Good Girl Tips: How to Care for Winter Clothes

Winter clothing often means hard-to-care-for clothing: whether it's a nice silk cocktail dress or a cozy cashmere sweater, they're hardly the cotton shorts and sundresses that make up our summer wardrobes. However, the luxe fabrics that we break out during the winter months usually need special care. 

Silks: 

I have *too many* silk blouses and dresses, and even pants! Usually I just dry clean these items after every 3-4 wears. However, you can wash them at home if you're on a budget or don't want to make a trip to the dry cleaner. According to the Laundress, pre-treat any stain with a stain solution specially formulated for delicate fabrics.  To hand wash, soak the garment in cool water with the appropriate amount of delicate only detergent for about a half hour. To machine wash, place the garment in a mesh laundry bag and wash on the delicate cycle with delicate detergent. After either method of washing, hang the garment on a drying rack or hanger - never put silk in the dryer though! Steam (don't iron) any wrinkles out, and you're good to go! 

Cashmere & Wool: 

I used to always dry clean my sweaters, but I've come to realize how easy they are to take care of at home, especially with the right tools.  Pilling is the bane of my sweater obsession, but a sweater comb like this one from JCrew will change your life! It seriously cuts down on the need for laundering *so much.* When you have a stain, pre-treat with a stain solution like Shout (my personal favorite) because it comes with a brush to rub into the stain. Then, to launder, turn the sweater inside out and either soak in a cool water bath with the recommended amount of detergent for about a half hour and then rinse until water runs soapless, or wash on the delicate cycle in a mesh bag. Then, lay the garment flat on a towel and roll up to squeeze out any extra water. Once dry, you can always steam it to give the perfect finish!

Leather: 

Since it's been so trendy lately, I have added a lot of leather to my closet. Between skirts, leggings and jackets, it can be hard to figure out how to treat them. Personally, I never clean them. I think of my skirts and leggings like a pair of boots or a handbag - I try to keep them as pristine as possible.  In the event that I need to spot clean, though, dab with a damp cloth - but make sure not to rub because it might abrade the texture of the leather. If you're like my friend Nikki, though, and you wear your leather jacket *nonstop* you should take it to a leather specialist about once a year to have it professionally cleaned according to glamour.com. 

Until next time, 

xo

T