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 dry cleaner for quality, service, convenience, and price-in that order.
- Never rub a stain-blot only, with a dry white napkin.
- Show your dry cleaner 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 dry cleaning?”
- 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 Check TM ; zippers, hooks, hems, seams, shoulder pads, and buttons (Always ask for extra buttons!)
- Remove dry cleaning 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 dry cleaner, 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.
