Rave Fabricare works their magic

Why do I trust the opinion of Stu Bloom of Rave Fabricare? Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say.

My girlfriend had a tie dye shirt that got accidentally mixed in with two nice blouses in the wash. A disaster occurred, naturally. Oh, did I mention they were both white?

We went through several options until deciding that instead of trusting them to local dry cleaners that didn't have much of a reputation or trying home remedies that don't always work we'd go to one of the most reputable clothing care centres in the USA. One of the blouses has delicate gathering and ruffle detail that I wouldn't trust to just any old cleaner, lest they press them harshly or even damage them (as I've heard of in some cases). The other is a blouse/sweater vest hybrid that required detaching the blouse portions to be cleaned separately.

They did more than just remove the green/yellow stains. Upon receiving them, Ariel said they were even whiter than they were before. See for yourself.

Before:

After:

 

What a great Valentine's Day gift! I, and especially Ariel, couldn't be happier. Beyond clothing, they can clean and restore just about anything made of fabric, including purses with built up gunk and stains. An inexpensive option compared to buying a new one. (And another great V-Day gift for those with girlfriends and wives.) So, ladies, don't throw out things that are "ruined," send them to Rave. You won't be disappointed and neither have their other customers.

In the coming months I'll be sending some of my own shirts (and possibly suits and sport jackets) to Stu for some much-needed TLC. I'll let you know how those turn out as well. :)

Furthermore, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. I hope you have a good time with whoever you love, be it friends, family, or that significant other.

"No cedar hangers, ever!"

 
Okay, that may not be an exact quote from a certain Faye Dunaway film, but it seems to be the mantra of those in quality clothing care business.

Apparently the oils from cedar can actually damage your garments. Plus, if not sanded down regularly, the moth-repellant properties are gone.

I'll let one of the experts, Stu Bloom, say it in his own words:

Can cedar hangers harm? Absolutely.

The mythical properties of cedar are vastly overrated and often misunderstood. I would go so far as to say that the negative properties of cedar far outweigh any positive properties.

Here's the most important thing to know about cedar: cedar is a highly acidic wood and acids that come in direct physical contact with fabric (a phenomenon known as acid transfer or acid migration) can cause that fabric to become yellow and brittle.

For more information on this subject....

Blog post: Protecting your fine clothes with cedar -- the double edged sword

Link: http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...ged-sword.aspx

 
More on the subject:

Consider 2 issues associated with cedar...

1. Never allow cedar to come into physical contact with garments and fabrics.

2. And if you do use cedar, always ensure that there is a chemically inert, plastic barrier film between your garments and fabrics and the cedar.

Take the cedar chest for example....

The adult female moth is averse to the OILS in cedar. It's the oils that provide the mythical "anti-moth" properties that so many folks (inaccurately) believe will provide protection for their fine wools during the summer months. The problem is that most folks have never reoiled or sanded the inside of their cedar chests in years. So the wood offers NONE of the positive functionality associated with cedar and ALL of the negative issues of cedar.

If you're going to use cedar (cedar blocks, cedar rings, cedar chips, cedar walls, cedar anything), make sure that

* the cedar oils are ALWAYS ACTIVE

* you use thumb tacks to attach a chemically inert, plastic barrier film (such as Mylar D from DuPont...ICI make a similar product but I can't remember the brand name) to the inside walls of your chest so as to provide a physical barrier between your garments and the wood.

PS: If you properly CLEAN your garments BEFORE you store them for the summer (thereby removing all the nutrients in the form of body oils and perspiration that the moth larvae need to feed on in order to survive and grow), you'll never have a moth problem. Which, of course, obviates any necessity for moth balls, herbal sachets, cedar (in all its forms), etc. QED.

I only own cedar shoe trees, but I was ready to purchase some cedar hangers this year. Good thing I didn't yet. Given this information, those nice sized hangers from Kirby Allison's Hanger Project don't seem like such a bad deal. (Plus I heard they're actually a hell of a value for what you pay.)

