Time Waits for No Fashionista

Feast your eyes upon this beautiful and buttery soft light grey leather moto jacket for a moment …  Be astonished and elated when you learn that I purchased it for a trifling sum – $15 – in a charity store! Sigh with anticipation on hearing how I waited with bated breath until the seasons turned and the temperature was right to don this garment with appropriate reverence …

And then weep and gnash your teeth in lamentation as you look upon its ravaged surface, wantonly desecrated by some unseen and malignant foe! Let us mourn together!

weep and gnash your teeth in lamentation as you look upon its ravaged surface …!

For a thing of beauty is not a joy forever, as the poet John Keats so optimistically phrases it. I cannot hazard a guess as to what distressed this leather so that such disastrous holes formed on the back of the jacket. The blistering and cracking was visible on the arms too, and it was easy to see that more tearing would occur with only a little encouragement.

This was worse than the time I gently hand-washed the vintage cashmere cardigan and watched the pearl coating float off the beadwork, or the time in my green youth when I washed a fringed silk shawl too vigorously and tangled the long fringing past redemption … then I could blame my ignorance.

Yet this time I had done nothing but hang the jacket in my closet! I was very disappointed since I had not had a chance to even wear it once.

We all have those beautiful clothes in our closets that we save for a special occasion – and we shouldn’t. I am sure you’ve heard this dictum before, but at the sight of this particularly abject lesson, you must surely be convinced.

Wear the antique silk gown you inherited from a stylish great-aunt, slip on those bejewelled cobalt silk Manolos you have hidden on the top shelf in your wardrobe waiting for their moment in the sun (ahem, that’s me), don sequins and satin from nine to five – don’t save them for a time that may never come.

Like ephemeral mayflies that live only from sunrise to sunset, some pleasures last only for the shortest time and ought to be enjoyed without delay. Seize the day!

Photos: December 2015

New Clothes Must Be Worn Immediately

There is a strict SNAP Fashion Law that I (nearly) always obey. That is: New Clothes Must Be Worn Immediately. This is so obvious that it is very nearly a Universal Axiom. If it is not, then it should be. But why? … Why do mountaineers climb mountains? You wear new clothes because they are new. And what better time to wear them than the onset of spring? The sun is shining (theoretically – Melbourne has been somewhat capricious) and the birds are twittering. Out with the old! In with the new! Hurrah!

These outfits that my friend Sapphire and I are wearing are new (at least, they were at the time this picture was taken in early March this year). We had gone to the theatre, and I was wearing a brand new (second hand) silk dress by Rebecca Taylor and Sapphire was at last christening an old new sequinned tank that she had not had the opportunity to wear. We both felt enormously pleased with ourselves.

But, I hear you ask, what happens if you buy something for a particular occasion? Well, this is dangerous, risk-taking fashion behaviour. You can’t buy clothes too far ahead of time, and I’ll tell you why: you might grow out of them.

 I felt a bit like Goldilocks with such an alarming dilemma.

This happened to me. I had been keeping a weather eye out for a leather dress for some time, and quite by chance (when I was browsing for sunglasses) I stumbled upon a delicious vanilla leather shift dress on sale in Witchery. It was reduced from $400 to $100, a pretty good reduction in anyone’s book. The leather was thin and butter-soft. Scrumptious. Irresistible. I took two sizes into the change room and dithered between them. One was slightly too large, the other slightly too small. I felt a bit like Goldilocks with such an alarming dilemma. I finally decided on the larger size.

The infamous white leather dress by WitcheryThere was only one catch: it was the middle of winter, and this white minimalist sleeveless shift dress demanded to be worn with naked limbs. Tights and a jacket would utterly ruin its pure lines. I would have to wait for warmer weather.

About a month later, a friend – having heard of this famous leather bargain already – was visiting my home and requested me to model it. I happily complied and … DISASTER! In the interim, I had taken up jogging and lost a lot of weight. THE DRESS WAS TOO BIG. It swam on me. It was ridiculous. Impossible to wear. There were tears, wailing, and beatings of the breast.

It was ridiculous. Impossible to wear. There were tears, wailing, and beatings of the breast.

