Just Grin And Wear It

Grin and Wear It

How practical is it to crack open the good stuff?

Fashion is increasingly embracing the concept that we blur the lines between everyday wear and ‘Sunday Best’. In theory I love this idea – why shouldn’t we maximise the use of what could be considered occasion-wear, by bringing it out for a weekday pick-me-up?  Well, there is one very good reason, and that is that generally the items that are designed for the top shelf have not been built to be as robust as those destined for daily duties, so the risk you take is that yes, the item gets good wear, but it’s unlikely to make it through the challenge successfully.

For me the personification of this ideal was when I wore my prized suede trench coat to the supermarket. Low level risk, you would think. Sadly, that was before I got down and dirty with a rotisserie chicken. I should have known better, but as I rushed away from the checkout and made my way back to the car with arms full of bags and a cooked chicken nestling in its bag, all seemed pretty well with the world. Until, that is, I felt an indistinguishable warmth running up my arms…. As I looked down and saw rivulets of oil running up my suede arms and down my suede front, I’m sorry to say I actually screamed. And then even more embarrassingly despite searching the car for a tissue, the only thing I could find was a maxi-pad: desperate times do indeed call for desperate measures, so I stood by my car, frantically blotting my beautiful coat with a supersized sanitary towel.

The damage was done though, and no amount of suede spray and gentle brushing has revived my coat (or me) from this trauma. I learned a very valuable lesson though, and that is that it is absolutely fine to wear your ‘special’ wardrobe out and about, but only if you are prepared to graciously accept any collateral damage.

Helpful hints for Emergency Suede Stain Removal

1. Do absorb the stain as soon as possible. Use a clean cloth (not a coloured one as the colour could transfer), absorb as much of the grease as you can.

2. Suede cleaner should be used with care, and pick a soft suede brush – I used a heavy duty brush which actually took away the pile of the suede.

3. Applying cornflour over grease is a suggested method. The jury is still out for me as it seems to have discoloured the front of the coat by sticking in the seams.

4. Best advice - If you love the item, take it to the professionals as soon as possible.