A suit that’s been cared for properly can outlive the man who bought it, making proper suit care not just a matter of style, but economy as well. The small rules that make up suit care are simple, take only a bit of time, and add years to your suit. So before you send that three piece off to the cleaners, take a look at EveryGuyed’s Suit Care Tips and be sure that suit needs it.

Buying Your Suits

The suit you buy will inevitably dictate its quality, and its lifespan. A high thread-count wool like a Super 150, is thinner and lighter, but is much more fragile. A finer wool suit is an undeniable luxury, but it wears out much quicker than coarser wool. Keep this in mind when you’re trying on that new Canali: it fits like a dream, but can you afford to keep having it pressed every other week? The more expensive the suit, the more essential, and costly it’s upkeep.

Storing Your Suits

Keep your suits in a place where they can breathe. Be aware that keeping a suit in an airtight bag for storage might seem like a good idea, but don’t be surprised to find mold or even moths eating at your favorite blazer. If you’ve got a suit bag, some recommend leaving the zip open a bit to let air in and out. And of course, always keep your suits hung upright on a suit hanger. Cedar wood hangers also work as repellants for predators such as moths, and absorb moisture.

Moths

Moths are a real danger, and often times, once you’ve spotted them, it’s too late. Moths lay around one hundred eggs, and once they hatch, the little jerks are going to be hungry. Needless to say this is a virtual death sentence on a suit.

Though some advocate mothballs as a prevention method, the smell is unpleasant, and they only work in a sealed enclosure, like a suit bag. Dried lavender leaves sealed in pouches and kept in pockets repel moths just as effectively without the same drawbacks. Barring this, cleaning your closet and vacuuming the space regularly will work wonders.

Wearing Your Suits

Even when you wear your suits, there are things you can constantly do to keep them from wearing out. Don’t wear the same suit two days in a row, as clothing typically needs at least a day of rest to breathe, just like shoes. Hang them up as soon as you’re done wearing them, and don’t be afraid to lay a napkin across your lap to keep yourself safe from stains at meals. These common sense clothing rules can extend the life of a suit by years: clean dirt or stains; avoid moisture and undue stress on the material, especially at the pockets or buttons.

Pressing and Cleaning Your Suits

There’s a perception that if your suit gets dirty or wrinkled, you need to have it cleaned. It’s absolute nonsense. Dry-cleaning should only happen when your suit gets irrecoverably dirty, and some purists have their suits cleaned as little as once a season.

The chemicals involved in dry cleaning can wear out the wool, and if your suit is just a bit wrinkly, and not dirty, they should simply be pressed rather than dry-cleaned. The suit will come back from the cleaners just as crisp, but without having been subjected to the same chemicals.

Some suit enthusiasts also invest in a trouser press, a machine that gently and automatically presses suit pants. Though it sounds like something sold late at night on QVC, the trouser press is a time tested method of clothing care that’s stood up to fifty years of scrutiny and use.

As for the rest, there’s nothing that says you need a dry cleaner. Small stains can be steamed out with a hand-steamer, or brushed out with a good, stiff suit brush. Stains happen, but if you’re carrying two lattes while digging for your subway fare, you’re pretty much taunting disaster. Carefully minded common sense often equals a cleaner suit.

Summary

Suit care is simple, if you just follow some common sense rules about it.

• The Wool: Finer wool has the drawback of wearing out faster, and showing age quicker.
• Storage: Always on a hanger, always upright in a closet. Give them plenty of air, and always check for…
• Moths: Dried lavender leaves and cedar wood hangers help a great deal. Mothballs are a time-tested method, but have their own drawbacks.
• Day-to-Day Wear: Give your suits at least a day of rest after each wearing, and just be careful.
• Pressing: Suits can be pressed if they get wrinkled; though a hand held clothes steamer and trouser press do a good enough job for day-to-day wear.
• Cleaning: A clothes brush and hand steamer will do for many stains. Only have you suits cleaned when absolutely necessary.

Comments?

Have some suit care secrets? Have you got suggestions on how to win the war against moths? Use the comments box below to share your secrets with the EveryGuyed community!

Author

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Introducing another Mercedes-Benz masterpiece, restored in Fellbach, Germany: the 540 K Streamliner. Built in the 1930’s at the Sindelfingen plant’s special vehicle production unit, it demonstrated the very best in aerodynamic performance. It was originally used by the German branch of tire manufacturer Dunlop to test tires for fast, powerful vehicles. Browse the gallery and watch the video for a closer look.

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After careful deliberation, the team at Alpha Brand Media have elected to put the EveryGuyed Network up for sale. The team at Alpha Brand have enjoyed running this unique men’s fashion and culture site, but the time has come to turn our attention to new projects. We look forward to working with the new owners (whomever they may be) while the EG Network transitions into a new and exciting chapter of its life.

