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I will never forget my first old-fashioned mistake. I took a 1950s shirt with 3D floral decorations to an ordinary dry cleaner around the corner. Its chiffon outer layer was torn to pieces and returned to me. My thriving silk buds were crumpled, drooped and withered-like a flowerbed dug out by a neighbor’s dog. I can only blame myself, really. I should know better. I did not tell the cleaners that this coat is as old as their grandma and should be handled very carefully. But in most cases, I should know that this dress should not be dry cleaned at all.
Fashion is fragile. Considering that of all the extant items collected in the museum over the past few decades, the protection of fashion and textiles is the most cautious. Although oil paintings will always remain on the walls of the museum’s permanent collection, the fashion department limits the display of clothing to six months. Of course, antiques that are not in the museum are for wearing and loving, but they do require a certain degree of care.
For this, I contacted Garde Robe, a storage and fashion archives manager in New York. The company helps store, maintain and maintain precious fashion collections (including antiques) assembled by individuals and institutions. Doug Greenberg of Garde Robe helped me understand his best practices in fashion storage; in addition, he also provided some basic products that help keep clothes beautiful. All this, below.
“All pendants should be stored in breathable clothing bags. Cotton and polypropylene (ppnw) clothing bags are protective and can be washed in most cases, so they can be used for a long time. Do not use dry-cleaning bags for storage— —In fact, when you take them home from the dry cleaners, please remove them immediately. They will damage the clothes. Or better yet, bring the reusable garment bags to your cleaner so that Cheap plastic bags will not be thrown into landfills.”
“Do not hang stretchable fabrics, such as knitting, diagonal cuts, heavy decorations, and heavy clothing, because they may be deformed. Place these items flat in a breathable clothing box or fold them with acid-free paper towels to avoid lifting Wrinkles. You can’t use the same hanger type for every piece of clothing in your closet, even if this may be aesthetically pleasing. There are certain hangers that are best for certain types of clothes, so be sure to always choose the right hanger. For example, Wide-shoulder hangers for heavier coats, trouser hangers with clips for slacks, and padded hangers for cushioning delicate items. If in doubt, place the items flat instead of hanging them on the hanger. No wire hangers, forever!”
“Without sufficient acid-free paper towels, any luxurious wardrobe is incomplete. Use paper towels to eliminate creases, padded shoulders, plug sleeves and/or handbags to maintain their shape. Paper towels can also help keep crowded closets or storage Separate items in the box. Be sure to use paper towels to separate decorative/beaded items from other items that may be hooked, and avoid dye transfer from leather, suede, and denim items.”
“There are very few advanced custom clothing care experts. Your average dry cleaner does not need to deal with expensive and sophisticated designer RTW or fashion. The best dry cleaners clean many items by hand, using different solvents and machines for different fabrics; most Dry cleaners use only one cleaning solvent, which may or may not be the best for your specific clothing. Some solvents are more environmentally friendly than others, but in some cases, these “green” solvents cannot clean well. Contaminated items. Before you entrust a precious piece of clothing to a cleaner, please ask them about the solvent and cleaning process. Do they provide solvent options? Do they clean by hand? Do they outsource leather products? These are very difficult Good question. Depending on where you live, you’d better work with high-end fashion cleaners outside the transport area.” For home grooming, Greenberg recommends the washing and decontamination sticks from The Laundress.
“Steaming is a great way to eliminate wrinkles and wrinkles. Use distilled water in a steamer for best results. The heat of the iron has a stronger effect on fabrics than steam. Ironing can safely iron stronger fabrics, for example Cotton that can withstand higher temperatures. Steam and ironing will damage silk, velvet, leather, suede and metal decorations. If you are in a fashion emergency and need steam to remove wrinkles on delicate clothes, try using it between the steamer and the clothes Place muslin cloths in between to reduce the impact. Usually, these items are left to the clothing care professionals. Knowledgeable dry cleaners often remove buttons/decorations before cleaning and then reapply them each time. That’s why the best cleaners charge Higher reasons.”
If your clothes have metal zippers, first of all, it must be earlier than 1965, because plastic zippers became popular in the late 1960s. Secondly, it is stronger and less likely to warp with age, but it sometimes gets stuck. Apply a little beeswax to make things go smoothly.
Want a beautiful handbag? Use wallet pillows to keep them fit. These sizes from Fabrinique come in many varieties. Paper towels can also solve this problem, but a purse pillow is easier to remove than a few balls of paper.
If you need to deodorize a piece of clothing, add 90% water and 10% distilled white vinegar to a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the entire garment and let it dry. In the process, the smell of smoke and thrift shop will disappear.
Underarm shields (shaped like shoulder pads, but suitable for your underarms) or any undershirts related to this will add a protective layer to avoid difficult-to-clean stains and perspiration.
Cedar blocks are not effective against all moth infestations, but they do prevent the growth of insects. Put a pair in your closet and drawer and replace the blocks when they lose rosin. For stricter precautions, please pick up some moth traps.
When not in use, men’s leather shoes can be stored together with the last. Leather Spa is a great partner for Cedar. Women’s shoes are usually more diverse in styles and productions, and it is difficult to find shoe racks, but they do exist. For more complex shoe types, there are always paper towels.
These small bags will not extend the life of your wardrobe, but they will make your wardrobe and drawers smell good.
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