2011  

A Look Behind the Scenes
posted date: 11/29/2011 2:12:52 PM

 

A Look Behind the Scenes 
 
Think about the last load of wash you did at home. Now, multiply that times a couple of thousand. Every day. 
 
A household washing machine won’t cut it. It takes lots of machines, all going at once, built to stand up to that kind of use. It also takes dry cleaning machines, and if you care about the environment, you won’t use clunky, old ones. You’ll install new ones that keep the air and ground clean.
 
You’ll need a sophisticated system to keep track of what belongs to whom, and of personal likes and dislikes -- how much starch, whether they like hangers or boxes, and special instructions like button replacement. (Better have a huge button selection so you can match, and some sewing machines on hand.)
 
You’ll need to know about stains and how to remove them. It’s harder than it sounds, because it depends on the kind of stain and the fabric it’s on.
 
You’ll need different kinds of pressing machines for different garments and fabric types, and sharp-eyed people standing by to inspect and touch up ironing by hand. 
 
If you really want to do things right, you’ll have a supply of least six different kinds of hangers. That way you avoid stretching things on too-big hangers, or having things fall on the floor from too-small or too-slippery ones.
 
All of the above is required before you even start the first load. Not to mention the buildings you’ll need to keep all that equipment in, technicians to keep the equipment running, and reliable, experienced people who know what they’re doing. 
 
As Red Hanger’s founder once said, “It takes a lot of moving parts to clean a pair of trousers.” Maybe so. But to clean thousands of garments, we think it’s just the right amount of moving parts.
 
Now you know a little more about the care we take when you drop off an order with us. When you pick it up a day or two later, we hope it shows.
How Jane Seymour got be Jane Seymour
posted date: 11/9/2011 11:39:03 AM

How Jane Seymour got to be Jane Seymour

There’s something to be said for looking the part.

In the days before hers became a household name, actress Jane Seymour really, REALLY wanted to play the lead female in the movie Somewhere in Time. So when she showed up for her audition, she dressed as the character, in an outfit from the period in which the film was set. The role was hers and the rest is history.

About that same time, our friend Lee was but one in a sea of computer programmers in a growing company. Programmers are not known for their professional dress. So it was that Lee took a lot of kidding from his peers for showing up each day for work wearing a tie. Yet when it came time to promote a programmer to management, well, guess who was chosen.

Every day at work is an audition of sorts. Very often, looking the part is the first step toward winning — or losing — a coveted position. That’s one of many reasons why leaving the laundering of your shirts and the handling of your dry cleaning to the professionals is a good idea. You never know who may be watching — and noting that you look the part they’re trying to fill.

 
Blazer or Sport Coat?
posted date: 7/7/2011 11:08:15 AM   last comment: 7/7/2011

Blazer or Sport Coat — What’s the diff?

When is a blazer a blazer and not a sport coat?

If you enjoy seeing people show off what they don’t know, raise that question next time a group gathers around the water cooler. You will hear as many answers as there are people in the group.

There’s a reason for that. The line between blazer and sport coat may have been sharply drawn at one time -- note the emphasis on may -- but if there ever really was such a line, today it is blurry at best.  

According to one source, the sport coat arose when people dressed up for sporting and social events where a suit would have been considered overkill. 

As for the distinction between “blazer” and “sport coat,” say that the terms are interchangeable. Others beg to differ. Blazers, they’ll tell you, have sewn-on pockets and come in navy blue only, whereas sport coats have suit-like pockets with flaps and can come in any color or pattern. Still others assert that “blazer” includes both women’s and men’s jackets, and “sport coat“ is a subset referring to the men’s version.

No matter. When you bring us your order, we promise not to raise an accusing eyebrow and say, “Are you sure this is a blazer and not a sport coat?” Instead, we’ll thank you for your business. Then, a day or so later, we’ll return your blazer/sport coat, freshly cleaned and pressed, and well protected in a biodegradable clear wrap.