If you, or someone you know might be interested in the rare opportunity to buy and up-and-running men’s network like EG, head here for more information.

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Owning an item made of natural leather is like being in a sartorial relationship. Leather, unlike many other materials, takes on a personality of its own depending on how you clean, treat, or wear it. As if it were a blank canvas, leather takes on scuffs and develops a unique patina over time, adding to the appearance and texture of it. Ultimately it’s up to the individual regarding how their leather looks, but we’ve assembled a few key tips to ensure your pieces look their best for as long as you own them.

General Cleaning

Cleaning your leather is essential, since not only does it remove surface dirt and stains before they become permanent features, it allows for further treatments to be fully absorbed and take effect. The most basic way to clean your leather is to take a clean, lint-free cloth and dip it in some warm water with a mild detergent. If you have a more prominent stain, try using mink oil in lieu of detergent. Always work the cloth in small circles and make sure to go over the entire garment, allowing it to dry fully before any further action is taken.

Natural Leathers

Natural leather, often called ‘vegetable-tanned’ leather, is untreated when it makes its way to you. For the unfamiliar, this adds the risk of permanently staining the garment, but to those in the know, it provides the opportunity to get the desired tone and patina from their piece.

The easiest way to ‘tan’ a natural, unsealed leather is to place it in the sun for a day or two. Make sure to rotate the piece so that all parts of it are exposed to sunlight. This will give the leather a nice, warm glow to it that can later be ‘sealed’ in and preserved. If a more mellow coloring is desired, simply treat the jacket and then wear it as you would normally; the color change will be less perceptible, but develop over time.

Leather, unlike many other materials, takes on a personality of its own depending on how you clean, treat, or wear it

Treating

This is the real maintenance aspect required with your leather, since as a natural material leather will dry out over time. Often people attribute cracked, ruined leather simple as a product of it’s age, but more often than naught it’s simply a matter of improper care. Properly treated leather will literally last a lifetime.

As a general rule of thumb, leather should be treated roughly every 6 months or so. If you live in a climate where winter prevents your wearing the garment, treat it before you put it away for the season; non-use is not an excuse for non-treatment.

The following products are time-tested methods for bringing the best out of your leather:

• Neatsfoot Oil: Used most often on saddles and baseball gloves, Neatsfoot oil is produced from the hoofs of cattle. It produces a soft-yellow tone that over time will darken with age. As with all the oils listed here, make sure the product is 100% pure, since synthetic substitutes provide little to no benefit.
• Mink Oil: Found in cream or liquid forms, this oil is the most commonly used to treat leather. It moisturizes and provides what many call a ‘reddish’ coloring. It can also be found mixed with waxes for use on items where waterproofing is desired.
• Leather Dressings: These are the products that should be used after oiling, to ensure that moisture is sealed into the garment, and dirt is kept out. This will give your leather that look of being properly maintained.

Notes

• Always make sure to test any leather product on a small, discreet section of the garment. All leather react differently, and you want to ensure you’ll be pleased with the end result.
• Always use a clean, lint-free cloth of sponge for application. Avoid using the same cloth for multiple products, as this will undoubtedly affect the result.
• The best results will always be achieved from the best leather. High-quality leather items are indeed expensive, but with the proper treatment listed above, they will quite literally last a lifetime, and likely cost less than their ‘inexpensive’ counterparts.

Summary

Leather care is one of the small pleasures of owning a quality item, and it will ensure that a piece is enjoyed for many years:

• Always make sure to remove surface dirt and stains with a clean cloth and mild detergent of mink oil.
• Neatsfoot Oil or Mink Oil will add color to the leather and moisturize it.
• Leather Dressings are to be applied last and seal moisture into leather, maintaining it’s look and lifespan.
• Treat your leather every 6 months, regardless of wear.

Comments

Have a great piece that’s gotten that way through some leather care tips or tricks? Let us and your fellow readers know!

The post How to Care for Leather appeared first on Everyguyed.

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We’ve all been in this situation before. You’re attending some sort of formal function in a dapper suit when the unthinkable happens: you accidentally spill food or drink on your favorite suit. Of course, what happens next is probably a no-brainier. As soon as you wake up the next day, you’re off to the dry cleaners. But before you head out, here are some basic facts that every guy should be aware of regarding dry cleaning.

What Is Dry Cleaning Exactly?

Dry cleaning is a process that cleans garments without using water. Instead of water, an organic solvent, typically perchlorethylene or DF2000 (which the industry calls perc), is used to extract everything that’s staining up your clothes. Here’s a neat video that describes the process in detail.

Is Dry Cleaning Good or Bad For My Clothes?