Unfortunately, the store no longer had any smaller sizes (remarkably they were willing to exchange it even without a receipt, as all the tags were intact). I wandered around like a tragic Greek muse for a few days until another friend suggested I have the dress tailored. Eureka! Brilliant suggestion. And my tailors were even more brilliant, shrinking it to fit my form perfectly.

That was a few months ago now, and I’m still waiting for warmer weather …

TO BE CONTINUED

Thou Shalt Not Be Afraid of Colour

THE NINTH FASHION COMMANDMENT

I love to wear colour. Not only because, as I’ve shared on numerous other occasions, I wish to confound Melburniuns’ infernal reputation for wearing funereal black summer and winter, but because wearing colours – especially vivid shades – simply makes me happy. 

Colour Theory and Symbolism

Colour can have a huge emotional impact in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. While I don’t buy into theories of universal colour psychology (eg, magenta being ‘spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life’), I do believe we respond differently to colours depending on our individual experiences. For whatever reason we will have our favourites, and we will have those we loathe. Personally, I dislike pedestrian pastels as I find them insipid (although I do like the ‘icy’ versions of these shades that suit me), and I am not fond of brown (except, for some strange reason, in coats and jackets, especially winter outerwear). I love robins egg blue, red, bright pink and yellow, many shades of purple, and I also have a passion for grey.

When I was a teen I wore mainly what was in fashion, but gravitated to bright colours. By my early 20s, I was seriously into vintage (partly due to my art school’s proximity to many op shops and vintage boutiques), but I started to wear more muted colours – I preferred them because I thought they were more subtle and intriguing. Interestingly, in refutation of this mid-twentieth-century analysis of  the colours artists prefer, I still prefer to use muted, warm colours in my artwork, even though I am a ‘cool’ person.

I’m not interested in the perceived symbolism of certain colours, but whether they look good on me, or not.

It was not until I had my colour epiphany in a Sussan’s clothes store trying on a candy pink blouse on a whim that I realised brighter colours suited me. Understand, before that I hated pink – I dismissed it as too girly. But after that experience, I was able to change my prejudice, ditched the dull rags and started wearing brighter shades. Now, I’m not interested in the perceived symbolism of certain colours, but whether they look good on me, or not. (The symbolism from a cultural point of view is certainly interesting however, such as red being associated with love, yellow with jealousy, etc; click here to read a little more about it.)

Read on for the secrets to discovering the Expressionist in you …

This 60s ribbon lace appliqué dress is in my favourite shade of blue. I don’t like Sixties fashion, and I don’t like V-necks, but this glorious colour saves the day. I love it paired with scarlet satin heels too!

The Fear Factor

Over the years I’ve had many comments and compliments about the bright colours I wear, especially red and yellow – it seems those two colours inspire the most awe and fear. People – women, mostly – express admiration that I dare to wear such vivid hues. ‘I could never wear that,’ they shake their heads. I am tempted to demand, ‘Why not? Will it bite you?’

Of course, people are afraid not actually of colour itself, but of attracting the wrong sort of attention by wearing the wrong colours together, or they are simply afraid of attracting attention at all – there are those shy types who prefer the safety of merging with the crowd, or even invisibility altogether. But I don’t know of one woman (except perhaps very eccentric types) who would not like to appear her best, and even appear attractive. Why would you not want to wear a colour that lights up your face, makes your eyes sparkle, and you look radiant?

For the truly fearful, it is less daunting to start small, perhaps with a little accessory, such as a scarf, bag or shoes, or a piece of jewellery. Build your confidence slowly and then branch out. 

Of course, people are afraid not actually of colour itself, but of attracting the wrong sort of attention by wearing the wrong colours together …

The Flatter Factor

The inverse applies: wearing the wrong colours for your complexion will wash you out, make you look sallow, or tired. They will drag you down – I tend to believe if you look depressed you will end up feeling depressed! One glimpse in a mirror when you look like this can be a shock. That’s exactly what happened to me: I was wearing a maroon coloured top and caught my reflection in a distant mirror. It was as though I was seeing a stranger, and it made me completely objective. I saw at once that maroon made me look awful – tired, drawn and sallow, as though life was a terrible burden.

