TheCleaners.net

When people ask me what I do for a living, the easy way out is to just say I'm a drycleaner.  But in reality, what I do for a living is make other people's lives easier.  Your life is more than your clothes, and that's why these newsletters cover a wide variety of subjects. This week, we're going back to the basics where your wardrobe is concerned, and reviewing the ABCs of building a strong collection of clothes that fit your life and your personality.

We hope to see you soon and have the privilege of making your life easier.

Jim Nixon,
The Cleaners

Quote of the Week

If you don't have time to do it right...
when will you have time to do it over?

Cha-Ching!  Coupon!

It's springtime and we've got spring fever.  You know how that can make some people positively giddy, and we're among that crowd this week.  Just take two bucks off any drycleaning order.  Happy Spring!
(Include a copy of this e-mail with your order.  Offer expires May 1, 2004.  Cannot be combined with other offers.)

One of the best things you can do for your wardrobe is allocate your funds properly.  After all, most of us have a finite budget with which to work when it comes to purchasing clothes.  Allocate it by the 25/75 method -- 25% of your purchases for "trendy" items, and 75% for classic pieces.

Men generally think there isn't much in their style world that can be counted as "trendy" but that's incorrect.  Dark dress shirts have only been in style the past several years -- prior to that, you'd never see a well-dressed business man in anything but white or light blue.  Shirt collars are another area of stylistic remodeling from year to year.  Colored shirts with white collars, shirts with no collars, shirts with button-down collars or no buttons at all.  Each fashion trend comes and goes, and if you invest heavily in one you'll look dated when it's history.

For women, trends obviously come in hemlines, fabrics and colors, as well as in accessories.  This year, one hot item is straight skirts with an "under skirt" of solid colored material and an "over skirt" of gauzier printed fabric, all cropped at the knee and set off with a curly-cue hem.  If they look good on you, it's tempting to stock up -- but when they go "out" they'll go out with a thud and you'll be left holding the bag.

And speaking of holding the bag, those initial handbags are everywhere, aren't they?  In two years you won't see them, so don't pay an arm and a leg for one.

Spent most of your budget on classic items that will go through the seasonal fashion grind with you, and then dress them up with trendy accessories or blouses in colors and prints that won't last.  Spend on trendy items according to their shelf life, not their current popularity.

Buying the best pays off!  When purchasing garments that will be part of your core wardrobe for years to come, go for the ones that will last.  Does that always mean expensive?  Not necessarily.  They'll be more than the cheap things you can pick up at stores where you can also buy tires for your car, hamburger for dinner and a rug for the bathroom, but you'd expect that.

Quality garments may or may not have a "known" label in them (and some named labels spell trouble more than quality.)  What they will include are the following:

• Quality construction -- no hanging threads, good strong seams, a lining where appropriate, and good shaping.
• Plenty of information -- tags telling you where the garment was made, what it's made of, how you're to clean it, and interesting tidbits about the fabric or tailoring.
• Good detailing -- no painted-on decorations here.  Interesting buttons, pockets where you'd expect them (and that really open, not just for show), even options on how to wear the garment in different situations with sleeves that turn back or collars that flip up and add drama.
• Simple lines -- since these are garments that will stand the test of time, they tend to have clean lines and plenty of ways for you to add your own stylistic details that vary with the seasons and occasions.

Once you've allocated 75% of your wardrobe budget to classic pieces, be sure to make the most of that investment by buying items that will last.  There are excellent buys in resale shops or even on the internet, so keep your eyes open.  Look for pieces you can dress up or dress down, depending on how you want to wear them.  Then add sparkle to the outfit with an accessory or two.

Would it cut down on your shopping if you had to sign a contract every time you purchased a garment?  Actually, whether you realize it or not, you're doing just that.  The garment has a care label that instructs you in the specific "care and feeding" of your new blouse, shirt or suit.  By purchasing it, you are actually accepting that contract and agreeing to abide by it.  Break the contract and the manufacturer is off the hook for any bad results.

This is why we stress over and over again the importance of reading this pivotal label first, before you fall in love with the garment.  If it's vague or has complicated instructions, you must rationally decide if you are willing to go to those lengths to keep the garment looking its best.  If you're not, why buy it?

Trendy items are often of fairly cheap construction because they are never intended to last beyond a single season.  Their labels can hide dangerous phrases like, "dryclean only, exclusive of trim".  In other words, they're not going to hold up well even under the kindest care.

So, do you give up trendy stuff and dress in dowdy clothes that make you feel unattractive?  Absolutely not!  Be realistic about clothes and their lifespans, and play around with cute accessories or the latest shirt style.  You know you feel great when people comment on how "in" you look.  Think of quick trend clothes as blind dates... and your classics as marriage material.

(NOTE:  All clothing shown in this e-mail is available at either the JC Penney or Dillards websites.)

Please support our Relay For Life Teams with a donation. Your spare change, cash or a check  will be appreciated. All proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society. We will have four teams this year in the Greeley event. Click her ($$$$$) to make an online donation

Cell Phone Collection Ends Soon

The American Cancer Society and Cellular Recycler have created a unique fundraising program to raise money in the fight against cancer by collecting and reselling cellular phones from people like you.

You can help - it's easy! Empty those kitchen drawers and place all of the cellular phones you collect in the handy Cellular Recycler collection bucket at one of our convenient locations and we'll take care of the rest. All funds earned from this collection drive will be matched by the Clean Teams

We're helping cure Cancer - one cell phone at a time.