Five expert top tips for keeping your clothes in mint condition.

Like so many of the world’s great discoveries, silk was stumbled across in an entirely serendipitous manner. According to ancient Chinese fable, the Empress Leizu – wife of the Yellow Emperor – was sitting beneath a mulberry tree sometime around 2700 BC, when a silkworm cocoon fell from the branches above into her cup of tea. As she tried to fish it out, its threads began to unravel and she noticed how wonderfully soft and glossy they were. As a result of this chance encounter, she kick-started silk cultivation – or sericulture to use the correct term – and was later deified under the title “Seine Than”, meaning “goddess of silk worms”. Not bad going for someone who just happened to be hanging out under a tree having elevenses.

Today, most of us will encounter this regal cloth in the form of ties, pocket squares and perhaps the occasional louche shirt or pyjama set. But how, when you don’t have an army of imperial serfs to take care of your wardrobe, do you treat this delicate material?

For some practical advice on the subject, we spoke to Mr Dean Gomilsek-Cole, creative director of Turnbull & Asser – a brand whose fine silk accessories have been worn by the likes of Mr James Bond, Sir Winston Churchill and HRH Prince Charles. Seeing as Mr Gomilsek-Cole has an ever-expanding personal collection of 160 silk ties and pocket squares, we can certainly trust his wisdom on the topic.

“Never leave a tie knotted when stored. I have been guilty of this in the past and the problem is the silk creases and it’s very hard to get the tie back to a pristine shape. Always take your tie off at the end of the day, roll it and store it in a box; I have a few shoeboxes I’ve kept specifically for this purpose.”

“Beards can play havoc with a woven silk tie, especially bow-ties. The raised texture of the silk cloth rubs against the stubble and can snag the yarns. Printed ties are flatter, as the designs are printed onto the cloth rather than woven, so you won’t have the same issue.”

“Printed silk pocket squares can get very creased when worn. To keep them pristine, I iron mine. Make use of the silk setting on your iron, but be sure to iron on the reverse of the print as the heat can damage its definition. To be extra safe, it’s also worth placing a fine muslin cloth over the square while ironing. If you’re able to store them flat and not folded, do so. I find placing them under a heavy stack of vinyl records – which are an almost perfect match in dimensions – is an ideal way to keep them crease-free.”

“Silk shirts are back in the limelight, but they can be awkward to maintain. At Turnbull & Asser, we recommend you always machine or hand-wash shirts and hang them to dry rather than dry-cleaning them, as this will prolong their life. Finer silks are prone to holding heavy creases if kept in one position for a long time. To deal with this, dampen the shirt with a fine mist spray, turn it inside out and put a sheer or muslin cloth over it before ironing on the silk setting. If you’re somewhere without access to an iron, it’s possible to get lighter creases out using steam – try hanging your shirt in the bathroom when taking a shower and closing the door to contain the steam.”

“Usually a stain or spill happens when you’re out of reach of appropriate products, so you should first delicately scrape off the offending substance with a clean, flat, knife. If it’s a liquid, try and soak up as much as you can with a napkin (not a paper towel), until you get home or to your hotel and find a better solution. You should avoid rubbing water into any stain on a silk tie at all costs. With ink, let it dry and don't dab at it while wet. There are a number of good stain removers on the market, but make sure it’s safe for silks, as you could end up taking out the colour from the yarn because of the chemical compounds of certain solutions. If in doubt, test it on a small area that isn’t visible, before tackling the stain. It’s preferable of course to avoid stains in the first place – with ties, use a tie bar to keep them under control and if you’re heading out to a dinner that could involve a particularly messy dish, tie yours with a shorter blade so you can tuck it into your shirt, out of harm’s way.”

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