You do need to figure out which hues suit your colouring, but it doesn’t mean you can’t wear other favourite colours – just don’t wear them next to your face.

The simplest way to figure out which colours suit you is first to find out which ‘season’ you fall into: summer, winter, spring or autumn. There are plenty of online sites that will explain how to do this (read my story on seasonal colour – within that there are links that will take you to these sites). If you don’t have enough of the suggested colours in your wardrobe to try against your face, go to a department store where you’ll have access to many different design and colour ranges. Always do your comparisons in natural light however, not in the fluorescent lighting of many changerooms. Also take note which colours you are wearing when people compliment you – or when they ask if you are not feeling quite the thing! 

Whatever you want to call this shade of yellow: sunshine, daffodil, goldenrod – it is hard to come by. I searched high and low literally for years before I found this 70s cotton dress in exactly the right shade. This colour is so happy, and this dress so swirly, I immediately want to dance when I put it on!

The Match Factor

Some people are also daunted by the prospect of matching colours – they feel they don’t know which ones go together, so it is easier and safer to stick to black, or neutrals. That way no one will point them out as a figure of fun in the street. The secret to conquering this fear is to not care what other people think of you. After all, who cares what some stranger on the street is thinking in their head about your outfit? You’ll never know! And if they do have the impertinence to shout out rude remarks to you, ignore them. They are the ones with abysmal manners and unkind, ungenerous spirits. That is certainly no marker of elegance.

The secret to conquering this fear is to not care what other people think of you. 

Try out different pairings at home – most likely if you don’t find colours offensive to the eye, then they probably aren’t offensive. Trust your instincts. Harmonious shades always look lovely paired, but contrasting colours can look great together, and even clashing colours can be daring and exciting. If you’re feeling nervous, stick to two colours, but don’t rigidly alternate them from head to toe. Feel free to add a third colour into the mix as a little accent in a belt, or your shoes – for example, two muted hues with one bright shade can be wonderful. Also check out the outfits of someone whose style you admire (make sure the same colours suit you), or ask their advice.

I remember once when I was young trying to determine what my ‘style’ was; I was a bit afraid of getting it wrong and those nebulous ‘people’ sniggering at me behind their hands until I had another fashion epiphany and realised that a) it didn’t matter what other people thought and b) boldness and confidence can carry almost anything off. We all make fashion faux pas sometimes, and it’s not the end of the world if we do. As Scarlet O’Hara said: ‘Tomorrow is another day’. And she wore curtains.

So here are the simple rules about wearing colour:

1. Learn which colours suit your complexion
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colours – just have a go

This here is a colour wheel. The main thing to remember is that complementary colours are those opposite one another, while those close together are harmonious. Image from Modern Wedding.

Colour Rules

Revolutionary American fashion designer of the 40s and 50s, Clare McCardell, said of colour: ‘Always different in different fabrics; sometimes dangerously so’. This is true. The type of fabric will affect your perception of a colour, whether it is stiff or flowing, sheer or opaque, matte or reflective, and whether it is new and crisp, or old and faded – the former can be fresh or brash, and the latter can be charming or shabby. Consider these aspects when matching garments. There are no hard and fast rules, I don’t believe; you will simply have to trust your instincts and learn through experience. Cheap fabric, however, rarely looks good beyond a few wears and washes, so always try to buy quality natural fibres.

There are some stupid rules touted about that are begging to be broken, such as pink and red looking terrible together, or that blue and green should never be seen (hello, blue sky and green grass?). Usually it is dependent on the particular shades of these pairs, but even severely clashing colours can be awesome fun, though it does take boldness to carry that off, and a strong dash of panache.

Monochromes look great together: black and white are the classic combination, but also consider wearing all one colour in different shades – this can make you look slimmer and taller (usually a plus)! Many people like to wear black with a bold colour, and that is not an evil, though I limit that for the simple fact that it reminds me too much of unlikeable aspects of Eighties fashion. I do like to add a third bold bright however when I wear black and white, or black with a neutral. I am fond however of black with a warm, light pink because it is such a classic Fifties combination.

Harmonious colours that blend one into another will not offend the eye – the hitherto mentioned red and pink, or red and purple, or lemon and lime, for example. These are the colours that sit together on a colour wheel.

