Your suit is one of the most important items in your wardrobe. You’ll wear it several times throughout your life, perhaps even every day depending on your occupation. As it represents a significant investment, it’s important to learn how to wear, clean and store your suit properly so that it lasts.

While great for chilly holiday party weather, wool suits aren’t particularly suited for summer events. Beyond being sloppy and possibly permanently dirtying your suit, lingering stains and odours make your suit particularly attractive to moths and other insects. Remember not to dry clean your suit more than a few times a year. More than this and you risk damaging it.

Suits are usually sold in plastic garment bags, to ensure they don’t suffer any damage on their way to your closet. However, this is far from a long-term solution: suits shouldn’t be kept in an airtight environment. Plastic garment bags don’t allow the suit to breathe and can tear easily. This can lead to nasty odours and easy access for moths. You can find cloth garment bags rather easily; stores usually sell them if they sell suits. Important things to consider before buying are:

Cheap, flimsy wire hangers might be enough for the rest of your wardrobe, but a wooden hanger is ideal for hanging your suit. This will ensure it retains its shape, whereas wire hangers tend to cause wrinkles and will even deform the jacket’s shoulders. Additionally, hangers made of cedar naturally repel one of your suit’s worst enemies: moths.

Unfortunately, your suit will get wrinkled after wearing it, and unlike the rest of your wardrobe, ironing will do more harm than good. A hot iron can damage a suit’s fibers, shortening its lifespan and causing it to lose its shape. Instead of ironing, consider the following options:

It’s entirely possible for your suit to become noticeably stained, though you shouldn’t necessarily rush to the dry cleaner when this happens. Many of these stains can be spot cleaned using non-scented baby wipes.Alternatively, a towel and a bit of water can be used for cleaning tougher stains.

This is typically sufficient to keep it clean between trips to the dry cleaner. Brushes aren’t typically much more expensive than $20, and will rid your suit of hairs, dandruff and dirt that it might collect over the course of a day. Just remember to always brush downwards, following the fiber (never across).

Travelling with a suit takes some pre-planning, which is particularly important if you’re travelling for a meeting or conference. The last thing you want is to show up in a wrinkled suit. Ideally, you should carry your suit in its garment bag rather than stuffing it in a bag or suitcase. However, it is possible to fold a suit for storage in a carry-on:

Filling your pockets to the brim will counter your suit’s flattering cut. Bulges and lumps change its overall shape and can stretch out the fabric, leaving it shapeless and deformed.Make it a point to empty your pockets before heading out in your suit, keeping only the essentials with you.

Unlike your trusty pair of jeans, a suit can’t be worn daily for months on end. A suit’s fibers need recovery time after each wear, otherwise you’re taking years out of its life.Additionally, not wearing your suit daily keeps it clean longer, allowing for more time between visits to the dry-cleaner. If your job requires wearing suits daily, consider the following options:

You will probably have your suit for quite a few years after following these steps. It's a good idea to find a decent tailor to ensure your suits fit perfectly. Unless you plan on staying the same size for the rest of your life you will probably have to have at least a few alterations at some point.

Dorub a stain to try to remove it as this can set the stain. If you spill something on your suit, gently blot up as much as you can.

When washing suits machine wash or tumble them. This can seriously damage the suit and cause shrinkage, loss of color and loss of shape. Always follow the manufacturer's instruction on the garment label.

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