Care for your clothes!
Darlings,
As I mentioned several times before, I'm an advocate for timeless, elegant style and high-quality clothes that you can keep forever (anti-fast fashion if you will). For that, you need to be able to take good care of your favorite pieces.
The first rule would be "No wrinkles ever!" and I can't stress this enough. Man or Woman, for a business meeting or just to go buy some milk and bread, in a rush or not, you have to be your best self.
- Take an extra 10 minutes to steam your outfit every night for the next morning if needed.
No need for a long ironing session. Just invest in a good steamer, it does wonder!
They work on the most delicate and sensitive fabric: cotton, silk, cashmere, laces, even wedding dresses, the steamer does it all :)
I personally only iron my jeans and steam all the rest!
Never underestimate the power of a well-tailored, freshly steamed simple white shirt for a more relaxed look. Or a well-tailored, freshly steamed simple white button-down shirt, for a more elevated look!
If you're on a budget, buy yourself a small, travel-size one. For less than $30, your clothes will always look fresh and crisp and you will look instantly put together and impeccable.
- Gave your leather shoes a shoeshine! Nothing can damage the leather of your boots like mud, rain, and snow during wintertime. Invest in a little shoeshine kit with shoe polish and a brush and spend 10 minutes polishing away! Your oxford, derby, ankle boots, or high knee boots will look shiny and brand new.
- Next, always be mindful of cat/dog hair or other kinds of transfer that can ruin an outfit, especially when you wear black or darker color.
Little extra tip, when you think you might need one, always slip a little sticky lint roller or cashmere comb in your purse (or in your car), as well as a Tide pen when wearing white or lighter color.
- Taking Care of your clothes :
It’s estimated that 90% off all “dry clean only” clothing, can be laundered at home. A fact many of us are unaware of.
The first thing to know about wool & cashmere is that they don’t need to be washed as often as we think. Unlike some other fibers, sweaters can be worn quite a few times before undergoing a deep clean.
You can use very gentle specific shampoo for wool and cashmere, wash them by hand at home, use cold water, and let them dry flat on a drying rack.
For silk, linen, and other delicates, use the same method as the sweaters but wash those more frequently.
Again there is a specific ultra-gentle detergent (like the Laundress) for silk and delicate fabric.
Some items made of silk and cashmere can also be placed in the washing machine on the gentle cycle and in a Mesh Washing Bag (be cautious and know it's recommended to try first as damages can be irreversible!).
Finally, in order to keep your whites (and light colors) very bright and like-new, invest in a spray-product that's hard on stains but gentle on the fabric and generously spray your collar, armpits area, and wrist area with it before each wash!
- Next is dealing with sweater pills - those pesky little balls of fibers that collect around wrists and armpits of your sweaters and cause the whole thing to look worn and ragged even if it isn’t. To handle these, use a Sweater Comb and hold the fabric taught while running it in one direction along with the fabric. This quickly removes those pesky pills and leaves sweaters looking fresh and new. You can also invest in a Fabric Shaver/ Fuzz Remover, works wonder!!
The last thing I want to go over is some basic storage tips that can help extend the life of your clothes and ensure they don’t lose their shape.
Hang vs Fold: You never want to hang your sweaters. Doing so can cause them to lose their shape and stretch out. Instead, you want to fold them or roll them neatly and place them on a shelf or in a drawer. I also prefer to hang my silks, blazers and jackets, trousers and skirts and fold my jeans and t-shirts.
Hangers: Next I want to talk about hangers. I use and love slim velvet hangers because they take up less space than larger wooden hangers and offer grip for my silky pieces that would otherwise slip off of the hanger and end up on the floor. Also, I recommend having sturdier hangers with first shoulders for your heavier, tailored coats to ensure they keep their shape.
I hope this was helpful!
Thanks for reading Darlings!
*(Small travel size steamers cost between $20 and $30, while big ones are priced between $60 and $100)
