I met Steve Boorstein, the "Clothing Doctor," in a chance encounter about one week ago, and I am thankful for this new resource for fabric care! Thanks to his expertise, we have some matter-of-fact advice for how to keep our wardrobe fresh. I think a lot of us have thought about these points but have not really put most into practice. Some ideas were new to me, and I look forward to a little purge here and there as well as more realistic shopping choices to keep my closet from literally bursting!
Below, I quote Steve's website,
www.clothingdoctor.com, which outlines good planning and care for a winning wardrobe. I encourage anyone who invests in their wardrobe to go to the site and learn more! What a resource!
Fashion, personal style, and clothing care are mutually important when building and maintaining a wardrobe. This "Top 15" list will change, over time, but will never stray from the basic premise; we spend too much money on our clothing to not know how to take care of it. I hope you can embrace a few of these suggestions and make them work for you.
- Every time you buy a new garment, discard or donate an old one.
- Choose a drycleaner for quality, service, convenience, and price - in that order.
- Never rub a stain-blot only dab with a dry white napkin.
- Show your drycleaner all stains, fabric pills, snags, pressing problems, and minor repairs.
- Buy clothing that fits your current body.
- Buy clothing that looks great in the store, looks great at home 72 hours later -- and stop buying "maybes."
- Apply hairspray, perfume and deodorant before you dress -- let it completely dry.
- When you shop, ask yourself, "Is this fabric well-suited for me and for what I do? Will it wear well? Can this fabric be washed at home or will it need professional drycleaning?"
- A bargain is only a bargain when quality is part of the package.
- Before you reach the cash register, hang the garment, spin it around, and spend two minutes to do the 6-Point Quality CheckTM ; zippers, hooks, hems, seams, shoulder pads, and buttons (Always ask for extra buttons!)
- Remove drycleaning plastic but keep the paper shoulder -- covers on each garment.
- Use plastic or wooden hangers -- no wire (except on cotton dress shirts).
- If you wear only 30% of the clothing in your closet, start weeding out the deadbeats. If not worn for 6 months, move it. 12 months retire it.
- If a garment has been lost by your drycleaner, it should be returned or replaced within three weeks.
- If a garment is admittedly damaged by the dry cleaner and cannot be repaired to your to your satisfaction, you are entitled to a "like" replacement or a cash settlement within one week.