Neutral colours such as grey and beige will go with anything, depending on whether they are cool or warm.

Contrasting (or complementary) colours will make one another pop, but will be easier to wear if you pair two with one neutral, rather than three contrasting colours all together. Some pairings I would be wary of, such as dark green and bright red being too Christmassy; on the other hand, I love mint green with scarlet.

Clashing colours (those that are too close to one another on the colour wheel) are for the daring and colour confident. I recently wore burnt orange and raspberry pink with violet as an accent during my Week of Wrong (more on that in the coming days) and it worked wonderfully. I also love turquoise or sky blue with scarlet – it’s positively delicious!

I love red! It is passionate and joyful! Did you know the Russian word for it is close to the word for beautiful? Periwinkle is my second favourite shade of blue – I love the hint of purple.

For the timid, here is a list of colours from A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux which work well together as pairs. Note, she does not mention the more daring combinations I have suggested – hers are considered safe options. She believes wearing three colours is difficult (except when black and white are two of the colours), but for guidance, refer to my suggestions above, such as black, neutral and one bright, or two muted with one bright. Her basic colours are followed by their secondary colour matching.

Basic Colour Pale

White – Black and all the dark and bright shades
Pale beige – Black, browns, red, greens
Pale grey – Browns, dark greens, dark grey, red
Sky blue – Browns, dark greens, raspberry, purple, beige, dark grey
Pink – Beige, purple, navy, grey
Pale yellow – Black, navy, brown, grey
Mauve – Plum, brown, navy
Pale green – Dark green, red

Basic Colour Dark

Black – Beige, white, toast; clear shades but not pastels such as sky blue or pink (with the exception of pale yellow, but only for a hat, worn with black shoes, bag, and gloves)
Brown – White, beige, black, orange-red, orange, dark green
Dark grey – Beige, black, all the pale and bright colours
Navy blue – White, lemon yellow, turquoise, raspberry, bright green, mauve
Dark green – Sky blue, white, beige, bright red, pale yellow
Plum – Sky blue
Dark red – Black, sky blue, beige

Basic Colour Bright

Blue (with violet undertones) – Black, white, bright green with a bluish cast
Turquoise (blue with greenish overtones) – White, beige, toast, navy blue
Green (bluish) – Navy, black, white
Green (yellowish) – Beige, white, toast
Golden yellow – Black, white, brown
Lemon yellow – Black, white, navy, dark green, pale pink, orange
Orange – White, lemon, black, dark green
Raspberry red – Navy, white
Bright red (vermillion) – Brown, white
Purple – Brown, white, sky blue, pink, turquoise

So now that you're armed – and not alarmed – with all this new-found knowledge on colour, and have learned which season you are and the colours that suit you, take your colour wheel and dive into the paintbox that is your wardrobe. Lose your preconceptions and inhibitions; paint a rainbow, be joyful, make mistakes and airbrush them out – for life is short!

~

Come back soon for the Tenth (and last) Commandment of Miss Moses: ‘Thou shalt not wear all black all the time, for thou art not an Italian widow’. But before that happens, look out for lots more stories on colour in the coming days, including the story behind my Week of Wrong. If you’ve just tuned in, or would like to refresh your memory, click here to review all the Fashion Commandments. 

Convict Couture

Well, well, here I achieve a P.B. with stripes in the form of jailbird P.J’s. But I didn’t do it on purpose, which makes it even funnier. I never wear anything girlish or prissy to bed – my usual pyjamas consist of a pair of cotton knit boxer shorts paired with either a singlet, or a long-sleeved tee (depending on the season). I have lots of them, and none were ever bought as a set.

One evening, when my sister Serena was staying the night, I sauntered out of the bathroom ready for bed … she beheld me in all my striped glory and immediately fell into giggles. ‘You look like you’re wearing prison pyjamas!’ she gasped with laughter.

Indeed I do. However, this particular pairing was entirely inadvertent, resulting from my grabbing whatever was at the top of the pile in my pyjama drawer – but don’t you think they are the height of convict couture?

