Althouse: "And the rule on a bespoke suit is you do not clean it. You do not touch it. You let the dirt dry and you brush it off."

July 7, 2019

"And the rule on a bespoke suit is you do not clean it. You do not touch it. You let the dirt dry and you brush it off."

"Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don’t absolutely have to clean anything, don’t clean it. I wouldn’t change my bra every day and I don’t just chuck stuff into a washing machine because it’s been worn. I am incredibly hygienic myself, but I’m not a fan of dry cleaning or any cleaning, really."

Said Stella McCartney, quoted in "Stella McCartney: ‘It’s not like I’m here for an easy life’/The fashion designer talks about her latest collection, the creative frustrations of eco sequins – and why she’s not a fan of washing her bra" (The Guardian).

32 comments:

rhhardin said...: Line dry rather than tumble dry and it lasts a lot longer. All that dryer lint used to be clothes.; 7/7/19, 6:23 PM
The Bergall said...: Up next on CBS, Laundry Police.; 7/7/19, 6:25 PM
tcrosse said...: Which explains why it's not wise to stand too close to Prince Charles.; 7/7/19, 6:26 PM
Biff said...: The f-word is so tedious, especially when spoken by people like Stella McCartney.; 7/7/19, 6:27 PM
Expat(ish) said...: The “pickers” in dickens were people who literally picked clothes apart to wash the fabric and resew them into new clothes.

This is no longer a problem. My Singapore bespoke suits dry clean just fine - i have a blue blazer that is 28 years old and still hangs well.

-XC; 7/7/19, 6:32 PM
rcocean said...: My mother loved that clothes-line smell and would hang her wash out to dry - even though she had a dryer.; 7/7/19, 7:00 PM
traditionalguy said...: Pathogens need a host too. Crank up the immune system the old fashioned way. Beauty in well used clothing outside and the T-cells inside.; 7/7/19, 7:02 PM
J. Farmer said...: In general, try to wash your clothes as little as possible. And when you do, opt for cold water and low heat.; 7/7/19, 7:03 PM
Ann Althouse said...: My mother used to say she was "airing" her clothes out — things that were worn but not really dirtied. They'd be hung outside of the closet — indoors — but in a way where air would circulate — before they'd be put away in a closet or drawer.

My grandmother would "air out" the bed in the morning — not make the bed up right away, but pull the covers down. There was the idea that the bed needed to "cool."; 7/7/19, 7:08 PM
Expat(ish) said...: @Ann - my grandfather (born 1898 in rural LA) used to change out of his office work clothes into “home” clothes (think seersucker boiler suit). The home clothes were washed when they had a stain my grand,other couldn’t get out or once a month. His office clothes were ironed and hung out. Hand washed and ironed dry.

-XC; 7/7/19, 7:14 PM
Scott said...: In a similar vein, the CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. says he has not washed his jeans in 10 years.; 7/7/19, 7:23 PM
Katie said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/7/19, 7:30 PM
rehajm said...: Rachel on Countdown says there’s these things you put in your washer to pick up the loose man made fibers from your clothes so they don’t end up in the ocean with your straws; 7/7/19, 7:33 PM
MadisonMan said...: I hang clothes out to dry. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, Dad used to say, so if you have bacteria in your clothes causing stench, sun will axe it.

Of course, sun is great at fading things too. Nothing is perfect.; 7/7/19, 7:33 PM
rehajm said...: I can see going a ways with a suit. Bra is gross though.; 7/7/19, 7:36 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Underwear need not be washed if you just turn it inside out every day.; 7/7/19, 8:14 PM
gilbar said...: so, we're getting instructions on person hygiene from Europeans now?; 7/7/19, 8:38 PM
Sarthurk said...: I think using common sense would be the conservative way to go, but, F me, I used the Con word.
Fine. If my wife complains, I'd do something about it. But she never has, and I think it's because I know where the limit is.
Back in the good old days, whenever that was, weddings were in June, because everybody got to take that spring bath, to be civil for the event. Or so I read somewhere.

SK out; 7/7/19, 8:51 PM
Michael said...: Press suits. Never dry clean. Brush after wearing. Wooden hanger.; 7/7/19, 9:02 PM
WK said...: Febreze. Always pack some when I travel.

College freshman son after first semester at college: “so khaki pants get washed too?”; 7/7/19, 9:22 PM
Ken B said...: The Lewinsky Rule.; 7/7/19, 9:24 PM
Fen said...: In general, try to wash your clothes as little as possible. And when you do, opt for cold water and low heat.

Why?

Wow. We could not be more opposite here :)

I wash my clothes if they were worn for more than 1/2 a day, almost always on hot water and always on high heat. I buy larger sizes to account for shrinking.

We have one of those stupid "energy saver" dryers that can't get the job done. Till I replace it, I'll dry them 2-3 cycles on high heat just to get them done right.; 7/7/19, 10:35 PM
readering said...: I've often read to press suits instead of having them dry cleaned but I feel bad for my dry cleaners to ask just press. And only do it a couple of times a year. But dry cleaners major cause of groundwater contami nation in SoCal; 7/7/19, 10:49 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Fen:

Why?

High heat and mechanical agitation will degrade your clothing over time. The only garments of clothing that really require washing after every wear are underwear and socks. Your bedsheets similarly collect oil and dead skin but do you wash them after every use?; 7/8/19, 3:59 AM
Jaq said...: It depends a lot on how you live. I just throw away clothes I have washed too much and buy new. There is no argument that washing clothes ages them. That’s why it’s nice to buy new clothes.; 7/8/19, 5:32 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: Stella McCartney is a dick.

THEOLDMAN; 7/8/19, 7:32 AM
donald said...: Gross.

Period. The end.; 7/8/19, 7:39 AM
donald said...: Gross.

Period. The end.; 7/8/19, 7:39 AM
Anonymous said...: AA: My mother used to say she was "airing" her clothes out — things that were worn but not really dirtied. They'd be hung outside of the closet — indoors — but in a way where air would circulate — before they'd be put away in a closet or drawer.

My grandmother would "air out" the bed in the morning — not make the bed up right away, but pull the covers down.

Your mother, your grandmother, and me. People don't do these common sense things anymore?; 7/8/19, 8:02 AM
Anonymous said...: If clothing isn't dirty and doesn't smell, why would you wash it?; 7/8/19, 8:03 AM
Ralph L said...: Even in winter, the Viennese would put their bedding on the balcony railing every morning as recently as the early 50's when my mother worked there for the CIA. I believe the mattress, too. Perhaps it solves bedbug, flea, and louse problems.; 7/8/19, 8:21 AM
Steven said...: I am incredibly hygienic myself

Yeah, if you're not changing and washing your bras, you're not credibly hygienic.; 7/8/19, 2:12 PM