Suit Care

A suit can look great and last for many years with proper care. Here are 7 tips on how best to take care of your clothing.

1. Cleaning - A suit should not be treated like normal clothing. Dry cleaning wears away the natural fibers and can take years off your suit if done too often. Dry cleaning should only be done once a year at the very most. The best way to tell if it's time to have your suit dry cleaned is to smell it. If it stinks, it's time to clean it. For small stains you can spot clean it with water and a soft towel. 

2. Pressing - The best way to reduce wrinkles is to hang the suit. For stubborn wrinkles you can steam it at the correct setting. Never iron your suit yourself. An iron can burn the fibers if done improperly while a steamer is more gentle and safer. If needed, you can have it professionally pressed at the cleaners. Just be sure to let them know if you have mother of pearl buttons as they can break if ironed.

3. Hanging - Never leave your suit crumpled on the ground. You should always hang it on the hanger provided. A wood or plastic hanger with rounded edges helps the suit maintain its form. The rounded edges allows the jacket to sit and drape and also allows moisture to exit.

4. Packing - Packing a suit for travel can be tricky. There are special garment bags and suitcases for traveling with suits but that's not the only way. Rolling the suit is a great way to pack. To roll a jacket, turn it inside out and put the shoulders together. Be sure the seams and lapels are lined up and then loosely roll up from the bottom and put in your bag.

5. Rotate - Another way to care for your suits is to rotate them. Wearing the same one repeatedly causes it to show wear faster than rotating through several. If you wear suits everyday or multiple times a week, we recommend building up your wardrobe so the you have 2 weeks of suits you can rotate through. 

6. Wearing - Always take your jacket off when you get in the car. Hang it on a hanger if possible. Or carefully press the shoulders together so the jacket is in half with the back of the jacket on the inside and the buttons/lapels facing up and drape it on the seat. When seated always undo the suit buttons. Leaving it buttoned when seated can stretch and pull at the fabric. Then button it when you stand.

7. Closet/Storage - Be sure to have enough closet space for the suits to air out when hung up. If you need to store off season ones, place them in a garment bag to protect them from dust, moths, etc. Cedar blocks can also be helpful. They smell great, act as natural moth repellant and help to absorb residual moisture.