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Ill never forget my first vintage blunder.
Photographed by Steven Meisel forVogueMay, 2018.
I took a1950sblouse with 3-D floral embellishments to a run-of-the-mill dry cleaner around the corner.
I only had myself to blame, really.
I should have known better.
But mostly, I should have known that the garment should not have been dry cleaned at all.
Vintage Garment Care Essentials, According toVogue:
Fashion is fragile.
For this, I reached out to New York-based storage and fashion archivists Garde Robe.
All this, below.
Garment Bags
All hanging pieces should be stored in breathable garment bags.
They can damage clothes.
Store these items flat in a breathable garment box or folded with acid-free tissue to avoid creasing.
When in doubt, store the item flat instead of on a hanger.
No wire hangers, EVER!
Use the tissue to eliminate creasing, pad shoulders, stuff sleeves and/or handbags to maintain their shape.
Tissue is also helpful for separating items in a crowded closet or storage box.
Your average dry cleaner has no business handling expensive and delicate designer RTW or couture.
Before you entrust a cleaner with a precious garment, ask them about solvents and cleaning processes.
Do they offer a choice of solvents?
Do they clean by hand?
Do they outsource their leatherwork?
These are good questions to ask.
For at-home touchups, Greenberg recommends The Laundresss wash and stain bars.
Use distilled water in the steamer for best results.
The heat from irons is harsher on fabrics than steam.
Ironing is safe for flattening sturdier fabrics like cotton that can handle the higher temperature.
Steaming and ironing will damage silk, velvet, leather, suede, and metallic embellishments.
In general, leave these items to garment care professionals.
Knowledgeable dry cleaners often remove buttons/embellishments before cleaning and then reapply them each and every time.
Thats why the very best cleaners charge considerably more.
Steamery
The Cirrus No.
Secondly, its sturdier and less prone to getting warped with age but sometimes it can get stuck.
Apply a bit of beeswax to keep things running smoothly.
EricX
light beeswax bars
Alternative Imagination
beeswax bars
Purse Pillows
Want in-shape-looking handbags?
Keep them fit with purse pillows.
These from Fabrinique come in a variety of sizes.
Mist the solution all over the garment and air it out.
Smoke and thrift-shop odors will lift in the process.
Place a couple in your closets and drawers and replace when the blocks lose their piney scents.
For more intense preventative measures, pick up some Moth prevention traps.
Leather Spa makes an excellent pair in cedar.
For trickier shoe shapes, theres always tissue paper.
cedar & lavender sachet
Brooklyn Fragrance Co.
lavender scented sachets
BROOKLYN FRAGRANCE CO.
