How to make a made-to-measure suit last a decade

It is worth being honest at the start. A suit worn every working day in a fine, lightweight cloth will not last as long as a heavier suit worn once a week, however carefully it is treated. Ten years is a realistic ambition for a well-made suit that is worn in rotation and cared for well. It is not a promise any cloth can make on its own.

What care can do is remove the avoidable causes of wear. Most suits that fail early are not worn out. They are tired: stretched, over-cleaned, badly hung or put away dirty.

Rotate, and let it rest

The single most effective habit is not wearing the same suit on consecutive days. Wool is naturally resilient, and after a day of sitting, walking and bending it needs time to recover its shape. The Woolmark Company recommends resting wool garments for around 24 hours between wears. Two or three suits in rotation will each last far longer than one suit worn relentlessly.

Air it and brush it

When you take the suit off, empty the pockets, hang it and let it air before it goes into a closed wardrobe. Then give it a brush. A soft clothes brush, used with gentle downward strokes, removes dust and particles before they settle into the cloth and become harder to shift. It takes a minute and does more to keep a suit clean than any trip to the cleaners.

Use the right hanger

A wire hanger will slowly distort the shoulders of a jacket. Use a shaped, wide hanger that follows the line of the shoulder and supports it right to the edge. Hang trousers by the hems, or folded over a bar along their creases, so their own weight helps release wrinkles. Give the wardrobe some space: a suit crushed between other clothes will crease and cannot breathe.

Steam gently, press carefully

Most creases fall out on their own overnight. For the rest, steam is kinder than an iron. Hanging the suit in a bathroom after a hot shower works surprisingly well, and a handheld steamer used at a distance is useful for travel creases.

If you do press, use steam, a moderate wool setting and a pressing cloth between the iron and the suit to avoid shine. Never press cloth that is completely dry or dirty, and leave the lapels alone. They are meant to roll, not lie flat.

Clean it rarely

Dry cleaning has its place, but frequent cleaning is one of the quickest ways to age a suit. Over many cycles, the solvents, heat and pressing involved can flatten the cloth's handle and take some of the life out of it. Clean a suit when it is genuinely dirty, not simply because it has been worn several times. Deal with small marks promptly and gently, blotting rather than rubbing, and take anything serious to a specialist who understands tailored clothing.

Small habits while you wear it

Unbutton the jacket when you sit, which takes the strain off the button and the cloth around it. Take the jacket off before a long drive, so it does not spend hours creased against a seat. And keep phones, keys and wallets out of the jacket pockets where you can, because weight in a pocket pulls the whole front out of shape.

Rain and moisture

Wool handles rain well, but a wet suit needs care. Hang it on its proper hanger at room temperature, away from radiators and direct sunlight, and let it dry slowly. Heat can shrink or distort the cloth. Once it is dry, a brush will restore the surface.

Look after the trousers

Trousers usually wear out before jackets, because they work harder. Avoid overloading pockets, which stretches the cloth. If you sit at a desk all day, consider how often you wear the same pair. Ordering a second pair of trousers with a suit is one of the oldest and most sensible ways of extending its life.

Store it clean

Clothes moths are attracted to wool, and particularly to wool with traces of food, sweat or body oils; it is their larvae that do the damage. Before putting a suit away for a season, make sure it is clean. Store it in a breathable garment bag in a cool, dry place, take it out and shake it occasionally, and use moth deterrents without letting them touch the cloth.

Repair early

A loose button, a small split in a seam or a lining starting to fray is a small repair today and a larger one next month. A good tailor can also adjust a suit as your shape changes over the years, which is often the difference between a suit that is worn and one that is kept for sentimental reasons.

Travel

Pack a suit in a garment bag if you can, or fold the jacket inside out at the shoulders with tissue at the folds. Hang it as soon as you arrive and let the steam from a shower do the work. Avoid leaving a suit folded in a case for days.

None of this is complicated. Rest, a brush, a good hanger and restraint with cleaning will carry a suit a remarkably long way.