Levels of formality, traditionally defined

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the definitions of clothing formality these days. I've heard a lot of misused terms both in everyday life and bandied about on internet forums and chat rooms. A suit is called anything from "business dress" to "semi-formal" or "formal." Some people even call a blazer and chinos semi-formal!

I won't get into womenswear here, because I'm not completely solid on which dresses are appropriate to each level of formality.* In any case, it can get frustrating when you or the host/employer don't really know what's what.

To clear things up for both parties, here are the definitions from most to least formal. I'll try not to be too wordy here.

Formal: During the day, a morning coat. At night (after six), white tie.

Semi-Formal: During the day, a stroller coat (scroll to bottom). At night, black tie.

Informal: A suit and tie. This is the same as "business dress" or "cocktail attire" (think of Don Draper sipping a martini). Outside the office or at more artistic places of employment, one is generally free to express a little more individuality in their patterns, colours, and accessories.

Casual: This is NOT to be confused with the above. Technically, sport coat and tie or a little below falls into this category. "Business casual" originally meant the former, though the term has been grossly misappropriated in the last two decades to include jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers.

Understandably, some clothing aficionados want to differentiate anything involving the aforementioned items as "streetwear" or "ultra-casual" given the alarming rise in these items worn anywhere from nice restaurants (ugh, why?) to funerals (yes, I'm serious).

Worst comes to worst, just ask your host or employer exactly what they mean. They usually -- and shouldn't -- mind explaining.

Hope this helps anyone.

*If anyone wants to explain this for me, I'd be grateful.

Lands' End Casual Chino

Just got these in. While I very much like the fabric, I was a little disappointed that they didn't put in 1.75" cuffs like I asked about (and was told I could put in the special request section). Standard 1.5" cuffs. Bleh. In fact, one of them seems a bit bigger than the other! I've decided to just take out the cuffs, wash them a few times, and then hem them to the appropriate length. While Lands' End has a great return policy, it wouldn't be necessary if they'd just get some things right to begin with.

That said, they have improved the Tailored Fit greatly. The rise is no longer fashionably low (thank God, save that for Lands' End Canvas) and the thighs are much more comfortable. We'll see what a wash or two does, but already these feel better than when I first tried on the Tailored Fit Legacy Chino I got a while back.

Recently I gave them a little test drive.

Shetland Shawl Cardigan

I've been wanting one of these, a "Trad staple" I'm pretty sure, for years now. Hopefully Rugby's take on the shawl cardigan won't disappoint.

It's currently on sale for $79.99, $59.99 with the extra 25% off. With tax and shipping it came out to $68.89. If you want a warm sweater (and some of you probably still need it), snap this up before it goes away.

In a few months I'll be moving somewhere more consistently cold during the winter, so this will definitely come in handy around November. I was wearing madras the other day, for Christ's sake. That ain't right in February.

Kiel James Patrick

Help me out here... why do Trads hate this company so much? Maybe wristbands aren't really their style but there are certainly worse things young people could wear... and, unfortunately, do.

The belts don't look too bad, though they may be a little on the pricey side. In any case, it's made in the States. That's something at least. (Though some companies with products made in the USA capitalise on it in a bad way.)

What are your thoughts?

From kieljamespatrick.com

Norman Hilton revival

I'm pretty sure Nick Hilton's revival of his late father's name, Norman Hilton, has the exact cut I'm looking for. I generally like my jackets with a natural shoulder line, straight hanging shape, narrow lapels, and trim sleeves. This goes for whether they're a three-roll-two sack or darted two button jacket. Usually, if some companies get one thing right, they'll get other things wrong. They've got it all right, down to the shape of the 3" notched lapels. This probably has to do with the fact that they're using original 1963 patterns.

I've heard great things about the sport coats, and if they're anything like the natural shoulder ones I've thrifted from that era, they must be worth it. I've heard not so much about the trousers though. Can anyone give me some insight?

In any case, $695 (30% off right now) is not asking a lot when you consider that the cut and quality of other manufacturers around that price range has gone downhill... not naming names, but these companies were instrumental in the Ivy League look yet hardly seem to care anymore.

"Wear Norman Hilton and you too can lay on a stack of logs and plaid blanket."