The dry cleaning process can actually be quite damaging to your clothes. Between the high temperatures and chemicals used, your garments are undergoing a lot fo stress each and every time you drop them off at the cleaners. However, many fine materials or delicately made garments require the process. The key is to try and limit how often an item is dry cleaned, and only use the process when absolutely required (e.g.: most suits can be aired out and steamed clean instead of dry cleaned, which should generally be done no more than twice a year)

What Can and Can’t Be Dry Cleaned?

Since dry cleaning isn’t all that great for your clothing, there could be a possibility that certain items don’t ever have to go to a dry cleaners. To be safe, however, always check the tags on your garments. Remember, dry clean only means that you can’t run it through the washer and dryer like a cotton t-shirt. With that in mind, here’s a quick rundown of some popular pieces that are frequently dropped off at the dry cleaners.

Suits

As noted earlier, the dry cleaning process will destroy your clothing, which includes suit. Your suit should be dry cleaned as little as possible, which would be about once or twice a year. If you happen to get a stain on your suit you can most likely remove it by using a mild soap, warm water and little elbow grease. If you’re concerned about those undesirable wrinkles, stretches and creases in your suit, you can always pick-up a clothes steamer or take a long hot shower with the suit hanging in the bathroom.

Dress Shirts

Again, dress shirts should only be dry cleaned infrequently. Usually you can machine-wash and hang-dry the shirt when it needs cleaning. If you do take a dress shirt to the cleaner, ask them iron the shirt by hand and not to use starch.

Pants

If the pants remain soil-free, they only have to go to the dry cleaners once a season, or about after 20 wears. If you want to keep your pants looking crisp, you can always have them pressed instead of dry cleaned. Also, make sure you leave the denim at home. If not, you’ll end up with this.

Sweaters

The best way to keep your knitwear soft and to maintain its shape is to hand-wash with a mild soap in warm water and let it dry flat.

How Do I Select a Dry Cleaner?

Because you’re bound to make a trip to the dry cleaner probably a couple of times a year, you should at least make sure that you have someone who won’t trash your garments. But, how can you be certain? Research. Take a couple of minutes and do a Google search on local cleaners and read some reviews. Or, go about it the old-fashioned way and ask your friends and family for a recommendation. Other than reviews, you can also compare pricing and policies on lost or damaged clothing. One final consideration is if the business does the cleaning on-site or ships your clothing off to another location. Common sense suggests that you try to keep your clothes in the same location as where they were dropped off.

Conclusion

Almost every piece of clothing can be dry cleaned. But, it’s best to do so in moderation. The chemicals and high temperatures will gradually ruin your garments. If possible, take your items to the cleaners as little as possible. Most of the time, you can remove a stain by hand-washing the piece of clothing or spot-treating the stain. If you don’t have a dry cleaner, do some research. And, when you do find a cleaner, establish a friendly relationship like you would with any other business owner that you frequent. Even if it’s only a couple of times a year.

Images via Wikipedia Commons

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As they’ve become well known for, Forbes has created another list of the highest earners in a given profession, this time taking a look at the Highest Paid Models of 2013. For the seventh year in a row, Brazilian Giesele Bündchen stands at #1, raking in $42 Million through merchandising partnerships with powerhouse brands like H&M and Chanel. Fellow Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr (pictured above) follows in at #2. Adriana Lima steps in at #3, with most of her earnings stemming from her contract with Victoria’s Secret, which is the longest-running Angel contract in the brand’s history. Kate Moss, Liu Wen and Joan Smalls also made the cut. Head over to Forbes for a full look at the list.

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The first in a series of definitive short films from the Red Bull Music Academy, we turn our attention to DFA: the iconic NYC record label that got the indie kids to dance. Narrated by Marc Maron, it features music and appearances from James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Holy Ghost!, The Juan MacLean, Shit Robot, Sinkane, YACHT and many more!

The post “Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic” appeared first on Everyguyed.

Since 2007, Bring A Trailer has been alerting petrol-heads to some of the best vintage cars the web has to offer. The concept of the site began as friendly email banter between good friends Randy Nonnenberg and Gentry Underwood, and it’s grown to become a huge asset to those on the prowl for a vintage car to add to their collection. See a glimpse into Randy and Gentry’s personal car collections, hear more about their journey to getting where they are today, and find out a bit about their plans for the future of Bring A Trailer.

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Thanks to our new partner BuyAds.com, it’s easier than ever.

We now offer direct advertising on EveryGuyed via BuyAds.com’s self-service ad platform, which is simple to use and integrate into your current media buying & ad management campaign.

Pick the ad spot, check date availability. Register, pay and upload your creative. That’s it. Easy!

We’re very happy with the BuyAds.com/iSocket solution and interface, and if you are a publisher yourself, we highly recommend them

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