Caring for tailoring

Empty the pockets, brush the shoulders with a garment brush and hang the piece on a wide wooden hanger that fills the shoulder line. Give it a day of air before it goes back into the wardrobe; wool recovers on the hanger.

Skip wire hangers entirely. They leave marks in the shoulder that a presser cannot always undo.

A hand steamer lifts wrinkles and refreshes the cloth without flattening the canvas or glazing the fibres. If you must use an iron, keep it low, work through a pressing cloth and never iron a crease into the lapel roll.

Trouser creases are the one exception. They like a sharp press through cotton.

Dry clean rarely, and only when a piece is truly soiled; solvents tire cloth faster than wear does. Spot clean small marks with a barely damp white cloth and steam between cleans.

Once or twice a season is plenty for a suit in regular rotation.

Hang trousers full length by the cuff on clamp hangers, so the weight of the cloth pulls its own wrinkles out overnight.

If you wear a pair often, rotate it with another. The rest day is what keeps the seat and knees from bagging.

A coat carries the most weather, so brush it after wear and let it dry naturally, away from heat. Never dry a wet wool coat on a radiator.

At season's end, store it clean in a breathable cotton bag. Never plastic.

Steam satin lapels from a distance and never touch them with an iron; pressure leaves a permanent shine. Brush corduroy gently along the pile so it stays plush.

Teddy and brushed cloths want a soft brush and nothing more.

Long term, tailoring lives best clean, in cotton garment bags, with cedar nearby. Cedar deters moths only while it still smells of cedar, so refresh or sand the blocks each season.

Leave space between hangers. Crushed cloth creases where it folds.

Bodies change and cloth relaxes. If a piece stops sitting right, speak with your stylist: under the perfect fit guarantee our ateliers will alter it, or recut it entirely.