Remove Dirt and Stains From Hats Without Damage
Some folks have owned their caps for years, and the attachment is more than utilitarian – it’s emotional. There’s a real chance a grungy, well-worn baseball cap may be damaged by improper cleaning. Maybe the cap will lose its shape. The brim might be damaged or deformed. Or the cap could shrink. Better to wear a dirty hat than roll the dice.
Cleaning a favorite cap may be a little nerve-wracking, but the following tips can provide a little peace of mind.
Preventive Medicine for Baseball Hats
It’s best to keep dirt and stains off a new cap if possible, but hard-worn caps will pick up dirt, especially if used in sports.
Spraying with Scotch Guard before wearing, or with a product called Hat Saver, will help to protect the cap from dust and dirt, at least for the short-term, and give it a longer life.
Before Washing the Baseball Cap
First, check the cap’s tag. It should list the material the cap is made from, and may also provide the manufacturer’s suggested cleaning instructions.
Baseball Hat Materials
• Most baseball caps are made from cotton or polyester; both of these materials withstand washing well.
• Cotton Twill is a good, durable fabric, as are the Cotton/Polyester Blends. This material is tough and bright, more than likely color fast.
• Jersey Mesh is a stretch fabric, also durable.
• The other main material is wool. Wool is warm, even when wet, but can shrink in hot water or air.
Testing Ballcaps for Color Fastness
Once the baseball cap’s material is determined, it’s time to check for color fastness. Add a splash of mild detergent (Zero or Woolite) to a wet cloth. Choose a spot on the cap’s inner rim, one not readily visible. Rub gently with the cloth. Rinse the spot with a clean cloth and cool water. If the color’s don’t run or fade, proceed with confidence.
Alcohol and hairspray have been used in the past as home-remedy stain removers, but according to the National Cleaners Association, hairspray or alcohol should never be used on caps having heavy grease or ink stains. Alcohol and hairspray can cause color damage and may contain resins or lanolin that could actually create more stains. Read the rest of this entry »
This Well Established Item of Men’s Clothing has Quite a History
The name is so well known in men’s clothing and the design so iconic that it’s sometimes difficult to believe that Fred Perry was ever a real person. But as Perry who was born just over 100 years ago, said: “I have never worried about admitting that my name is better known worldwide, not from winning Wimbledon three times, but because of Fred Perry shirts and sportswear.”
A working-class boy who fell foul of the tennis establishment but dominated the game at home and abroad during the twenties and thirties, Perry was approached to create his own branded sweat band in the late 1940s.
Father of the Polo Shirt – Fred Perry and His Legacy
This men’s clothing brand’s logo was originally going to be that emblem of sporting prowess, a pipe, before Perry settled on the laurel wreath that he wore on his touring blazer. His light but absorbent sweat band was such a huge success that it was followed by a T-shirt. This slim fit cotton piqué shirt has changed little since it was launched in 1952 although its image and cultural impact, even beyond fashion, have been quite simply enormous.
Today the Fred Perry is more popular than ever. “We’ve seen sales up 40 per cent on last year,” says Adrian Edwards, Head of Buying, Menswear at John Lewis in an interview with this journalist. “The great thing about it is that it’s smart but it can also be casual and it’s very versatile. Most men have at least two or three in their wardrobe at any one time. Men like to hang on to favourite clothes rather than shopping a lot and a Fred Perry is one of those things that actually looks better the more you wear and wash it.” Read the rest of this entry »
Men would always want to look smart and well respected. In this aspect, there are many things that can contribute to such impression but there is only one that can make an imprint of one’s personality- the suit. Men’s suits have long been recognized to have a magnanimous effect to the wearer. Not only it makes the wearer professionally looking but projects the bearing that will last a long time. Two men may be wearing the same suit but these two men have definitely a different effect to the audience. But how can you make the impression favorable to you?
The venerable houses of fashion make a comeback with the classic men’s suits. Peaked lapel, double breasted men’s suit would definitely not only fit a businessman but that of traveler whose fashion would make a difference. An Epsom double breasted men’s suit has a classic range of pinstripe with the prestigious material of Merino wool defining the comfort that you crave for. The jacket’s classic half-canvas construction ensures that the double-breasted and two-button piece would make a superb shape and drape and maintains it with ease. An Epsom suit would be the best suit that you need if you want an impression of classic and yet intelligent style. Read the rest of this entry »
New Lighter Fabrics Are Now Becoming Available
Wearing a suit in hot weather is rarely much fun – especially during what promises to be a hot summer. But the good news is that as temperatures rise suit fabric weights are falling with some of the lightest, coolest ever cloths being produced this year.
A lightweight fabric for mens suits is made from fine yarns, which are usually then finely woven. “In terms of wool we consider the fabric light when it weighs no more then 170gsm. Previously a wool fabric of 200gsm was considered light,” says Pier Luigi Loro Piana of the fashion house and fabric producer Loro Piana in an email interview with the author of this article.
Cashmere and Silk Light Fabrics
Loro Piana has a cashmere and silk fabric weighing only 100gsm. Specially processed, it has the strength necessary to withstand weaving and a kilo of this yarn would extend for around 570 km, the company has calculated.
The GSM is the weight of the cloth in grammes per square metre. One of the lightest available find at the moment is, for example, just 190gsm with Ermenegildo Zegna’s Trofeo 600 fabric while the heaviest is around 480 to 500gsm and is used for coats, according to a company spokeswoman in an interview with the author of this article.
There are wool-only fabrics which weigh just 110gsm but few tailors can work with something so light just in wool unless they’re treated or mixed with something else. Read the rest of this entry »