FashionFits

Dry Cleaning at home!

November 6th, 2008 by barbara

Hey, Kyja here again, and I have some serious secrets that the dry cleaner never wanted you to know!

How to clean wool, silk, and rayon AT HOME!

The first big note to know is these fibers are not damaged by water, but by agitation. The more you wring or twist these fibers, the more they will shrink. Let me describe this process in steps, but be sure to spot test all garments before moving forward. In the world of textiles, you never really know what process these fibers and fabrics have been put through, and a lot of “dry clean only” garments have not been washed post dyeing. I avoid home washing any printed silks or rayons, you never know when colors will bleed into one another.

*** Be aware of linings. When treating your fine fibered garments be sure to consider the lining. They will most likely wash differently, but most won’t have adverse responses to wet cleaning.

*** For expensive wool coats: I suggest spot treatments ONLY through out the winter and a good dry clean at the end of the season. That way it’s protected during the off season (moths don’t like clean wool, they prefer the protein in your spills and spots), and it’ll be ready to wear come the next cold spell. I personally have never home dry cleaned a good wool winter coat.

Step 1. The water

wool, silk, and rayon: Hand wash in the sink in cool to cold water. (use your discretion on colorfastness, the less colorfast, the colder the water) DO NOT wring or twist. Swirl around the basin slowly.

Step 2. The soap

Wool: Be sure to use a mild detergent with a pH below 7. For best results, I recommend The Laundress: wool & cashmere shampoo or Henkel Perwoll Balsam Magic Detergent, which is available in several varieties. (blacks, colors, etc.)

         
Silk and Rayon: For these fibers you’ll need a mild liquid castile soap. The overwhelming recommendation for this in Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. *note for silk: DO NOT, under any circumstances, use any lye-based detergent with a pH over 10. It will destroy silk! *note for rayon: Rayons is an alkaline fiber and does not respond well to acidic detergents/liquids. It will agree with most all purpose mild detergents, but castile soap will leave the fibers softer.

Step 3. The spot treatment

**** Always spot test!!! good areas to use; hems, underarm, any interior salvage on seams.

Wool and silk: use white vinegar or pure lemon juice. Never scrub a stain, always dab with a dry, soft fabric or towel. I have great luck with paper towels, but a greener solution is old 100% cotton “t-shirt” rags. If you are dealing with very stubborn stain, lighter fluid is another good solution. (not great for all silks, but works well on most wool) These 3 solutions will evaporate and take the spot with it.

   
Rayon: NEVER use vinegar on Rayon!! It will strip the color and shrink the fibers. Depending on the finish, lighter fluid can leave a stain, but if the castile soap does not remove the spot, try a little bit of lemon juice. Lighter fluid is a last resort on rayon.

Step 4. The rinse

Wool, silk, rayon: Rinse thoroughly. Again, DO NOT agitate the fibers. I’ve found, removing the garments from the basin, drain all soap from the sink, and the hold the garment under slow running cool water makes for the best result. **Rayon fibers are the most sensitive to agitation. It’s a weak fiber and will shrink if overly jostled.

Step 5. The drying.

Wool: For knit wools, always lay flat on a dry towel and stretch to desired shape and size. For block wool, lay flat, stretch to shape and size, leave until 80% dry. Then finish with a hang dry to avoid wrinkling.

Silk and rayon: Set iron to silk/rayon setting and gently press out water, this should also take care of any wrinkling. When consistently warm and damp all over, hang dry.

*** Perspiration stains: Impossible to remove for the most part. If you catch them early before they’ve truly set into the fibers, mix 1 tbsp of white vinegar with 1/2 cup of water and sponge the staining. Dab lightly with dry towel or cloth and then let air dry.

*** For removing interesting smells: Febreze. If you can’t stand the smell of Febreze, use the product and the place the garment outdoors or in a bathroom with a vent on and windows open for an hour or two.

Leave a comment on this blog and let me know how it works out for you, or let me know if you have any specific questions.

Have a great week, and if you get a chance stop by the shop. We just got a bunch of AMAZING pieces from Bench! Check the web store to see the new arrivals.

Cheers,

Kyja King

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

October 30th, 2008 by barbara

Hey Ladies!!!

I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Kyja, Phlox’s resident expert on current fashion and style. This is no trend report. I like to talk about classic style and how it’s been reinvented. This blog is meant to help you focus on your needs when purchasing new pieces each season and in the future I intend to blog about how to find styles that compliment your figure and lifestyle, how to find a tailor you LOVE and will use when applicable, and the secrets to dry cleaning at home. Let’s get to the nitty-gritty—

Fall/ Winter 2008
Fashion and Style… The “Must Have” garments.

First, the turtleneck…

Audrey Hepburn in her classic turtle neck style. Be sure you have good layering turtlenecks this year!!

(We have several at Phlox if you are in need)
Second, a double-breasted jacket is a must…. (But no pea coats…. So two seasons ago!)

These 3 jackets are perfect. We current have these 3 styles by Lili Bleu available at Phlox.

a. Ruffle collar coat $180

b. Babydoll Short Jkt $138

c. Stand Collar Coat $240

Oh, and don’t forget your mini dress!!!

Twiggy – the mini dress original!

Below are a few we have in the shop. Come in or check ‘em out online… these dress are unstoppable!

a. Dagg & Stacey - Vassar Dress - $182

b. Corey Lynn Calter - Carter Mini - $224

c. Corey Lynn Calter - Gabby Shift - $174

d. InDept - 8 Button dress - $145

But in these cold temperatures, no girl can go bare legged in a mini dress. Be sure you get some great hosiery this season. On a hosiery note, layering socks and tights is on point this season. But keep in mind; wearing socks with tights replaces the need for a boot. This is, simply put, a way to bust out those pumps, strappy or open toed shoes in the wintertime. Below are some pictures of how it was done on the runway.

