7 Things NOT to Do to Your Suit
Seven suit care faux pas you should know now before ruining your expensive suit.
Some men got it wrong (I used to); Some got it right. Here are 7 things you should NEVER do to your suit if you want your suit to last longer:
1. Hang Your Suit Jacket Over the Back of Chair
Many men do this in the office. It tends to ruin the shoulders of the suits. Use a hanger instead.
2. Use Wire Hanger for Your Suit Jacket
Wire hanger is technically too thin to provide enough support for your suit jacket’s shoulder. Use a wide shoulder suit hanger instead.
Wide shoulder suit hangers vs standard wooden hanger
3. Store Your Suit without Garment Bags
Simply hanging it inside of your closet might not be sufficient. A suit garment bag keeps your suit clean and free from dust and bugs.
Go with cotton canvas garment bags because they’re airy, and so it’ll be easier for moist (e.g. your sweat, rain water) to evaporate and keep your suit dry.
4. Carry Your Suit Without a Suit Carrier
Burberry Suit Carrier
If you’re traveling with your suit, it’s always a good idea to carry your suit with a suit carrier. It provides protection and preserves the shape of the suit much better than transporting it insider your check-in luggage folded.
(Some garment bags can double as a suit carrier, but that depends on their build and quality.)
5. Fold It Improperly
If you have to carry your suit inside the luggage bag, fold it properly so it won’t ruin the shape of the suit down the road.
There are so many ways to fold a suit properly, but all bowl down to 2 main methods: “Fold” and “Roll.”
Mr Jacky Tam from British Tailors, Hong Kong shows you how to “fold” properly:
Blog maven John Chow shows you how to “roll”:
6. Wearing the Same Suit Everyday
Various suit styles. Image: wardrobelooks.com
Similar to your leather shoes, wearing the same suit everyday naturally shorten the lifespan of the suit. Get a few more sets of suits and alternate between them.
7. Keep Suit Jacket Buttoned When Sitting Down
Image: masculinestyle.tumblr.com
If you’re wearing a single-breasted suit jacket, unbutton your suit jacket when you’re sitting down. Otherwise, your sitting pose puts pressure onto the last button of your suit jacket, which in turn “pull” and stretch the jacket. (Cue the picture above.) It may ruin the shape of the jacket in the long run.