Striped prison uniforms were commonly used in the nineteenth century before they were abolished in the early twentieth century. I read on Wikipedia that they are coming back into fashion however, one reason being that jumpsuit-clad workers and doctors in scrubs were being mistaken for jail breakers.

I’ll remember to keep this outfit strictly indoors only.  

Thou Shalt Launder Thy Clothes With Care

THE EIGHTH FASHION COMMANDMENT

So you’ve feng shui-ed your over-crowded wardrobe, you’ve gone shopping to fill the gaps, and you can now step back and feel a little glow of satisfaction as you admire the results. But just how long will your closet remain in this pristine state? Will you be able to locate any given garment when you are in a rush in the morning, and will it be in a condition suitable for wear? Quite apart from these practical considerations, it’s impossible to look truly chic if your clothing is dirty, torn or crumpled because you’d just picked up from the floor that morning (after treading on it a few times with your spiky heels).

The most important aspects of maintaining your wardrobe are storing and laundering garments correctly, especially if you have invested in high quality labels and delicate items – you can’t simply chuck these into the washing machine at the end of the week.

This doesn’t mean however you need to send everything to the dry cleaners. Too much exposure to dry cleaning chemicals can be damaging to fabric, not to mention hard on your wallet too. Very often clothing manufacturers suggest dry cleaning a garment to cover themselves from damages claims, but most fabrics can be hand washed gently – read the label and use your common sense. This is something you need to consider before you make a purchase – factor in the cost of dry-cleaning in the future, or the time you will need to invest in hand washing. Are you still willing to make the purchase?

Read on to learn how to maintain your wardrobe through appropriate storage and careful laundering …

Storage

It can be a challenge at times to keep your wardrobe tidy and uncluttered – it has certainly been a challenge for me, for I own a lot of clothes, and shoes, and hats, and scarves, and jewellery … If only I had a Mr Big to build me an enormous walk-in robe with customised shelving for shoes! (Yep, that’s the way to my heart.) I certainly have more space than some, but my apartment is very small and my collection vast.

If only I had a Mr Big to build me an enormous walk-in robe … 

Cedar balls are a natural repellent against mothsIf possible (or necessary), separate your summer and winter clothes and store the out-of-season garments in a storage area.

Make sure they are cleaned before you store them for any length of time, for moths will go for the dirty spots in clothes – particularly those food or drink spillages that may not be discernible to the naked eye. Use some kind of moth deterrent – I use cedar balls that I refresh with cedar oil spray when I swap the clothes over; dried lavender also works.

Hang your clothes in clothes bags – breathable fabric preferably, although my own clothes stored in plastic garment bags for a season have come to no harm. You can store jumpers and sweaters folded. Really fragile or old garments should be stored flat if possible. (Visit Vintage Textile for detailed information on storing vintage or antique clothing.)

Remember that just as you should not store dirty clothing for fear of attracting moths, it is best to launder clothing as soon as possible rather than leaving garments to languish in the bottom of your laundry basket – moths will be attracted to them even there! Moths seem particularly attracted to Lyocell (a fibre based on cellulose made from wood pulp, sometimes known as Tencel) – even more so than wool.

With what is left hanging in your seasonal wardrobe, sort them by type of garment: sleeveless tanks, followed by short-sleeved tops, then long-sleeved blouses; skirts with skirts, dresses with dresses etc. I go further and sort them by colour, ranging from white, grey, black then light to dark colours, followed by prints. Sounds excessive, but it’s so much easier to find what I need! I use wooden hangers – wire ones tangle and don’t offer enough support. T-shirts, jumpers, jeans, etc I store folded in drawers. Shoes should go on racks, or clear plastic boxes so they are easy to find – NOT in a jumble at the bottom of your wardrobe! 

TIPS

• Any heavily beaded tops should be turned inside-out and rolled up for storage – don’t hang these as the weight of the beads will drag delicate garments down and possibly cause damage.
• Hang slips or petticoats with the transparent garments they go beneath – this makes it so much faster in the morning to get dressed. 
• If space is at a premium, look for clever storage devices, such as a scarf or shoe rack that hangs on the back of a door. 

