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guide to touching up your suit without wrecking it - Page 7

post #91 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:42pm
Vertical wriklines: good. Horizontal: bad. Latter gets the steam.
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post #92 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:47pm
Amazing. Now I know what to do with blown seams. Thank you, sir.
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post #93 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jefferyd View Post
Unfortunately, most dry cleaners don't do a very good job of pressing. Some will really wreck it. I would rater have a suit cleaned but not pressed and then brought to a tailor to be pressed; the shaping is not brand-specific so any good presser can do any brand of suit.



Pressure is required while pressing (pressing=pressure) so steam alone while hanging the cloth is no good (besides, that's a bit too hot) Factory pressing equipment is made to specific shapes for each job- one machine for the shoulders, on for the top of the chest, one for the top of the back, one for creasing the armhole, etc. They replicate the shape of the body during pressing, which is a lot easier than doing it all with the aid of the ham and sleeve board. A skilled presser knows how to "read" the garment as they are working to maintain any asymmetries that were built into bespoke and MTM garments. FWIW, suit factory pressers are among the highest paid of all factory employees.

Cleaners will generally steam/press the body and sleeves but won't press the collars or sleeve caps. Pressing does more than rid the garment of wrinkles, it reshapes areas that get stretched from wear.
Collars, armholes, trouser knees, etc.

I was never scrutinized more during my apprenticeships than when it came to touching a garment with an iron. My last 3 years of 9 years of apprenticing I was not allowed to completely press a finished jacket for a client.
Watching a talented presser is a thing of beauty. They can really bring life to a garment.
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post #94 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:53pm
Funny how this thread popped up. I brought a 20+ year old tweed jacket to Winston Tailors to be relined and for minor alterations. I don't think it had been pressed in 10 years. When i picked it up, I was shocked out how beautiful it looked. Then I realized it was the pressing - it was like it had been given a shot of youth serum and brought back to life.
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post #95 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dopey View Post
Funny how this thread popped up. I brought a 20+ year old tweed jacket to Winston Tailors to be relined and for minor alterations. I don't think it had been pressed in 10 years. When i picked it up, I was shocked out how beautiful it looked. Then I realized it was the pressing - it was like it had been given a shot of youth serum and brought back to life.

I think can explain some skepticism about pressing. The before pressing view can be deceiving about the need to press. The after pressing can be amazing regarding the transformation.
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post #96 of 150
6/18/09 at 11:59pm
Ah, but the question is: can a good pressing give life to a nondescript rtw jacket that was dead from the start?
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post #97 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Despos View Post
I think can explain some skepticism about pressing. The before pressing view can be deceiving about the need to press. The after pressing can be amazing regarding the transformation.

Chris,

Is there a cleaners in Dallas (preferably Plano or near downtown) that you recommend for this?
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post #98 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:01am
Some, but it may not last because the internal integrity is not there.
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post #99 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark from Plano View Post
Chris,

Is there a cleaners in Dallas (preferably Plano or near downtown) that you recommend for this?

I only use Cox Drycleaners and Laundry. Northwest corner of Southwestern and Greenville Ave. The cleaning is excellent and they press better than most but not the same as a tailor would do. I've used them since 1978.
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post #100 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jefferyd View Post
FWIW, suit factory pressers are among the highest paid of all factory employees.

I have learned from my maker how laborious this whole process is.

Is there a way to send the suits to the pressing line of a factory to get them done? I am suprised that these factories do not offer this service, or do they? Get your suit cleaned by a local cleaner just for cleaning, then send them to the factory for pressing.

- M
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post #101 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post
Vertical wriklines: good. Horizontal: bad. Latter gets the steam.

Wrinkles under your eyes and on your face: bad. Wrinkles on your clothes; good.
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post #102 of 150
6/19/09 at 12:28am
Yet another tour de force unearthed from the deep repository of SF wisdom. I am for the umpteenth time, humbled.
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post #103 of 150
6/19/09 at 2:11am
Fantastic thread, Jeffery -- thank you! One question, though: as I understand it, dry cleaning isn't really "dry" -- so when cleaners press a coat, do they basically redo the shaping given it by its maker in every case?
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post #104 of 150
6/19/09 at 2:56am
This is an amazing thread. Why don't we have a single sticky that links to all these highly informative threads?
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post #105 of 150
6/19/09 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmkn View Post
I have learned from my maker how laborious this whole process is.

Is there a way to send the suits to the pressing line of a factory to get them done? I am suprised that these factories do not offer this service, or do they? Get your suit cleaned by a local cleaner just for cleaning, then send them to the factory for pressing.

- M

There used to be a place here in town that would do buttonholes, finishing and pressing for a lot of the tailors, and they took in a lot of people's post-cleaning pressing as well. I don't know if they are still around; with all these factory bankruptcies, however, there is going to be a lot of equipment sold off cheap soon. Someone could start a service.

Quote:
Originally Posted by literasyme View Post
as I understand it, dry cleaning isn't really "dry" -- so when cleaners press a coat, do they basically redo the shaping given it by its maker in every case?

Cleaners operate in all sorts of different ways, some better than others. I recommend that they not press at all after cleaning and have a tailor do the pressing. Of course, the amount you spend on maintenance should be relative to the value of the garment. Let the cleaners have at the $179 suit from Macy's, but if you spend on bespoke or top makers, spend the extra money to get a good pressing once a year. In between proper pressings, you can carefully touch up little wrinkles yourself.
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