercut Pressed! circulation. Last week the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble had to issue timed tickets when the popular but admittedly down-market Prescott signed copies of his new bestseller, Perfect Cuffs in 30 Minutes.

“These days, anybody thinks he can be an ironer,” sniffs Empois. “Prescott may be a reality television star – he may be the darling of Park Avenue dinner parties — but look at his technique. My poodle could do better buttonholes! Five years ago the guy was probably wearing permanent press.”

Indicating that our interview is over, Empois steers me out of his office. As we’re shaking hands, a hapless messenger walks by in a shirt whafting of drugstore spray starch. Empois wrinkles his nose.

“I don’t mean to be a snob,” he stage-whispers, “but how can people live like that?”