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What to do about this new suit? Issues after cleaning / pressing

FRoneAT

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Greetings to all:

First time poster put long time peruser of the forum. Have avoided quite a few pitfalls after spending some quality time here. I'm relatively new to the world of professional business attire but had to get a quick lesson and build an arsenal after receiving a promotion requiring my daily wear of a suit.

I recently purchased a new Isaia lightweight suit made of a wool/silk blend (90/10). After having it professionally tailored I took it to my nearby cleaner (fairly good reputation) for pressing. Because I'm new at this, I really don't trust myself yet to to attempt this stuff at home on a suit like this (although I'm making good progress on other, lesser liked suits). I've purchased seven suits over the last month (2 SuitSupply, 2 Zegna's, 1 RLPL, 1 Sartorio Napoli, and this --my favorite of all by far-- the Isaia.

When I arrived home with the suit and removed it from the dry cleaners plastic cover I was sick to my stomach. The suit looked horrible. A button jacket button broken, some strange imprints in the sleeve, and some bubbling in the lapel. I'm sure that this being a more traditional Neapolitan jacket with partial lining and the silk blend, it's not going to look perfectly pressed on a hanger. But this seems like damage to me. I have sufficient evidence to show that the suit entered the cleaners shop in good repair as it went straight from the tailor to them. Also concerning is the fact that my tailor didn't return the extra buttons (after finishing the sleeves) but I'm sure that was an oversight on his part as he's held in very high regard here.

Wondering how I should proceed with the cleaner? And maybe some cursory my assessment on the condition of this. I really don't know if this is permanent or if it can be fixed. My novice speculation has lead me to believe they applied to much heat to the garment and that the sleeve imprints are from some apparatus they used to hang it when pressing. Not sure about the lapel though. And advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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Mica2015

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looks like your baby has gone through a grueling process. Use a hand-held steamer next time for your delicate garment.
 

Caustic Man

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Wow, that’s awful. Definitely take it up with your cleaner but be prepared for some push back. Hopefully yours is a good place that will make things right without any fuss, but as I understand it most places have a policy that once you leave with your garment you have implicitly “inspected” and accepted it. Just a caveat for you.
 

othertravel

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Unless they can fix it, ask for a significant refund. I'd be really pissed too.
 

breakaway01

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This can all be fixed, I think, but I wouldn't ask your cleaner to do it. I would definitely ask for a refund on their work and the cost of replacing the button. The lapel waviness is not bubbling as it's not fused; it's more likely a bit of seam puckering. It can be difficult to find someone who really knows how to hand-press a suit properly. If you have a high-end tailor or men's tailored clothing store nearby, ask them where they send their jackets for pressing. If not, consider sending it out to Rave Fabricare or another well-regarded cleaning facility for a hand press.
 

FRoneAT

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Thanks for the responses. I visited the cleaner today and their response was really unsatisfactory. They said they would reclean it to remove any moisture and that if I could locate a replacement button they would sew on. No gesture of apology and no offer of compensation. Unfortunately this is the dry cleaner recommended by my tailor. I am waiting on a call from the owner so I’ll reserve final judgement until then. Perhaps he will remedy.

My tailor is attempting to identify a button to serve as a replacement. He actually lost the replacement button that came with the suit and offered to acquire new ones from Isaia and fix free

Hopefully all will turn out well. I do own a steamer that seems to spew more water than steam.
 

jefferyd

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Steam is what caused this puckering. Do not steam this garment. It needs to be pressed.
 

GBR

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Why did they even consider "cleaning" the garment? Cleaning in harsh chemicals should be done very sparingly and only if the waiter has spilled soup over you.

This is a steam related problem and hand pressing should remove the problems - albeit at the expense of the cleaner. AS to the buttons I'd suggest you buy a new set of horn buttons to your choice and have them sewn on professionally - again it really should be at the expense of the cleaner. Certainly do NOT consider a 'near match' as it will jar for ever.

If you can press your existing suits comfortably, there's no reason to be afraid of the one. Just ensure that you have a clean and very damp cotton cloth between suit and iron to avoid either burning or making it shiny. Learning to do this yourself will make your life easier and avoid any problems like this.
 

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