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[Thomas I. Kim]

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[Will]

Go to http://www.kentbrushes.com/ and buy the double sided clothes brush.

[rjman]

Sirs,

Would it be heresy to question the merits of my double-sided Kent clothes brush? I have owned it for a while now and used it in vigorously brushing my suits and other garments. However, yesterday I finally gave in and purchased a cheap lint brush from CVS which seems to pick up loost dust and lint much more easily than the Kent brush. Moreover, I have found that the Kent brush was not enormously effective against the fur of the RJ cat, who has enjoyed some notoriety on other fora and whose fur seems to have an electromagnetic attraction to the legs of my darker clothes. Am I using it wrong? Or is it simply for use to dislodge any deeply-seated dirt which may have settled on my clothes?

[manton]

A clothing brush is not a lint brush. They are meant for different things. A lint brush removes detritus from the surface of the cloth. It works like an adhesive to collect hairs &c. A good horsehair clothing brush is meant to "delve" deeper into the cloth and dislodge unseen or barely seen dirt. Its bristles also have a salutary effect on wool fibers, which is hard to explain, but which weavers insist is very real.

So don't give up on the Kent or the lint brush. Use them both, but adjust your expectations.

[E. Tage Larsen]

Mr. Kim:

Zitomer's on Madison (and 76th?) may have what you require. I don't have their phone number handy but you could call them in advance and resolve any nagging doubts.

[Cufflink79]

Dear Sirs;
Clothing brushes are very handy and as stated in the other post, different brushes for different task. Good advice whould be to ask a knowledgable tailor and others who have had good luck with various brushes. I myself use an antique brush in the shape of a necktie from Pierre Cardin, works very well. I have also picked up tape rollers for clothes made by 3M at Costco and they are a good way to get rid of pet hair or stubborn lint. Antoher handy tip is use the brush at the end of the day when you are done wearing your suit, sportcoat, or blazer so it is ready for the next wearing.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[uppercase]

Frankly, rjman, I would welcome the cat hair on your trouser bottoms.
To me, it gives that certain nonchalant, lived in look to a suit which to me says elegance!
A man with good taste in clothing but not overly concerned.
And good taste in pets as well.
I would like to borrow your cat from time to time to achieve that patina of usage.

[rjman]

Uppercase:

Actually, for the last six years I have had the idea for a business venture called Rent-a-Cat, aiming to provide that sort of temporary feline service where needed. I believe someone slightly crueler to animals has actually put such an idea into practice, but such is our modern, hyperspecialized world.

I believe dog hair is more traditionally used for the lived-in look. However, welcoming the cat hair would to me be a tad OTT, for two reasons. The more immediate reason is that I generally wear my suits in dealing with the client, who generally wishes only to see the "suit" (as a metonym for the capitalist drone-facilitator that I am) as a suit, rather than a richly patinated example of loving British handiwork. The other is that actively seeking that character is to me just a tad trying too hard, the way that the barely sufferable Dylan Jones of British GQ allegedly frays his cuffs to give them that stealth-wealth look, or the way Liza Bruce's husband takes a bath in new Anderson & Sheppard suits in order to make them look old. A third, peripheral reason is that the RJ cat sheds hair as if he had mange, while still retaining an incredible furriness. I have discovered a website that will turn one's pet's hair into yarn, and am looking forward to harvesting my first bale of "catmere", so to speak.

PS: Uppercase, if you are in the DC area, I invite you to visit with the RJ cat gratis. Two suits per visit, however. Not liable for any snags or pulls caused by his claws.

[E. Tage Larsen]

Dear Sirs,

Not being a pet owner, I have to ask how much fur should one show? And must one make multiple visits to procure both winter and summer sheddings?

[rjman]

I believe with cats the main difference in seasonal sheddings is volume. Perhaps a la the cashmere goat there are guard hairs and downy undercoat hairs that grow in different proportions depending on the season, but my research has not advanced to such level.

[Will]

In addition to the hair, my most elegant cat has added character to my bespoke jackets by artfully placing claw holes in the shoulders as she rides there.