Preserving lapels' roll

[Cantabrigian]

I am afraid to take a jacket to the cleaners for fear that the lapels will come back completely flattened against the rest of the suit.

Is there a way to restore a lapel's roll after a needed trip to the cleaners? Can a good dry cleaner do something so that the lapels aren't pressed flat?

[TVD]

Yes: Not press them flat! Mutilating lapels is not an integral part to the dry cleaning process.

I would recommend that you consult your tailor about which dry cleaner to use. By the way, a good test for a dry cleaner is to ask for a "sponge and press". If these words do not elicit signs of recognition, grab your suit and run, it is in mortal danger.

[stbdtack]

A good cleaner will not flatten your lapels -- if in doubt, quiz them beforehand. Better yet get a recommendation from a satisfied customer -- then quiz the proprietor anyway. . .

[Cantabrigian]

Thank you, I am rather embarassed to say that I have never heard of a sponge and press before - what exactly does it entail?

Yes: Not press them flat! Mutilating lapels is not an integral part to the dry cleaning process.

I would recommend that you consult your tailor about which dry cleaner to use. By the way, a good test for a dry cleaner is to ask for a "sponge and press". If these words do not elicit signs of recognition, grab your suit and run, it is in mortal danger.

[TVD]

There was a thread on this previuosly, but the search function seems a bit obdurate at the moment.

Basically, chemical dry cleaning has a bad reputation because a) the solvents dry out and damage the cloth by removing natural oils, b) the mechanical movement of the dry cleaning machine damages the garnments construction and can abrade edges etc., c) the chemicals remove oil/grease based stains but fail to disolve water based dirt, and d) the pressing is normally attrocious (the flattened lapels you described).

While I am no technical expert, I imagine that the expert dry cleaner appropriately applies water or solvent based liquid to individual stains, and only gently dry cleans strongly soiled garnments. This gentle moistening and padding dry of the cloth is termed sponging.

Once the dirt is removed, the garnment should be steamed and pressed back into form. If you drop your clothes for a spring clean at your tailor's once a year, they will do the latter themselves, while sending them out to a degreaser for the former.

[uppercase]

I also wouldn't trust a dry cleaner to press a suit unless a LL member vouched for them.

Some London makers will send out their clients' suits for dry cleaning but do the pressing themselves. Sounds like a reasonable compromise.

But short of a disastrous stain on a suit, should we be sending our suits for cleaning/pressing at all?

[iammatt]

I also wouldn't trust a dry cleaner to press a suit unless a LL member vouched for them.

Some London makers will send out their clients' suits for dry cleaning but do the pressing themselves. Sounds like a reasonable compromise.

But short of a disastrous stain on a suit, should we be sending our suits for cleaning/pressing at all?

I totally agree. There is one drycleaner in San Francisco that will handpress, and is vouched for by a few members. I do not clean unless I have a noticeable spot on something. I don't really see any reason to do it otherwise.

[Collarmelton]

Cantabrigian:

Cary Grant uttered what I find the most endearing line in North By Northwest when, back in his Chicago hotel room after his adventure with the crop duster, he asks the concierge "How long to get a suit sponged and pressed?"

You should try Madame Paulette on 2d Ave, between 65th and 66th. While I've never asked them specifically to sponge and press, I have asked them to spot clean and press, which they did very well. They do everything by hand, and will roll a lapel perfectly. They totally rejeuvenated a Poole suit that arrived from London in a small box looking like it had been shipped from London in a small box. They also rolled out the sharp creases in the lapels that Poole put in before sending it. Madame Paulette cleans most of the museum collections and the one-off garments from the major designers in New York and are well known for delicate work. And the price is such that you will not be able to afford to have your suit cleaned more than once a year, which will help prolong the suit's longevity.

Alternatively, you can try Hallak, on 2d and 65th, which is another highend (and expensive) cleaner that does a very good hand restoration of a lapel roll.