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Wardrobe Care

Take good care of your clothes. They will last longer and you will look smarter.

Polished Shoes for a Polished Appearance

Shoes by LK Bennett from House of Fraser

New shoes can help you to feel special, and if I ruled the world everyone would have a new pair every month (at least). This month, I would choose the shoes shown on the left - by LK Bennett, available from House of Fraser.

Sadly, I have not yet achieved the position of ruler of all I survey, and I must accept that is unlikely to happen. More sadly, many of us have to accept that our clothes budgets are limited, and that to look our best it is necessary to look after our existing wardrobes.

Here are a few basic tips on how to keep your shoes looking good.

Leather shoes should be polished regularly to keep them looking new. This will also protect them against water and scuffing. Leather has pores to help it breathe; it is water resistant, not waterproof. Remember to use a protective spray against water damage. All leather products are susceptible to heat damage. If your shoes or boots get wet, stuff them with newspaper to hold their shape and leave them to dry naturally. Never dry them with direct heat.

Suede shoes should be treated with a spray suede protector before their first wear, and then at regular intervals. Use a natural suede brush to remove marks.

Help your shoes and boots to stay in shape. Use a shoe horn when putting your shoes or boots on to keep the heel guard from becoming damaged. Boot trees will maintain the shape of your boots when they are not being worn.

Heels. Worn down heels look scruffy! It is particularly important to replace the heels on high heels before they are completely worn down, to avoid damaging the heel.

Pointed toes can wear quickly. A good cobbler can replace toe tips when they begin to look worn.

Look After Your Handbag (and your back!)

We all know that a smart handbag can make an ordinary outfit look special, but we often forget that it is possible to spoil the look of a bag by overfilling it with stuff we don’t really need. (The bag is from the Boden Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.)

Are you still carrying everything but the kitchen sink? Is your purse stuffed with every till receipt you’ve collected since 2005?

We try to clear out the rubbish from our bags and purses about once a week, and add regular reminders to our Daily Diary to help our viewers. Tricia points out that carrying too much weight in your handbag can contribute to poor posture and a bad back.

If you change handbags frequently, perhaps so that your bag coordinates with your outfit, you may find that you simply dump the contents from one bag to the other.

You can save time, and the potential stress of loosing things by using a handbag liner. Most liners have many useful pockets for items such as mobile phones or make up,and even clips for keys. It is possible to quickly check that you have got all your essentials.

The outside of your handbag can pick up dirt and possibly germs. Think about all the places where you may put the bag down in the course of a day or week!

One website that I looked at suggested wiping over your handbag with disinfectant wipes. I don’t think that is a good idea if you own an expensive leather handbag, and it probably wouldn’t work if you have a fabric bag. In my opinion the best way to protect your health is to act on the basis that the bottom of your bag is no cleaner than the soles of your shoes.

This advice should also be applied to backpacks and men’s briefcases!

How to Pack for a Holiday

Save yourself last minute stress: start early. Put aside a few hours to decide what clothes you are going to take so that you will have time to wash everything and carry out any necessary repairs.

I work out how many days I will be away, and if I will need different clothes to wear in the evening on any days of my holiday.

Then, I lay out a complete set of clothes for each day, including underwear, socks or tights (if applicable) and shoes. Even if I have to retrieve items from the laundry basket, I do, so that I can actually see each complete outfit. (Obviously, I wash everything that I need prior to packing.)

When packing for a long holiday, I configure the same items into 2 or 3 outfits. I move the clothes around so that I can look at each planned ensemble and ensure that I have the correct underwear and shoes.

When you are planning what to take more than a week before your departure, it may be difficult to guess what the weather will be at your destination. You can get a good idea from the Internet, and most guidebooks will have information about what to expect.

If you anticipate frequent changes in the weather, plan to wear lightweight layers of clothes. This can be as simple as cotton t-shirt, cardigan or fleece, and a shower proof jacket.

Try to keep shoes to a minimum. I aim for 2 pairs of comfortable shoes for daytime and a smarter pair for evenings or any special events. When flying I try to wear my heaviest shoes to save putting them in the suitcase. (This does result in slight delays at airport security checks.)

Don’t forget to take a nightdress or pyjamas. Consider a lightweight dressing gown if you will be sharing a bathroom, or crossing a campsite.

When planning make a list of all items that you intend to take. If you are in a rush at the last minute, you have a handy checklist. Take the list on holiday with you; you can use it to ensure that you have packed everything to take home.

The method of folding and packing should be partly determined by the nature of your holiday. I find that sweaters, t-shirts and blouses crease the least when I put them into a pile and fold them up together. This is great if I am staying in a cottage or hotel for a week. However, if I am travelling from place to place, and dipping into the case every evening, it is a real chore to have to unfold and refold the pile of tops. So, for a touring holiday, I keep each item separate.

Rolling, rather than folding, is the best method for most single items.

If I am going to unpack my entire case, I start by laying trousers along the bottom of the case. In summer (or if travelling somewhere warm) I like to take heavy linen trousers, such as those I bought at the Iris Boutique, Exeter, as any creases tend to drop out when the trousers are hung up.

I put the trousers in the case without folding them – with the legs draped over the edge of the case. My toilet bag and folded clothes are packed on top of the trousers. Finally, I fold the legs of the trousers over the top, so that there are no sharp folds in the trousers.

If you are taking shaped or moulded bras, pack them so that they are not squashed out of shape. Use any zipped compartments in your case for small items. When travelling by air, your case may be opened for a security inspection. Don’t worry about what the inspector will see –think about whether items could fall out. That is why I recommend using the zipped sections (if your case has them).

Wedge shoes along the sides of the case, soles away from clothes.

When flying, I cram a change of underwear and a clean top into my carry on bag, so that if my suitcase does not arrive at least I have something clean to wear for the first day.

As well as clothes, I take:

Toiletries

Contact lens kit and glasses

Sunglasses

Make-up

Small torch (flashlight)

Hairbrush and comb

Folding umbrella

Passport

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Wool and cashmere sweaters often specify ‘hand wash only’ on the care label. It is my opinion that this is often self-protection on the part of manufacturers, but use your own judgement. I usually send heavier cardigans to be dry cleaned, because they would take a long time to dry at home. I also have silk or silk-mix knits dry cleaned, because I have found that the sheen on the fabric is lost through hand-washing.