The Old–Fashioned Way

I can always recall little incidents around Christmas each year...one year it was red wine on my pink sweater, another year, cranberry sauce on my dress. It never fails! Something (or some things in my case!) is spilled! I came across this beautiful laundering service, in Paris, last week – I wish we had a pretty place like this here.

When you walk into the famous Teinturerie Huguet, you will notice the beautiful and elegant antique furnishings and mirrors...Monsieur Jean Levy and his talented staff will freshen up your fashion "the old fashioned way – to the delight of his loyal clientele" with great skill and attention.

For exquisite care of their most favorite garments, Parisians have turned to this shop for assistance since 1850! Located on the Right Bank's Avenue Marceau, this shop has built an impeccable reputation. 'Tis the season for fun fêtes and late date nights, so I have compiled a few tips together, to hopefully help with the laundering of your clothing and accessories...



A Few Helpful Tips:

* To keep silk lustrous, wash in cool soapy water. Rinse well while gently squeezing out soap. Add a lump of sugar or a few drops of lemon juice to the final rinse. Iron on the reverse side wile damp.
* Never iron velvet; instead, apply steam on top to fluff up the nap.
* My own trick? If you don't have time to iron or steam, use your hair dryer on the inside of a garment to fluff and remove most wrinkles! {I figured this out this past summer}
* Avoid storing white clothes in plastic, which can cause yellowing.
* To remove red wine stains, pour white wine on top. Or sprinkle with salt, let dry, brush, and wash normally.
* Re-shine of your leather shoes by polishing them with the juice of half a lemon before a final buffing.
* Maintain patent leather shoes with a fine cloth moistened with milk, Crème fraiche, or Vaseline.

I would love to know, do you have any great tips that have worked like a charm?

/quotes and info. via Victoria Sept. '99 and Jan 2000/
/image 01 and 02 photographed by Christophe Dugied/
/fashion images taken by Mario Sierra/