The first two images are from the Lacoste, followed by Dries Van Norton, the color block tights and striped sweater get up is by Sonia Rykeil, and the monotone red tights and socks is by Jasmine Di Milo. Garance Doré, a French fashion illustrator who is totally amazing, did the last drawing. Check it out here.

Another big influence in this seasons fashion palette is monochromatic and color blocked fashion. The “color block” is a great styling technique. It tends to lengthen the body and hide “problem areas”. A note on purchasing a color bocked piece for your wardrobe: typically the darkest colors on a color blocked dress or garment is to be considered the “invisible” area. When looking at yourself in a mirror keep this in mind. Most basically, the darkest colors should hide your “problem areas”. Monochromatic fashion is easy and fun!!! It’s a big move this season. Mix all your dusty blues, or rusty reds, or charcoal grays, but always wear just one color. Check out these pictures, you’ll see just how much fun it can be!

The first 4 runway looks are by Bottega Venta. Followed by gray tweed by Peter Som for Bill Blass. Then yummy yellows by Michael Kors. The next two, rust and dust, are by Albert Kriemier for Akris, followed by that gorgeous navy silk by Calvin Klien. The winter white look is by Ivana Omazic for Celine. The dark maroon-brown cape and trouser is by Jaeger London and the final look is by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin.

Okay, how does a Portland woman achieve this level of style and sophistication without traveling to Paris? At PHLOX of course!!! Alright, here are 3 ways we can achieve this look at Phlox.

Jacket: Dagg and Stacey - Yale Blazer - $231

Top: LinQ - 3/4 Slv belted Henley - $138

Jeans: Level 99 - Chloe Polished - $96

Accessories: Echo - fingerless gloves and scarf - $25 , $58

Kensie - striped socks - $8

Jacket: Dagg and Stacey - Stanford Jacket - $287

Dress: Lili Bleu - Ponte Knit Dress - $182

Accessories: Dutchy - Dock Bag - $103

Kensie - Bamboo Tights and Layered Socks - $15 each

Echo - Sparkle beanie - $25

Vest: Level 99 - Waistcoat - $114

Top: d studio - Pleat shoulder turtleneck - $110

Pants: Level 99 - Chloe 5 Pkt - $96

Accessories: Mademoiselle - Braided Bag - $78

Lili Blue - Belt - $38

Kensie - Bamboo Tights - $15

Echo - Square scarf - $48

I hope you found some of this information helpful in putting together just the right wardrobe for you this Fall/ Winter season… and I’ll catch up with you all soon. Until then…

Ready, Set, Shop…..

Kyja King

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

Thinking Spring?

October 6th, 2008 by barbara

We are thinking spring here for Isaac Hers. Actually, most lines are starting to think next fall, 2009. Since we are not on a wholesale schedule, I have the luxury of designing now for spring. I am WAY ahead of where I was for fall, with concepts, the whole shebang. And on a really exciting note, I have found local production! This will allow us to offer lots of Issac Hers. My biggest goal, though, was to keep it local, and I did. The plan is to have a fresh batch of new styles and colors monthly. Now, having said that, we have never coordinated this before, so we’ll see how it goes. I have Aliyah to assist me getting all the designs, patterns and samples done. This is a quantum leap for a micro-line like Isaac Hers! We’ll keep you posted.

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

Photo Shoot - Behind the Scenes

October 6th, 2008 by barbara

Of course you have seen the Isaac Hers photos for fall, but I haven’t taken any time to introduce you to the people behind the scenes. The photography was done by Left Turn Studio. Keven Focht is the photographer/talent behind Left Turn studios. So, not only is Kevin a fashion photography guru, he does weddings, portraits and pesky kid portraits. I’m going to get him to shoot my two little monkeys (not real monkeys,  but children) here soon. Here, he is doing his best Zoolander face.

Not only is he a nice guy, he is hella fun! Very professional and extremely easy to work with. But, no, that is not all. All talented people have a team of talented people that they work with. And here they are.

Susan, the makeup artist extraordinaire. Just look at the photos, her work is amazing. Also, she is too funny. I can’t tell you how much fun we had and I can’t say enough about them.

Then there is our talented, professional, and sweet model, Cora (sp?). Hope I didn’t just botch her name. She was just lovely, so, so professional.

Last, but certainly not least, there was Aliyah. This is my trusty design assistant. For fall, she did all the production sewing, whew! Moving forward, she will be moving more into the design part. I’m very excited that she is at Phlox!!! All in all, a team effort. Thank you guys!!

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

Loudermilk - Fall 2008

September 23rd, 2008 by barbara

I am very excited about fall Loudermilk collection.  We have the blouse and dress shown above . .  so awesome.  Linda Loudermilk collection uses all organic cottons and bamboo and was doing it before it was popular.  The only bummer is that I ordered a lot more stuff than I got, as several peices did not make it to production.  Call the store or check out the webstore to get the details.

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

Isaac Hers Fall 2008: Preview Party!

September 2nd, 2008 by barbara

We are having a party to celebrate the completion and beauty of the Isaac Hers Fall 2008 collection. Come by to be among the first to see and feel the fall collection. We’ll have everything you need for a party: DJs, models, punch, wine and snacks.
The bonus is that the same night, Thursday September 11, 2008 is also Jazz on Mississippi. There will be 2 stages featuring local jazz musicians and various street performers. Will be a great night!!

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »

PDX Collective Sale at the Cleaners

September 2nd, 2008 by barbara

Whatever you do, DO NOT miss this sale! The is the queen-mother, mack-daddy of all sales with some of the best stores in and around town. Shopping heaven!

Posted in Shopping | Permalink | No Comments »