Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Caveat Emptor


Today's subtle reminder is targeted for the younger gentlemen. Women know this intuitively. Boys do not.

Regardless whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere the weather is changing. For convenience sake I'll focus on the northern hemisphere's drift into spring, but the same rules apply if your down there somewhere.

By now you've grown tired of last season's clothes, so with a spring in your step and coin in your pocket you feel a want to update your wardrobe to accommodate the coming season. This is right and just, but pay attention. No one is out to getcha, everything is in plain sight, I'm warning you not to fall for something pretty without looking.

Every garment sold has a care label sewn onto it. Before buying that shirt or pair of pants, find the label,


read it,


understand it.

and decide if you can live within its means. When in doubt ask.

If you normally launder your shirts and pants hoping the wrinkles will fall out on their own and the care label says dry clean only, you are going to be sorely disappointed when the washer ruins your clothing, and there is little value for money if your new favorite outfit spends more time at the cleaners than in your closet. Especially if you visit the cleaners less often than the dentist.

Most garments are OK, but be especially watchful when shopping on EBAY and for anything, especially Spring pants with a bit of silk in it.

Toad

3 comments:

YONKS said...

Wise words indeed!

Suburban Princess said...

I don't know that anyone knows this instinctively...women my age were taught by our mothers. I suspect the reason so many store sell 'disposable' clothing these days is no one knows how to launder anything anymore.

Shelley said...

I just read about a supposed care label on an Australia blog that said 'Give it to your woman. It's her job.'

I used to buy work clothes with the dry clean label, wear them carefully and dry clean a couple of times until I felt I had my purchase price worth of use. Then I would handwash an item and generally work my way up to throwing it in the cold, delicate wash cycle. I only ever lost one pair of trousers and probably saved thousands in dry cleaning bills.