A reader asked about the maintenance of suits and the change of season means it's probably time to review those practices once again. So here goes.
The chemicals used in the dry cleaning process can significantly shorten the life of a suit, and I try to have mine cleaned only at the end of their active season. Before cleaning, send suits to an alterations tailor to tighten buttons and make any required repairs. When they come back, have the suits dry cleaned to remove any dirt that might be attractive to moths, and hand pressed. When you get the cleaned and repaired items home, remove the cleaners' poly bags and store them for the inactive season in cloth suit bags.
If you wear hand canvassed jackets and your dry cleaner won't hand press the jacket fronts, I urge you to find another dry cleaner. The photos are of my alterations tailor performing emergency service on one of my jackets after my (now former) cleaners ruined the press of the collar.
Minimizing dry cleaning frequency requires five minutes of home brushing and steaming before and after each wearing. A suit should be brushed to remove dust and dirt before it gets ground into the cloth. After brushing, empty the pockets, remove belts or braces and hang the suit on a shaped or padded hanger with the closures zipped or buttoned.
Suits should rest for at least 24 hours (flannels and tweeds should rest for at least two days) so the cloth has time to recover its shape. Many wrinkles that developed during the wear will fall out of their own accord overnight.
Before wearing a garment again, remove any remaining wrinkles, and any new ones that developed during storage, with a steamer. Steam relaxes the fibers and, unlike ironing, will not scorch them.
Some trousers may lose their crease during the season. When this happens, I prefer to have my trousers pressed but not cleaned (a jacket and trousers should always be cleaned at the same time to keep them looking like a matched set). This is only a good idea if they are brushed regularly. Pressing dusty cloth, even cloth that looks clean, grinds dirt into the fabric. And, because most people don't brush, many cleaners don't offer a separate pressing service.
Need help finding a competent dry cleaner? If there is a Four Seasons Hotel in your city, call and ask where they send their guests' clothing. Try the service they use -it'll usually be the best establishment in town.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Maintenance: Caring for Suits
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11 comments:
i dont get it.. why four seasons?
i have Hilton, Ritz, as well as four seasons where i live.. does that mean four seasons is better than them in clothing care?
It's a very desireable account for a cleaning service and Four Seasons takes the time to evaluate the options. So their choice tends to be more informed than a consumer's choice.
Thanks so much. This is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. It is very helpful to have daily, weekly, and seasonal maintenace recommendations.
Could you make similar maintenace recommendations for shoes and shirts? I have recently gone the bespoke route for suits, shirts, and shoes. I realize that these have become my favorite items and I wear them more than other pieces in my wardrobe so they may be prone to over-use. I would like to maintain them as best I can.
Thanks again. I find your blog very informative.
p.s. I live in the Bay Area. Would you consider assembling a list of vendors you prefer and doing a few posts on them? It is interesting to see and hear about craftsmen. I am thinking of alterations tailors, cobblers, dry cleaners, etc...but I would also be interested in your thoughts on the various men's stores. I believe you posted something on Borelli once. I enjoyed that very much.
Shoes: http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2007/02/maintenance-self-service-shoe-shines.html
In addition, when you need new soles, return your shoes to the maker for remaking.
There's nothing to add to the treatise on shirt care at: http://www.customshirt1.com/ASK/laund01.html
Fewer than 10% of the readers of ASW are from the Bay area and I doubt if there's enough interest in San Francisco services to warrant a post. But email me and I'll be glad to tell you who I use.
Finally, I do write about the clothing sources that I patronize or would patronize. I write about the rest of them only when an event is likely to be of interest to a broad audience, like this week's essay on the Thom Browne event at BroBroClo.
Thanks for reading!
Will, I recently bought an iron at Bed BAth and Beyond. Where do I get a steamer? And is there one you would recommend?
Thanks
John
I have the Jiffy J-2000 and the portable Esteam.
http://www.jiffysteamer.com/
Will,
I think I'm going to take your advice on cloth suit bags. I looked at Bed Bath & Beyond and found these:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13543615
Will these due or can recommend a reasonable alternative.
I'm a natural materials guys and my bags are all canvas. Unfortunately, I don't recall where they came from.
I was astonished to hear that suits should be cleaned so infrequently. I dance socially in mine and I would fear that my jackets would smell unpleasant if I did not clean them after every other wearing or so.
I don't know how to stay dry in them. I can't wear full tee-shirts because it is so stiflingly hot. I wear tank undershirts. But then I go ahead and dry clean those jackets.
If you're sweating heavily you must be doing some vigorous dancing. You're going to wear the suits out prematurely, but that's just personal choice. My advice is aimed at men whose activities are no more vigorous than walking.
I'd really like to hear your opinion on Hangers. style, material, place of purchase, for pants, for jackets, etc.... And cedar in the closet, either in the form of hanger or some other arbitray device
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