garment bag question

[Oldsarge]

So you go to the store (provided that you are not of the socio-economic class that orders MTM or bespoke) and you buy a suit or a jacket. The tailor makes the adjustments needed and you return and pick it up. You try it on, nod approvingly (whether you know what you're looking at or not) get ready to take it home. The salesman puts it onto a hanger and into a cloth, zip-up bag and hands it to you. You take it home. Now . . . what do you do with the bag? I presume those who live in continental climates and need two to three weights of suit store the garment in the bag in the off season. Stick a a handful of cedar balls in the base and rest easy that it will be ready when the seasons turn and it's time to wear it again. But what of those of us who live in a climate where we can easily wear tropical worsted year 'round? What do we do with the garment bags? Do we return the suit to its bag each time we wear it or just toss the blamed thing out because it takes up space better devoted to more clothes?

( This was also posted on AskAndyAboutClothes)

 

[Bugsy]

So you go to the store (provided that you are not of the socio-economic class that orders MTM or bespoke) and you buy a suit or a jacket. The tailor makes the adjustments needed and you return and pick it up. You try it on, nod approvingly (whether you know what you're looking at or not) get ready to take it home. The salesman puts it onto a hanger and into a cloth, zip-up bag and hands it to you. You take it home. Now . . . what do you do with the bag? I presume those who live in continental climates and need two to three weights of suit store the garment in the bag in the off season. Stick a a handful of cedar balls in the base and rest easy that it will be ready when the seasons turn and it's time to wear it again. But what of those of us who live in a climate where we can easily wear tropical worsted year 'round? What do we do with the garment bags? Do we return the suit to its bag each time we wear it or just toss the blamed thing out because it takes up space better devoted to more clothes?

( This was also posted on AskAndyAboutClothes)

I save mine and use them for travel.

 

[resortes805]

If it is a breathable cloth mesh bag I keep 'em. If it is a vinyl bag, I use them to wrap garments that I ship.

 

[Oldsarge]

If it is a breathable cloth mesh bag I keep 'em. If it is a vinyl bag, I use them to wrap garments that I ship.

Ah, as it Fed Ex-ing one's clothing to one's destination thus avoiding the gouging airlines. I like it! Okay, then, the bags go into storage instead of off to the Goodwill.

 

[dnjan]

Actually, FedEx is often more expensive than a checked bag. At least shipping FedEx to a specific address and not hold-for-pickup.

I seem to frequently have clothes that are rarely worn (this being late October, Halloween costumes come to mind), and so if there are any extra garment bags around, they seem to get used.

 

[RM Bantista]

Oldsarge,

Good evening to you. If you are so fortunate as to have a suit in a good cloth garment bag you should keep it in the bag when it is not otherwise engaged. It reduces the potential for bad things to happen to the garment. It is a sound idea to brush it before hanging and check the pockets and cuffs, if any, to ensure that nothing is left behind after use. Same principle as for hats sold in boxes and shoes: Brush and repack. At a certain point, it becomes difficult to recall which what is where exactly and then it may be helpful to label the suit bag or hanger with a descriptor that refreshes your memory of the contents. One would not expect such a thing to be necessary, but it is known to happen. It is also helpful to rotate stock from one spot to another to keep track of what was worn in what order when in a general way. These may not ever be matters which you will need to address, but it can happen. If seasons were a point you had to consider (not a huge deal in some places, but crucial in others), the number of items to track increases and off-season storage becomes an issue as well. One doesn't anticipate a thing like that ever making an impact on a gentleman who does not require an extensive number of suits, but these are not terrible sacrifices of space for a few items worn on occasion once in a while, and the items will retain their good qualities longer and with less distress to their owner than otherwise. And buying one or two suits or shoes or hats is known to become pleasurable investigation of new frontiers beyond just having a good item for a particular event. More times than not, one is given plastic bags and maybe a hanger in these times, but those, as has been mentioned by others, are not a substitute for a purpose designed garment bag. A good brush and a suit bag can save hundreds of dollars in cleaning, repair, and replacement cost.

Best regards,
rudy