MAINTAINING YOUR SUIT

Like polishing your shoes, or learning to shave properly, or how to tie a bow tie, a suit that’s been cared for properly can outlive the man who bought it. The small rules that make up suit care are simple, take only a bit of time, and add years to your s

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 ner 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 Tom Ford: it ts like a dream, but can you a ord 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 nd 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 e ectively 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 fty 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, sti 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.