Saddest Clothing Losses

I just ruined a pair of lovely chino linos in the wash somehow. I pulled them out of the machine and they were flecked with white, like I'd drizzled them with bleach.

So, to console myself in this time of loss, I thought I'd ask you, who've been handling fine clothing much longer than me: what wonderful pieces of clothing have you lost over the years and how did you loose them? By chance? By another's incompetence? Or, as in my case, by your own?

interesting thread, looking forward to some replies, maybe we can all learn something. I alas am still new to the game and haven't owned anything expensive long enough for a tragic loss....crossing my fingers now....

Quite some time ago I was in London, and bought an excellent chestnut suede safari jacket. I wore it for a couple of years, it picked up some light stains and general wear. I had the brilliant idea to give it to the local dry - cleaner.

Do I need to tell the rest of the story? O.K. - It came back ironed down flat as a pancake, stiff as a board, and quite simply un-wearable. I learned a valuable lesson.

Actually, if I had known then what I know now I would not have given up on it, but would have headed straight for the best leather house in L.A. - Leather Restoration in Beverly Hills. Too late now... Larry.

sometimes my family will "try and help" and do the laundry i have in my laundry bin, unfortunetly that usually results in one of my dress shirts getting put in the dryer on High-heat until ruined.

then fallowed by them arguing with me that my previously perfect shirt thats now fuzzied and faded is not "ruined".

I let them know pretty clearly after that, that they were no longer allowed to "help" with my laundry anymore.

Samurai- I read your post about the suede jacket and before I got to your last line I was thinking the same thing... "Gee, he should have sent it to Ram Leather in Manassas, Virginia...They can restore just about anything!" As for me, I'm sure I've lost more than a few things over the years, but the one that leaps to mind took place about 20 yrs ago...and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. One of my favorite suits was a fantastic, silver grey, 3-button, Cerrutti 1881. It had a very subtle tone-on-tone pattern, there was just enough silk added to the fabric to give it a marvelous "shimmer." Now this was back in the day before I had discovered the satisfaction (and adrenaline rush) of bargain shopping, and I was actually paying full price for a lot of my stuff. And that suit cost me a bundle...but more importantly, it was rather unique and I absolutely loved it. I was meeting with a client and when I stepped into her office I still had my topcoat draped over my right arm. I set it down on a chair in the corner and when I turned back to her again she got a look of horror on her face, and pointed to the right side of my jacket and exclaimed "What happened there?" I looked down and there was a huge, dark blue stain covering a large section of the lower, right front of the jacket..... My freshly-loaded fountain pen had leaked...bigtime! The stain was already at least 7" wide and rapidly spreading down and across the entire lower half of the right side. Looking inside the jacket I could see that the ink was practically flowing from the inside pocket, and it had also saturated a section of my white shirt. Luckily it just missed my tie. I took the suit straight to my cleaners. Back then I was exclusively using Parkway Cleaners in Chevy Chase, MD....arguably the best, most knowledgeable cleaners in the region...(and by far the most expensive). They specialize in "high-end" clothing and if anyone could help the suit it was these guys. Some of their staff hold degrees in textiles, chemistry, etc...Everything's computerized (when you drop off a suit, shirt, etc, they enter all the particulars into the PC...color, fabric, and location of any spots or stains, and source of the stain if known. They're also the only cleaners I've ever used where they're actually quite familar with all the various designers and brands...In other words I don't have to explain to them what it is their holding in their hands, and why it requires special attention. But alas, there was nothing they could do to save the suit. The ink had spread too far and too deep. It took me a long time to get over the loss of that very special suit. FYI- Parkway cleaners is still located on Connecticut Ave. just inside the beltway...They're un-godly expensive, but boy are they good!. http://www.parkwaydrycleaning.com/ Dennis

Not a loss, exactly... but same idea.

About a year ago, my grandfather mentioned that he wanted to sell his watch, a late 1950s JLC Memovox. He lives abroad and was having trouble finding a buyer, so I offered to take it to the States and sell it via TZ. He agreed.

After some back and forth, I found him a buyer at a price he was happy with, and the trade went through. I asked him how to transfer the money, and he said to split it in three, and give the other two thirds to to my brothers. I almost had a heart-attack, as I'd have much rathered my brothers and I have the watch and settle the cash between us.

Incidentally, the only item of clothing I ever lost that I cared about was this same grandfather's overcoat. It fit me like a glove and was a really nice piece; it got misplaced when my family moved and never showed up.

i have spent most of my business life traveling around the third world. lots of things have gone missing from my hotel room over the years...shirts, cuff links, ties, sport coat, even underwear (minsk, belarus). all this to be expected if you travel in very poor areas of the world, the poverty too dire and temptation too great. my worst experience was in saudi arabia. i had just come from rome with a brand new brioni cotton suit and spilled coffee on the plane. sent it off to be cleaned. went out a 40r, came back to tight for a 36s. had to wear it to meeting with biggest client. suit fit like those pee wee herman used to wear before he became overexposed, so to speak. i loved that suit. made the bell boy extremely happy as i gave it to him on my way out of the hotel.

I had a very well fitting pair of cream linen chinos from RL Blue Label. When I was in Italy I threw a bunch of stuff in the wash, not realizing the linens were in the pile. They came out reddish brown.

Not my clothes, but this story fits. Hell, it probably should be on an episode of Bridezilla. My wife dropped off her $3K wedding dress at our local high-end dry cleaner a few weeks before our wedding. She got a couple of stains from bridal pics. They apparently put some kind of chemical on it. The dress came back with a crinkled texture. After some yelling, crying and legal threats, they gave her a blank check. Luckily she was able to find a substitute that fit off the rack.

Last year I accidentally shrunk one of my favorite sweaters, a Brooks Brothers half zip in navy with light green and light blue argyle... happily I recently found a replacement at the outlet. Paid a quarter of what I did for the first two years ago.

Foolishly sent in a very nice tie to a lousy dry cleaner. Well, everyone here knows the aftermath of something like that.

One of my favourite shirts was a hand-me-down from my father's closet. I wore that shirt until literally everything started coming apart. I sadly retired it and it hangs on my wall as a decoration, forty odd years of good service over two generations.

My GF helped iron one of my shirts....now it's sleeping with the fishes.

Originally Posted by Coho

Click to expand...

My GF helped iron one of my shirts....now she's sleeping with the fishes.

Fixed.

Bought a Zegna blue blazer. The very first time I wore it I carried a box under my arm for a few blocks or so. The sharp paper edge "paper cut" into the jacket numerous times like a razor blade. Two spots on the left sleeve where shredded! I've never seen anything like it and I had to throw it away and buy another.

I once had a pledge wash and dry my old blue label sportcoat. Whether it was anger with being a pledge (I was never an ass to him) or just sheer stupidity, I'll never know. Needless to say I wept and so did he.