Do Read the Label

The Stain iPhone app – use the Decoder to decipher label hieroglyphics Garment care labels are supposed to inform you on how to best launder your garment, but sometimes it’s difficult to decipher the hieroglyphics. A great little iPhone app called The Stain will help you solve these mysteries. There is also a section on Maintenance, with detailed instructions for common textiles, from acetate through to wool.

It’s worth noting too that many labels will state ‘dry clean only’, and in fact this is often a whole lotta hooey merely to cover the manufacturer from damage claims. Some manufacturers do not preshrink fabric before it is cut and sewn, so washing in water may shrink a garment, but more often than not it will be fine. You do need to know your fabrics however. I have successfully flouted the label’s advice many times, particularly with second hand items bought in charity shops for little money, when it doesn’t matter too much if I ruin a garment. In such cases I will cross my fingers and hand wash gently in cold water. Some brands will label a fibre as dry clean only, another will state the same fibre can be hand washed – use your own discretion in these instances. 

Machine Washing

It was an old friend, quite young at the time, telling me blithely that she just ‘threw everything in the machine’ who inspired me to start this blog in the first place – I was so horrified at her ignorance!

Generally, you can wash hardy, modern garments in the machine with impunity – if the instructions on the care label say so. Here are a few things to remember – some of them may seem like common sense, but I am constantly amazed by some of my neighbours who seem to have no idea at all!

TIPS

• It may seem obvious, but do make sure to separate your whites from colours and darks
• Don’t be too unorthodox with your loads – don’t mix towels with underwear for instance, or be prepared for pilling
• Use a delicates bag for any particularly fragile items – those pretty things you don’t want mixing with the hoi polloi and rubbing up against them 
• Turn garments inside out to help minimise rubbing, and fading in the sunlight 
• Remember to check pockets and remove paper tissues – or suffer the consequences
• Read the dials on the machine, eg, adjust spin speed for more delicate garments. 

Hand wash delicate fabrics such as cashmere gently

Hand Washing

According to the old rhyme, Monday is washing day, but as a working girl I save it up for Saturday morning. Personally, I like to accumulate a pile of hand washing and maximise my time by doing it all in one go. 

Remember to read the label for care instructions. Divide your hand washing by colour, starting with the lightest, and those items that should be washed in cool water (silk, rayon, lyocell etc) and warm water (wool, cotton, linen etc). I often wash 2–3 items at a time depending on bulk to speed up the process, and if the items are not particularly dirty will use the same basin of water as long as any dyes have not run, discolouring the water.

Roll delicates in a towel to squeeze out excess moisture – do not put them on the spin cycle in the washing machine

After rinsing in the water of the same temperature (eg, do not wash your woollens in warm water then rinse in cold – that will shock the fibre), I will spin-dry the more hardy garments in the machine on a gentle cycle. The delicate items – fine knits, silk blouses – I roll into a fluffy white towel and squeeze dry. This process very adequately removes excess moisture. (I purchased a couple of gently-used white towels from a charity store for a few dollars to use for this purpose, and nothing else.) Obviously a garment using non-colourfast dye should not be rolled in the same towel as others, lest it stains them.

Laundering Lingerie

Ordinary undies and socks I will run through the machine on a gentle cycle with my sleepwear, but expensive lingerie requires a little more care. It is enough to merely soak your lingerie (bras, stockings, high-quality socks) in a bucket of warm water and delicates detergent, before rinsing and hanging to dry. Silk lingerie should of course be handled very gently.

More hardy undergarments (slips, singlets etc) can go into a delicates bag in the machine with the rest of your every-day smalls. I would not place any bra that has an underwire into one of these as the wires can become warped in the machine, ruining the bra. I once tried wearing a bra with a slightly bent underwire, and spent an extremely uncomfortable day.

It is possible to purchase a hard plastic ball in which underwire bras are placed, and then run through a normal machine wash – I have never bothered to try this as too many bras are made with delicate fabric or trims that I would not want to put through the machine in any case.  

TIP

• Repair warped bras with new underwires purchased in haberdashers 

Fold dresses at the waist (ie, the seam) where it is strongest to hang on the line. Sturdy vintage dresses can be hung like this, otherwise flat. Remember not to hang non-colourfast garments too near others!

