|
|
|
When
people ask me what I do for a living, the easy
way out is to just say I'm a drycleaner.
But in reality, what I do for a living is make
other people's lives easier. Your
life is more than your clothes, and that's why
these newsletters cover a wide variety of subjects.
This week, we're going
back to the basics where your wardrobe is concerned,
and reviewing the
ABCs of building a strong collection of clothes
that fit your life and your personality.
We hope to see you soon and
have the privilege of making your life easier.
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Cpompany |
|
|
|
Quote
of the Week
If
you don't have time to do it right...
when will you have time to do it over? |
|
|
|
|
Cha-Ching!
Coupon!
Especially for
It's
springtime and we've got spring fever.
You know how that can make some people positively
giddy, and we're among that crowd this week.
Just take two bucks
off any drycleaning order. Happy
Spring! (Include
a copy of this e-mail with your order.
Offer expires May 10, 2004. Cannot be
combined with other offers.) |
|
|
One of the best things
you can do for your wardrobe is allocate your
funds properly. After all, most of us
have a finite budget with which to work when
it comes to purchasing clothes. Allocate
it by the 25/75 method -- 25% of your purchases
for "trendy" items, and 75% for classic pieces.
Men generally think
there isn't much in their style world that can
be counted as "trendy" but that's incorrect.
Dark dress shirts have only been in style the
past several years -- prior to that, you'd never
see a well-dressed business man in anything
but white or light blue. Shirt collars
are another area of stylistic remodeling from
year to year. Colored shirts with white
collars, shirts with no collars, shirts with
button-down collars or no buttons at all.
Each fashion trend
comes and goes, and if you invest heavily in
one you'll look dated when it's history.
For
women, trends obviously come in hemlines, fabrics and
colors, as well as in accessories.
This year, one hot item is straight skirts with
an "under skirt" of solid colored material
and an "over skirt" of gauzier printed fabric,
all cropped at the knee and set off with a curly-cue
hem. If they look good on you, it's tempting
to stock up -- but when they go "out" they'll
go out with a thud and you'll be left holding
the bag.
And speaking of holding
the bag, those initial handbags are everywhere,
aren't they? In two years you won't see
them, so don't pay an arm and a leg for one.
Spent
most of your budget on classic items that will
go through the seasonal fashion grind with you,
and then dress them up with trendy accessories
or blouses in colors and prints that won't last.
Spend on trendy
items according to their shelf life, not their
current popularity. |
|
|
Buying the best pays
off! When
purchasing garments that will be part of your
core wardrobe for years to come, go for the
ones that will last. Does
that always mean expensive? Not necessarily.
They'll be more than the cheap things you can
pick up at stores where you can also buy tires
for your car, hamburger for dinner and a rug
for the bathroom, but you'd expect that.
Quality garments may
or may not have a "known" label in them (and
some named labels spell trouble more than quality.)
What they will include
are the following:
- Quality
construction -- no hanging
threads, good strong seams, a lining where
appropriate, and good shaping.
- Plenty
of information -- tags telling
you where the garment was made, what it's
made of, how you're to clean it, and interesting
tidbits about the fabric or tailoring.
- Good
detailing -- no painted-on
decorations here. Interesting buttons,
pockets where you'd expect them (and that
really open, not just for show), even options
on how to wear the garment in different situations
with sleeves that turn back or collars that
flip up and add drama.
- Simple
lines -- since these are garments
that will stand the test of time, they tend
to have clean lines and plenty of ways for
you to add your own stylistic details that
vary with the seasons and occasions.
Once you've allocated
75% of your wardrobe budget to classic pieces,
be sure to make the most of that investment
by buying items that will last. There
are excellent buys in resale shops or even on
the internet, so keep your eyes open.
Look for pieces you can dress up or dress down,
depending on how you want to wear them.
Then add sparkle to the outfit with an accessory
or two. |
|
|
We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
|
|
The Iris
City Cleaners Connection
is
a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration,
and conservation. It is published
in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and
is an extension of our services described in
www.iriscitycleaners.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
