I like natural fabrics and I like to do especially for wool, silk, leather and other natural fibers or delicate clothing. But I am surprised to see more and more clothing, including synthetics, say “only dry reils.” It seems as if the clothing company is in Cahoots with the dry cleaners. What’s going on? – Jessica, Milwaukee
In reality, I think that the omnipresence of the dry cleaning label is less about a conspiracy between fashion and washing washers and more about fashion companies looking at their backs. How to wash clothes, especially special clothing, is one of those skills that … Well, not in fashion in the middle of the last century, when Home EC classes went the way of the Dodo.
Since many consumers are no longer trained in the art of washing the hand washing versus cashmere versus wool, or perhaps just feel that it is not worth their time, it is likely that companies have decided that it is wiser and easier to advise dry cleaning instead of complicated healthcare instructions that may not be followed. If that happens, dissatisfied customers can blame them when clothing has shrunk, being discolored or otherwise destroyed when they were accidentally placed in the washing machine.
It is possible that there are other reasons for the tags. Alexander Fury, the fashion functions director of another magazine, told me that he had spent time working for a young British designer before he went to publish and that the company had always added “dry-clean-alleen” tags because they were the only tags that the brand had. “I think it was a cost -saving decision,” he said.
That said, it is true that we generally clean our clothes too much and to clean them overly. Because dry cleaner is done with chemicals, that is not good for the environment or, if you do it too often, the clothing.
For example, it is common wisdom that jeans rarely have to be washed. Chip Bergh, the former Chief Executive of Levi Strauss, once told me that he never washed his denim, and Daniel Roseberry, the designer of Schiaparelli, told me that he had almost never washed his suits.
Mr Roseberry, who worked at Thom Browne for 10 years before he came to Schiap, said, “They said you should never dry up your suits.”
“It shortens the life of your clothes dramatically,” he said. “I know most people wear designer clothing and stupid them after every use, but it’s crazy.”
Instead, he simply advised spotting a spot (the American Cleaning Institute Has good suggestions for how) and then hang the suit up and brush down when needed to remove dust and fluff.
I decided to fight a number of other fashion people to find out how they thought about dry cleaning. There are no hard and fast rules, but many of them, such as Nikki Ogunnaike, the editor of Marie Claire, said that their approach of each item of clothing was dependent on their own comfort level with washing.
“Kashmier, in general, I don’t think they are being cleaned dry,” said Mrs. Ogunnaike, adding that she usually washed her sweaters by hand or used the lowest machine cycle. “It really just depends on how sad would be if I was wrong,” she said.
Penny Martin, the editor of the Gentlewoman, continued. She is never dry, she said – “even the chicest things, with sequins” – because she lives in the countryside and cleaners are an hour’s drive. She’s just hand -washed clothes in cold water (she uses Pretend Was soap) and then blocks everything carefully to dry.
She also swears by the book “Goddess‘By Laura de Barra for advice on cleaning all kinds of clothing. And she always looks unspoilt.
For more advice, our sister publication Wirecutter has published a useful guide entitled “All things you don’t have to have cleaned, even if the label says you are doing that”, which almost summarizes the situation, and is a great starting point for making a well -informed decision about your own wardrobe.
Although I talk about education, I think every high school has to re -introduce home EC (and in that regard). Given the investment costs of clothing, the laundry is not really a chore – it’s a science.
Your style questions, answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa answers the fashion-related question from a reader, who you can send her at any time via E -Mail or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.
