Dan Eisen

The fashion trend for spring and summer tends to be laced with dull and drab colors following the September 11 tragedy. Although we see some bright, vivid and colorful prints, the extent of their showing is definitely reduced.

The fabric trend is laced with some new fashions, but there is much repetition of old fashions. It might be interesting to note that studies by fabric people indicate a large majority of women still believe men, and particularly “their

men,” look best in suits. It is the women in two out of five instances who engineer the purchase of men’s suits.

It is also interesting to note that the first thing that a woman notices about another woman is her clothes. The first thing a man notices about another man is how he is dressed.

This is all the more reason to realize that the quality of your cleaning means more to a customer than you realize. We can all understand why the customer is able to pick out the most minute stain and is ultra critical about the finishing.

Men’s fashions

Men’s styles include traditional herringbone, gray flannel and tweeds. Ralph Lauren also features dark three-piece corduroy suits.

Leather jackets and blazers in soft analine dyed skins, as featured by Georgio Aramani, should be expensive.

There also are very soft, highly oiled suedes that should be difficult to handle.

Some new styles feature a loose fitting coat called a great coat. A bathrobe type cashmere jacket is also a new look.

The denim look features dark colored denim and light colored acid and stone washed denim.

Potential problems

1. Haggar has gabardine trousers made of micromattique. Micromattique uses very fine polyester yarns which give the fabric a silk look.

I noticed that there is shine from pressing and double creases from pressing in manufacture. It will be unlikely for this to be removed in finishing by drycleaners.

Perry Ellis also had herringbone trousers with a polynosic label. This means that this fabric is a washable rayon. There were also double creases created on these garments in manufacture. These double creases may not be correctable in finishing by the average drycleaner.

2. There were men’s tweed suits and sport jackets made with light and dark yarns consisting of wool and silk. Wetside spotting can be a potential problem as the dark silk yarns tend to bleed from contact with moisture.

3. The stone and acid washed denims had fraying on the cuffs which could lead to a possible customer complaint.

4. The soft leather and suedes that are shown can not be professionally cleaned without some change in look and feel. The customer should be forewarned of these potential problems.

Women’s fashions

The fashion trend for women is varied. A note about the casual look can be said about the appearance of President Bush’s daughter who attended a fashion show in New York. At this upscale fashion show, she wore faded blue jeans and a dull coat with a shaggy fringe of discolored white fleece.

We also see women who are interested in vintage clothing, which incorporates many fabrics of high styling as well as traditional blue jeans.

Bob Mackie is showing a lot of ostrich-trimmed fancy dresses.

Ralph Lauren is showing a lot of his fashions in all black.

Carolina Herrera is showing floral print blouses trimmed with fur.

Diane Von Furstenberg is showing bold stripes in a classic wrap dress.

Calvin Klein is showing dresses with black leather trim. He also went casual with military coats and jackets.

Bill Blass jeans showed an acid- and stone-washed fabric with worn cuffs. Customers will blame cleaners if the worn cuffs are only noticed after cleaning.

Gloria Vanderbilt features her jeans in dark colors with a new look.

The printed rayon dresses shown by designers had labels that said “hand wash,” “hang dry,” or “dryclean.”

Linen blouses are being shown with a hand-washable label. I cannot see consumers processing these garments at home with the time involved necessary to press them.

Virgo offers soft muted printed bias cut chiffon gowns made of polyester with dryclean labels. There should be no problem wetcleaning these garments by hand.

CDC offers black beaded rayon dresses with dryclean labels. These dresses appear to be bleeders.

Escada is showing cotton and nylon beaded suits with dryclean labels. Check the beads as they appear to be loosely stitched.

Jessica Howard is showing printed polyester dresses with dryclean labels. They can be wetcleaned with no problem.

Leslie Fay is showing blue and white pigment print jackets made of rayon and acetate. The print is crocking off on the edges and there are potential problems of further print loss which cleaners will be blamed for.

Laurence Kazor and Lillie Rubin are showing beaded gowns with labels “Do not wash. Do not dryclean. Spot clean only.” I will talk more about this at the end of this article.

The type of trimming most popular is large and small sequins, hollow bugle beads and some small round beads.

Virgo makes a polyester tan and black fringed gown. When I examined the gown, I found some of the fringe unraveling.

Leslie Fay is showing fashion with glued-on beading with dryclean labels. Expect to lose some of this beading in drycleaning.

There are a lot of muted print garments with a very popular label as follows: “This garment has been carefully inspected.

Due to the delicate nature of the goods and our unique dye application, slight irregularities may be noticeable. We do not consider fabric nubs and/or consistency of color application as constituting a flaw. Your understanding of the uniqueness and total individuality of this garment will be appreciated.”

A side note about the label “Do not wash. Do not dryclean. Spot clean only.” This label is perfectly legal according to an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. They view this as an acceptable care instruction label even though it is not a true method of cleaning.

Since some of the gowns are polyester, it should not be a problem to wetclean these garments by hand.

Silk gowns will pose problems in wetcleaning due to time consuming finishing procedures.

How to handle spot cleaning

In order to do proper spot cleaning, you must know how to employ your basic spotting agents. Light soil or dirt can be removed by using volatile dry solvent on a clean cloth and wiping area. Learn how to wipe from the inside outward so rings are feathered out and do not form.

Using a little oily type paint remover will aid in removing heavy soil, but it is more apt to form difficult rings. Put one or two drops of the oily type paint remover on the cloth that is laden with volatile dry solvent. Wetside spotting can be routinely employed but proper feathering techniques must be used to prevent rings.

Handling dark work

The dark colored slacks and jackets, especially those blended with spandex, are potential problems to your solvent clarity. I like handling these garments as follows:

Put dark clothes in one load and up fresh or charged solvent to wheel. Mill or batch clothes for two minutes. Send the solvent to the still even when draining and extracting. Dry as usual. Spot garments after cleaning with routine spotting agents to remove any stains, soil and perspiration.

Dan Eisen recently retired as chief garment analyst for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association after 33 years with that organization. He is available for seminars, consultations and independent garment analysis. He also has published a book, “The Art of Spotting,” which is an indexed compilation of articles he wrote for National Clothesline and NCA over the past three decades. He can be reached at (561) 340-0909. His address is 274 NW Toscane Trail, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986. His e-mail address is cleandan@adelphia.net.