Proper Care: How often to dry clean

In an effort to add input from other professionals who work with men and their clothing, I am including an entry today from Billie Kersh - professional clothier with elevee lifestyle - on a topic she frequently discusses with her clients, caring for your clothes:

"You've just dropped several G's on bespoke suits.  Take the time to properly care for your investment so that it lasts a long, long time.

Men very commonly take their clothing to the dry cleaner too often.  Dry cleaning is a process that removes debris and dirt particles, but it should not be overdone because the chemicals used can be harsh on clothing.

How often you dry clean your suits depends on many factors.  Including: how many suits are in your roation, how often you wear them, whether you've soiled the fabric or gotten it sweaty, and outside factors such as light, smoke, or food.  In general, I recommend dry cleaning no more than once every 60 days; however, I've even heard it's best to only dry clean once a year.  The best advice is to dry clean your clothes only when it's absolutely necessary.

If you spill wine or food on a garment, take it to be spot cleaned as quickly as possible.  Other than that, brushing it with a suit brush and hanging it on a proper hanger in a well-ventilated area in between wearings will do the trick.

Feel free to steam your suits or take them in for a sponge and press in between cleanings to reshape and reset the clothing.  In this process, a small amount of moisture is added to the cloth without any chemicals, so the wool fibers are not damaged and odors are released.

Keep in mind that just because you wore the suit, doesn't necessarily mean it's dirty.  If your shirt fits properly, your jacket doesn't really touch your body at all.  Wool is a natural fiber that is inherently antimicrobial, so hanging it in a well ventilated area for at least a week before wearing it again allows the fabric to naturally defunk and reset itself.

Maintenance actions in between dry cleanings to extend the life of your suits:
-brush your suit after each wearing
-steam it (I recommend the jiffy home steamer)
-spot cleaning
-take it in for sponge and press at a cleaner or tailor shop
-don't iron the cloth directly.  If you feel the need to iron, use a medium setting and place a clean white cotton cloth between the iron and jacket"

Billie Kersh is a professional clothier with elevee bespoke in Chicago, IL and can also be followed on twitter @chisuitgirl

I would like to add that I personally, dry clean my suits 2x per year, with regular steaming, or additional cleaning only if I spill on them.

Your big day- it's not time for a rental!

Alright everyone, happy new year! I've thought a lot about this post, and seeing that I'm going to my cousin's wedding this coming weekend I decided it was time to discuss this. If you, or someone you know is planning their wedding, please, please, please have them read this.
 Let's talk about if you should be renting when you say "I do"

Pros: Let start here. What are the pros of renting a tuxedo/suit for you wedding? The honest answer here is, NOTHING!!! There is no reason to rent for your wedding. The only argument that can even be made for this is economics, but I'm hoping to drive that out of your mind. The cost of a rental is $150, on the very lowest end, to $500+ on the higher end. This is the only argument that can be made for renting, and it is a terrible argument.

 Cons: Let's look at the most obvious one here- it looks TERRIBLE!!! I have never seen a rental that I looked at and said, "wow, he looks great in that tux!" Guys, you are going to have these pictures for the rest of your life, you are going to show them to your children; and you want to look like you wear clothing that doesn't even fit?! The fit is usually off from head to toe (boxy shoulders, baggy pants, etc). Not to mention you are wearing something that countless other people have also worn, partied in, and done who knows what in. Talk to your cleaner about any rentals they get- you instantly get stories of the vomit, urine, and unknown stains that they have to try and get out. Why sour your special day with that? 

Why you should purchase something... Yes buy something new!
Depending on the source you use, the average wedding cost more than $20,000. Spending an extra few hundred on what you wear isn't going to break this. Your wife to be is spending, on average, just over $1,000 on her dress- that she will never wear again! Don't stand next to her in a $200 rental.
At least go with a suit if you want something you will use frequently.  Choosing a suit that fits over a rental tuxedo results is a far better look. Sticking with classic styles, your tux or suit can stay in style for many years to come, and can be worn again for a special night in the future.

image from http://elevee.com 

 Tuxedo: keep it classic- black is your safest bet. stay classy with a peak lapel, one button jacket and traditional fitting pants (no super tight pants here)
Expect to pay around $800 or more here for something good.

 Suit: keep it versatile and simple- black, charcoal, or navy (unless a theme or destination wedding is in your future). You can keep the simplicity of a notch lapel, 2 button, and wear the pants the way you like.
Expect to pay $500 and up based on cloth, and type (rack, M2M, or custom)

 It can be as little as a couple hundred dollars, but it is worth far more than that. After all, you only get married once right?!