proper care, shirts coats & shoes?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hi,

A college student, I have just begun to pay attention to my appearances, and this forum represents broadly what I am aiming for.
I just acquired 60 articles of clothing off craigslist --someone's husband had died-- for $350 (it all fits, with 1" hemming on the pants) A good way to jumpstart the restyling of my wardrobe at one go. Not that I had much of one at all previously; but a week's worth of frayed jeans and polos


A significant improvement would not be merely better clothing, but to have better-treated clothing. I've rarely ironed, and never starched, a shirt in my life. I buy one pair of shoes, and wear it through the year until it is stiff and falling apart. No matter name brands or cloth and leather quality; if my shirts are wrinkled and my shoes are cracked, people aren't going to see the labels anyway...


First question: where do I find a can of starch? The general "home living" store, Economy Hardware, did not have it; nor did the Shaw's supermarket next door. Although perhaps I could refine some baking potatoes Ordering online seems a bit extreme for such an item.

Second question: how to protect my shoes? I now have 3 pairs of leather-soled shoes, instead of none. I walk 2-3 miles daily, on concrete sidewalks. Will this tear them up? It certainly took 3/16" off the rubber heel of my last pair of shoes, in the course of a year; but leather is stiffer and may be more abrasion-resistant.
Worse are winters. The streets are poorly drained, and while you're fine on sidewalks, there's always that 3" deep puddle you would have to go 1/8miles to get around, so you just step through it. What do I wear over my shoes?
Or do I just get a pair of elegant, waterproof boots to wear on those days? What do you recommend for the latter? I walk to classes, and have no office you see, to just set down a pair of galoshes-- I'd be carrying them around with me all day!

Final question for now: how to store my clothes? I had the good fortune to pick up a cashmere overcoat last fall for $3. I went home for the summer, and had no space in the car, nor need for at home, a winter overcoat. So I folded it up and stuck it in a cardboard box in the un-airconditioned dorm basement. It came out today smelling very lightly of mildew, but more notably, with heavily creased arms and imprints from where the horn buttons had folded over and pressed into some of the cloth.
Will these work themselves out, now that it's hung up in an (admittedly packed tight) closet? If not, how to work out these creases in wool (is an iron OK), and should it be always hung up even when in storage for future reference?



thanks!
-Bernard Arnest

 

[Shikar]

Congratulations on aquiring a wardrobe. I would encourage you to do a search on StyleForum for each of the individual questions you asked, its actually fun cos you learn a lot of extra stuff in the process.

Regards.

 

[DocHolliday]

Welcome, Bernard!

Starch does your shirts no favor. It makes them look stiff, but it also damages the cloth over time. Unless you really dig the starched look, you might consider giving it a skip. If you really want it, you can find it at most Wal-Mart-type stores.

As for your shoes, if you're worried about wear, a cobbler can apply a thin rubber layer over the soles that will make them last longer. When the Topy, as it's called, wears down, you can have it replaced. Beyond that, just make sure to use shoe trees and rest your shoes for at least a day between wearings. If you really want to protect them from the elements, you can buy rubber galoshes, but that's too much for my tastes. I'd rather just keep a pair or two on hand for rain wear.

For your coat, try hanging it out to air. Once the smell is gone, then try steaming it in the bathroom, next to the shower. You may need to have it cleaned and pressed.

 

[tonylumpkin]

+1 on skipping the starch. A better solution, unless you like the stiffness starch provides, is to spray the shirt with water from a spray bottle and roll it for about an hour. The shirt will be sufficiently damp to ease ironing without the starch stiffness or residue. My grandmother did my grandfathers shirts this way and they always looked great!

 

[Gus]

As far as the shoes I like the posters idea of the rubber attached to the soles. I have had that done to shoes I was taking on vacation where I was doing a great deal of walking. Even though it was very thin, it gave my shoes the added benefit of slightly more cushioning and a bit more of a grip. I have these put on the bottom of all my wife's shoes and they last a lot longer than regular soles. So, it is actually economical in the long run.

Leather can get wet. The key is to let shoes stand for a few days and let them air dry away from heat. If you rotate your shoes, use shoe trees and give them a nice thin coat of shoe cream and then wax they should last a long time. I have shoes that are 20+years old and still look great.

 

[HomerJ]

If you wear your shoes down unevenly, try taps. I've put plastic taps on my heels because I wear down the outer edges a lot. $5 a pair. Some people wear out their toes and they have toe taps.

 

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hi,

Thanks for the tips!

Hmm; I have some rockport boots at home. What you're saying is, they *can* get soaked, just let them dry? Why without heat?
Actually, the key thing there that you mentioned-- shoe cream. My shoes have gotten wet, then wet again, and again, and again, acquiring a dark, ugly, cracked patina and a very stiff quality. So perhaps they can get soaked, but if I polish them AND WAX them, with regularity (how regular is regular?), they'll be better? I confess, I only polish my shoes twice a year if that, right before occasions when have to look good, not right before I anticipate that they might get wet.

On that note, what polishes and waxes do you prefer; since I'm buying my own shoe-polishing kit, what should I look for in a brush? I have always rubbed on the polish very thickly with a cloth, left it for an hour, and scrubbed it off with the brush.
Hahahaha, one issue I have had is that when I have polished my shoes, at home, we still have my grandfather's depression-era kit! I have a strong suspicion that some of the tins of polish are depression-era, too, or nearly so-- my black shoes came out with a slight green tinge when I buffed them up before my father's wedding this past summer.



On shirts-- I've never actually worn a starched shirt. I only know that my current shirts are frequently sloppy, and thought that starch would help that. Simply diligent ironing might be enough, however-- time to go out and get a board and iron tomorrow. Thanks for the info on damage

Hmm, I wonder how a metal tap would work? It'll be faster for me to grab some sheet aluminum or copper, tiny tacks, and a jeweler's saw than to walk a mile to the shoe repair place.



thanks!
-Bernard

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by BerniniCaCO3

What you're saying is, they *can* get soaked, just let them dry? Why without heat?

Heat can cause the leather to crack. It's very bad for your shoes. Best to let them air dry naturally.

Actually, the key thing there that you mentioned-- shoe cream. My shoes have gotten wet, then wet again, and again, and again, acquiring a dark, ugly, cracked patina and a very stiff quality. So perhaps they can get soaked, but if I polish them AND WAX them, with regularity (how regular is regular?), they'll be better? I confess, I only polish my shoes twice a year if that, right before occasions when have to look good, not right before I anticipate that they might get wet.

Sounds like you need to hit them with some leather cleaner. It's available at your local cobbler. From the sound of it, you may have excessive polish buildup too. You really need to apply only a thin coat of polish. Too much can cause buildup and ugly flaking. My suggestion would be to clean the shoes, then apply some leather conditioner, let them dry fully, then polish. You really should polish more than twice a year, you know.

But there's no set schedule. If you don't wear them often, you won't need to polish often. Just hit them with some polish when they start to look scuffed.

On that note, what polishes and waxes do you prefer; since I'm buying my own shoe-polishing kit, what should I look for in a brush?

Plain ol' Kiwi is perfectly fine and does a good job.

 

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hi,

thanks for the advice!
Well, these are the shoes I wore every day for an entire year, through all weather (and, yes, with all outfits-- probably clashed with some of them). I'm writing them off as a loss, the leather itself is damaged beyond just surface grime.
But my "new" shoes (really, pretty good condition) that I got through this bulk used purchase, I intend to take better care off, as per your advice. Get a polishing kit of my own


-Bernard