Buy less, buy better is increasingly the millennial mantra, and we’re all for it.
But if you’ve ever been cavalier about an expensive item’s care-label and been left at the end with a shrunken piece of doll’s clothing, you’ll know our pain. This is why we can’t have nice things, right? Wrong. With a little love, and surprisingly little effort, you too can have a well-looked after winter wardrobe that will last season after season.
HIGH-MAINTY GARMENTS
Remember the days when you’d chuck your dirty clothes in your mother’s Citta laundry hamper and a day later they’d reappear at the end of your bed, clean and pressed and folded, and smelling like soap and rainbows and unicorns and love?
Remember too, how you spilled aioli down the front of your favourite grey cashmere sweater at the end of last winter, and it’s been crumpled up in the bottom of your Kmart laundry hamper ever since? We get it, hand-washing is time-consuming, and stressful, and without Mum there to tell you if you’re agitating the garment too much, half the time it ends up a pilled, misshapen mess at the end anyway. But as the temperature plummets, it’s time to pull that sweater out from under the twisted mass of damp towels, and get it back to its former glory. And thankfully, there’s a new way of doing so.
Recommended by top machine manufacturers and suitable for front and top-loading washing machines, Persil Delicates Silk & Wool is the garment-friendly game-changer here to help you make light work of laundry day. With a specially-formulated pH neutral formula that’s gentle on most delicate fabrics including silk and specialty wools (yes, you’re now safe to throw your merino tights, mohair cardigans and silk pyjamas in the mix), it’s the hand-washing alternative that’s cheaper — and better for your clothes — than dry-cleaning, and less physically and psychologically burdensome than having to schlep your laundry across town to your parents’ place and endure one of Dad’s when-will-you-get-a-better-job/boyfriend/haircut lectures while you wait for Mum to do her thing.
GIVEAWAY ALERT: Persil is offering you the chance to win a case (6 bottles) of Persil Delicates, PLUS a luxury laundry pack valued at over $300. Head on over to Miss FQ’s Instagram for all the details on how to enter (FYI, it’s about as easy as chucking your delicates in the washing machine).
DON’T LEAVE ME HANGING
So you’ve given Persil Delicates a whirl and now you’ve got a nice, snuggly pile of freshly washed knits in your hot (and detergent-free) little hand. Now what? Step. Away. From. The. Coathangers. That’s right, nothing’s going to undo all your not-so-hard work like hanging a cashmere sweater in the wardrobe and leaving it to stretch at the shoulders. Instead, make like the experts (AKA, Juliette Hogan retail staff), and fold the arms straight across the back, the sides in to meet one another in the middle, and then upwards from the bottom once or twice depending on what your drawer space looks like. Not only will this treatment keep your garments happy, you’ll feel super satisfied every time you slide the drawer open and see a Pinterest-worthy display of perfectly stacked sweaters staring back at you (surely that’s not just us, right?).
FANCY FOOTWEAR
They say there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap pair of shoes, but even if you’ve shelled out big bucks for high-quality the heels will eventually need replacing — and you’re far better off getting onto it early than you are wearing them down to the nail. While you’re at the cobbler, ask to have delicate leather soles replaced with a more hard-wearing alternative like rubber or metal. This will prolong the life of the shoe and prevent you slipping over on a rainy day (always a goal). And speaking of rain, don’t forget to fortify leather and suede with leather polish and suede protector respectively. Moisture is the enemy, so never put your shoes away wet (yes, the old newspaper and hot water cupboard combo still applies), try to avoid wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row, and invest in cedar shoe-trees if you’re really serious about them keeping their shape.