Drying

Again, read the care label regarding drying instructions. Hardy garments can be line-dried. They should be first turned inside-out (to prevent fading) and pegged by the lightest edge – hems rather than thicker waistbands which take longer to dry – preferably on the seams where the fabric is stronger, and to diminish peg marks. Dresses and blouses can be hung on coathangers that are sturdily fixed to the line and won’t fly off in a strong gust of wind. I use old ribbons to attach the coathangers to the line. Alternatively, dresses can be folded over and pegged at the waistband, or even at the hem if they are more sturdy.

Dry knits flat – peg under the arms where peg marks won’t show

Knits and delicates should be dried flat in the shade. Do not hang – in particular – fine gauge knits with an open weave unless you secretly wish to distort their shape and render them unwearable, or have your revenge on a flatmate who steals your clothes. Once, I ran out of space on my clothes airer for all the hand washing I did, and hung a favourite knit bomber jacket on the line. Lamentably, the sleeves stretched abominably under the weight of the water to almost twice their length. Rewashing did not make the wool ‘bounce back’ (as sometimes will work). I was heart-broken.

A trick I learned from my mum: tie your hangers securely to the line with old ribbon

TIPS

• Always peg your garments on the lightest edge and leave the heaviest seams (such as waistbands) to hang and dry freely 
• Tie hangers securely to the line with old ribbon so you don’t find your clothes gone with the wind!
• Shake out your garments when taking them off the line to remove any bugs or other undesirable creatures lurking in their folds (particularly applicable in Australia, and probably South America and parts of Africa), and fold them neatly in the basket to minimise creasing, especially if it will be some time before you iron them. 

Washing Vintage

Greater care in washing vintage garments is necessary, depending upon the quality, age, type of fabric and fibre content of the item. Modern rayon, for instance, can be hand or even machine washed, but very old rayon will shrink the instant it comes in contact with water. Dry cleaning is the only option for some garments, though it is best to limit even this laundering method as much as possible.

If the vintage garment does not have a label, you can snip a piece of fabric from one of the inside seams and conduct a burn test. Use the chart below for reference (click image for larger version, which you can also feel free to download).

A Snapette’s Guide to Burning Fabric

A couple of years ago I attended a workshop on laundering vintage garments at Circa Vintage Clothing. Along with a chart for determining fibre content by using the burn test, and a chart on fibres, weaves and how to launder them, we were given these useful notes:

• Always wash vintage garments separately the first time to determine colourfastness
• Wash colours and prints in cold or lukewarm water until colourfastness determined
• If in doubt, dry clean
• The following garment types can generally be hand washed with care even if they have a dry clean label: lingerie, dressing gowns, housecoats, blouses
• Very old or fragile garments should not be washed
• Underarm protectors are your friend
• Tailored garments should always be dry cleaned, as should most lined garments
• Remove metal trims like buttons when soaking (zippers are okay)
• Do not soak for more than an hour, but soaking can be repeated
• For fabric mixes, wash as per the more delicate fibre.

Laundering vintage is too broad a topic to cover here, so I will direct you to Va-Voom Vintage for more detailed information. However, below is a quick reference chart on various types of fibres and fabrics, and best washing methods. (Click image for larger version, which you can also feel free to download.)

A Snapette’s Guide to Laundering

Stain Removal

For many stains on modern garments (and even on some older garments) I will use Sard Wondersoap in either spray or soap form and find this does the trick in nearly all cases. Some stains need to be treated immediately, while others will still respond after a day or few. Hand washing is a chore, but I find that the more precious a garment is to me, the quicker I will whip it off (if I am at home) and launder it!

However, the sooner you attempt to clean any stain, the more success you will have in its removal. I am pretty determined though, and have called myself the Stain Removal Queen on more than one occasion. The only thing that has really defeated me is perspiration marks when a garment has been left too long unlaundered, and body lotion that has marked undergarments such as silk camisoles because I have put them on before the lotion has had a chance to soak into my skin. 

I have called myself the Stain Removal Queen on more than one occasion …

An important thing to remember is never put hot water on an unidentified stain as it may cause the stain to set. Flush with cold water instead. Also keep a wad of clean fabric at the back of the stain to prevent the mark from spreading through to the next layer of material as you attempt to clean it.

