Groomswear - Caring for Your Suit
You can spend days, weeks, even months working to find that perfect suit for the big day, or even getting it tailored just for you! And after all that hard work you don’t want to look like you just pulled it out of a gym-bag on the day, or damage it before your first anniversary.Every time one of my customer takes their suit away I always give them care advice for pre-and post the event date to ensure it looks it’s best for as long as possible.
So for your convenience and ease of remembering, here are the top five tips:
Don't Dry Clean Before The Day!
Too many grooms walk out the door thinking they need to get their suits dry-cleaned just before a function to get it looking pristine but this really isn’t necessary, if anything detrimental. Especially with a brand new suit which you’ve most likely been saving for the specific date, the fabric is clean so it doesn’t need any further treatment. If you’re worried about it getting creased in transit or just wanting it to ‘feel fresh’ the best thing to do is take it for a steam clean. All good dry cleaners will offer this service which is cheaper, and is much safer for your suit. Dry cleaning uses a lot of harsh chemicals which wears away at the cloth and eventually causes that shiny surface on your suit because it destroys the fibres on the surface. Whereas, a steam clean will refresh and re-press your suit without the use of any chemicals. A good tip if you need help at home - hang your suit in the bathroom with a hot shower running to create your own steam room. Ideally if you can clip something weighty to the bottom of the jacket and sleeves this will help any creases fall out. Or you can use a steam iron; I just advise putting a clean tea towel or pillowcase between the iron and the garment to protect the fabric. Looking to the future or even for a more regular work suit - 2 times a year is enough for dry cleaning, 3 max! Steam as much as you want.
Hang Your Trousers Upside Down
Simple but effective - hold on to those annoying clip-hangers that you can never be bothered to clothes back on to in dressing rooms. If you fold your trousers at the crease and then hang them from the ankles, the weight of the waistband (and any belt you may have left in the belt-loops) will help any creases fall out. This also good to do a day or two before the wedding day itself if you don’t have room to hang them like this all the time - as this will get rid of any creases that have formed around the knees where they’ve hung over the hanger.
Let It Breathe
Think of your suit as a good pair of leather shoes - it needs to breathe before being stored away again. At the end of the day, always hang your suit up outside the wardrobe for 24 hours before squashing it back on the hanging rail. It has withstood a lot of body heat, movement, compression etc. so it’s good to let the fabric and fibres relax and return back to their natural state before being put back into a less breathable environment. Ideally for a wedding suit, which won’t be worn too regularly, it’s nice to get it steamed and refreshed after the day itself - otherwise the next time you get it out it could feel a lot mustier than your remembered!
Rotate
This one’s slightly more for after your wedding day, but if you are wearing it for work or meetings thereafter try to ensure you rotate your suits. This is a great rule for any work outfits that you’re wearing regularly - rather than wearing one suit for a week and then another for a week, swap them each day to allow each suit to breathe before being worn again. Simple, but this will really elongate the life of your suit!
Don't Be Afraid Of A Spot-Clean
Drinks get spilled, food gets dropped… the occasional bit of dirt is bound to appear on your suit before, after or indeed during your wedding. In this case don’t assume you have to get it straight to a dry-cleaner - a clean cloth and a bit of warm water and soap will not destroy your suit. The old methods are often the best and they still work well.