How To Care For Your Suit

A good suit isn’t just a piece of clothing; it’s an investment. You might have heard that before and laughed, but it’s true - wearing a well-fitted suit can quite literally change the way you think. Suits are also, quite obviously, a financial investment; no article of clothing in your wardrobe will cost as much as your suit, unless, perhaps, you’re really into collectable shoes.

Given how much your suit is probably worth, it simply won’t do to have it worn out every couple of years; you don’t want to have to pay the upfront cost of a suit on a regular basis. That’s why proper suit maintenance is so important. This guide will give you some pointers on how to properly care for your suit to keep you looking dapper for decades.

Suits, just like almost anything in the world, are prone to wear and tear. Fibres wear down over time - they get dirty and you need to clean them, you bend the wrong way after a bit of weight gain and they begin to split. Clothing fibres can also have something akin to memory - when they’re draped over a particular surface (in this case, your body) over a long period of time, they can begin to stiffen in that form.

A line from a cult classic movie or good suit care advice? As it turns out, the answer is both! Wire hangers are quite bad for your clothes for a number of different reasons. The first is that they’re too thin and can create marks in your suits. What’s worse, wire hangers will eventually begin to sag as a result of the weight being put on them, and this can create unsightly folds in your clothes.

Opt instead for thick wooden hangers with gentle slopes. Cedar hangers are particularly nice because cedar oilacts as a deterrent to moths.Don’t want to invest in new hangers? At the very least, wrap your wire hangers in fabric - even old t-shirts will do. Make sure the fabric is taut to avoid bunching.

This might go without saying, but you should always hang up your suit once you’re done wearing it; a crumpled pile of t-shirts on your floor might not be a big deal, but a crumpled suit simply won’t do.

Your suit goes through a lot, even if you don’t see it - there are particles that get lodged in your suit’s fibres every time you wear it. This is especially true of high-quality wool suits. Left unchecked, these particles will begin to damage the fibres, reducing the lifespan of your clothing.

Fortunately, there’s a very easy way to mitigate this damage: use a suit brush. Suit brushes are made of soft fibres that get dust, lint, hair, and food particles out of your suit without damaging it. You simply put your suit on a hanger, start at the shoulder, then brush your way down your suit jacket. From there, you can go under the collar, then do the sleeves. You should do this before and after you wear your suit. The whole process shouldn’t take more than a minute.

Optimally, you’ll want to travel with a light, breathable garment bag. These bags are made to keep suits looking crisp. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for many of us; carry-on bags are much more common that garment bags. In that case, you’ll want to carefully fold your suit and trousers, leaving them on top of your carry-on. Use a piece of plastic from the dry cleaner’s to separate the trousers and suit jacket.

You might find that your suit ends up a bit wrinkled after your travels and given that you probably won’t have ready access to a suit steamer, here’s a trick you can use: hang your suit up in the bathroom when you’re taking a hot shower. The steam from the shower should help unwrinkle the fabric.

Things happen to suits - buttons come loose, minor tears occur, and you might need to go see a tailor. Don’t wait until things get worse to do so; a small tear can turn into an irreparable rip given enough time. Some fine suit retailers will even provide you with maintenance plans for your suit.