The Stain app includes detailed instructions for removing many types of stainsIn the past I have relied on a little Penguin book, Removing Stains, A Practical A–Z Guide, but these days I also have quick access to a great and comprehensive iPhone app called The Stain, which offers even more detailed information for different fabrics than does the book. 

Here, culled from the above sources and in alphabetical order, are some common stains and how to remedy them – useful to know, especially if you are out and about and have an unfortunate accident:

Blood: do NOT use warm or hot water as that will fix the stain; a fresh blood stain can be rinsed out in cold salted water (a teaspoon of salt to half a litre of cold water); if the blood has dried brush off as much as possible and either bleach with a drop of hydrogen peroxide, or cover with a paste of powdered borax and water, allow to dry and brush off – then wash according to label instructions 

Chewing gum: place garment in plastic bag and freeze for a while, or rub ice on gum to break off solid pieces, sponge the remainder with eucalyptus oil or dry-cleaning fluid

Grease: treat immediately; use absorbent paper and iron with a warm iron, changing the paper frequently (I have found this to work well even with silks when first dusted with talc), or sponge with white spirit or dry-cleaning fluid; for cotton, rub dish soap gently into stain, and wash as usual in liquid detergent

Grass: launder as soon as possible; on cotton, soak in a mixture of two parts methylated spirits to one part cloudy ammonia and three parts hot water – rinse before washing; on synthetics work wool mix into stain and wash as usual; on knits, cover dampened stain with toothpaste, leave for half an hour, the rinse away with warm water

Nail polish: use a non-oily nail polish remover or acetone as long as the garment you are treating is not an acetate fabric, for those, use amyl acetate (a toxic solvent available from chemists); remove traces of colour with methylated spirits

Keep pure soap handy for removing pen marks (also good for softening leather of painful shoes)

Pen: on non-acetate clothing, if the mark is fresh rub with pure soap and scratch off as much as you can with a fingernail, then rinse, or for older marks dab with methylated spirits then rinse; acetates should go to the dry cleaner

Perspiration: dab with cloth dipped in white vinegar (for wool), a diluted ammonia solution (28%) or hydrogen peroxide; for delicate fabrics try cloth dipped in lemon juice and water, rubbing and rinsing before washing as usual; for persistent stains, soak for an hour in water and white spirit or vinegar, then wash

Rust: saturate with lemon juice, rub in some salt and leave for a few moments, then rinse well and wash as usual; if the stain persists, pour on some rust remover suitable for use on fabric or expose the fabric to steam (hold above a saucepan of boiling water) and pour a few drops of lemon juice onto the back side of the fabric – then rinse first with water and ammonia solution, and then with clear water

Wine: for red wine, mop up excess with paper towel and apply soda water; alternatively smother with salt and leave several hours; white wine will respond to soda water if applied quickly 

Many common household items such as lemon and bicarbonate of soda can be used for cleaning too You can put together a stain-removing kit and keep it in the laundry for emergencies. You’ll also need clean cloths, small sponges, cottonwool, white tissues (use these when nothing else will do), and an eye dropper with which you can apply powerful solvents. I have also simply used a cotton tip dipped in the solvent. A few lemons in the fruit bowl are handy too!  

Each kit should contain (I have only half of these and have managed quite well):

• bicarbonate of soda
• borax
• bran or talcum powder
• eucalyptus oil
• household ammonia
• hydrogen peroxide
• methylated spirits
• mineral turpentine
• dry-cleaning fluid
• amyl acetate (non-oily nail polish remover)
• washing soda
• white vinegar
• white spirit

If you have made it through this epic story, I am very impressed (especially since it has taken me months to muster the energy to write it) and warmly congratulate you. Your clothes will also thank you. Happy laundering!

TIP

• When you have finished all your laundering, reward yourself with a vodka and soda from the leftover soda water used in cleaning that red wine stain!

~

Come back soon for the Ninth Commandment of Miss Moses: ‘Thou shalt not be afraid of colour, for life is short’. If you’ve just tuned in, or would like to refresh your memory, click here to review all the Fashion Commandments. 

Picture note: tile images shot by SNAP in Barcelona and Lisbon, June 2011.