Jeeves Cleans Couture for a Cause BY HAND

After the last model had walked, and the house lights went dark in one of the last fashion shows to ever be held at Bryant Park, the real work began for your man Jeeves and his cleaning team.

As mentioned before Jeeves had been entrusted by representatives from Fashion for Relief as well as Net-A-Porter to clean and transport all the garments worn during the show held during New York  Fall 2010 Fashion Week.  As you can see from the picture above your man Jeeves has his hands very full of couture.

Once off the catwalk and back at Jeeves’ garment care workshop the clothes were analyzed by his team of craftsmen to ensure that they received Jeeves’ full white glove treatment. After careful analysis, it was  decided that all donated garments must be cleaned by hand due to the responsibility of cleaning these one of a kind couture gowns.

Your man Jeeves would have hated to see the fine details and incredible construction of these beautiful gowns lose their unique presence due to improper cleaning, so the only solution  was to clean every piece by hand. This meant much more work for Jeeves and his team, but no one minded for such a charitable cause.

After a long weekend of cleaning,  your man Jeeves returned each and every gown to its original pristine condition and hand delivered them to Net-A-Porter who will be auctioning off the gowns after the London show has been completed. All proceeds from the online auction beginning March 15 will benefit CARE, an organization working towards rebuilding the healthcare system in Haiti.

Your man Jeeves can’t wait to see what fabulous looks go down the runway at the London Fashion for Relief event. Like Jeeves New York, Jeeves of London has been entrusted to clean and handle the couture for the Fashion For Relief show being held tongiht  in just a week after the New York show. He can only extend his empathy towards Jeeves London because he knows all the hard work they have ahead of them.

You may recognize the gown above as the gorgeous piece worn by Sarah Ferguson, also entrusted to your man Jeeves is the now famous Burberry ensemble worn by Agyness Deyn complete with those 7 in. platforms that caused her to take quite the tumble 2x! All the pieces by Alexander McQueen that Jeeves had worked with backstage are not available for auction, for all of his pieces are being returned to his estate. Jeeves was so excited when he was sorting through the racks to find the stunning cerulean gown worn by none other than Naomi Campbell herself that required the Jeeves touch.

For all your couture cleaning needs, or perhaps those pieces that require a second or even third look come visit your man Jeeves, for the best couture cleaning in New York.

Jeeves New York Backstage at Fashion for Relief NYC 2010

The highlight of Fashion Week NYC for your man Jeeves was the privilege to be a part of Naomi Campbell’s extraordinary charitable show Fashion for Relief with all proceeds benefiting CARE an organization working to rebuild the health care system for women and children in Haiti.

Your man Jeeves arrived at Bryant Park hours before the show was scheduled to begin in order to set-up his table full of garment care supplies to assist all the stylists , models, and dressers backstage before they took to the catwalk.

Upon arrival Jeeves and his staff could hardly believe their eyes at their sheer volume of couture that greeted them backstage. Your man Jeeves had to take a few deep breaths, since he and his craftsmen were there to collect all these   gorgeous items for cleaning following the show.

Within minutes of being setting up Jeeves’ most experienced seamstress, Marcia Moore was put to work to insert shoulder pads into a shockingly red dress later worn by Kelly Osbourne. This was not the only time throughout the evening that your man Jeeves was at the service of the evening’s celebrity guests, all styled by the ever demanding Rachel Zoe. A very distressed assistant rushed over with a Dolce & Gabbana suit that desperately needed to be pressed before rapper Chris Brown took to the runway. Your man Jeeves was right on it.

Despite the high energy of all the models and celebrities present backstage having quite the raucous reunion, the attitude near our workstation was a bit more somber as we were in the immediate proximity of the individuals from Alexander McQueen just one day after the legendary designers unexpected death. The Jeeves team worked on alterations on two pieces that were both worn in the finale, one by the host Naomi Campbell herself.  Marcia also labored over a pair of exquisite shingled shoes that spoke to the true nature of a McQueen design.

As it drew closer to 7 the backstage area turned into pure chaos as your man Jeeves had a line of individuals waiting to have their gowns pressed before hitting the runway. One gown already had a person in it! This person was none other than Cecily Lopez who giggled as a Jeeves staff member informed her that the dress could not be pressed with her inside of it…

Once the show began Jeeves and his team were able to relax and enjoy a little bubbly as the models changed from their couture to their finale outfits which entailed all models wearing t-shirts that read “To Haiti with Love.” Your man Jeeves was more than willing to offer his seat to an exhausted Malin Akerman (27 dresses) and Olivia from MTV’s reality show The City who swore “ she was never one to complain about sore feet!”

After the show was over the real work began for your man Jeeves and his team to collect all the gowns worn during the show for cleaning. Jeeves has donated his services to Fashion for Relief, so that all gowns will be as good as new when they are auctioned on Net-A-Porter after the London show next week. Jeeves of London is also doing all the cleaning for the Fashion for Relief event being held Friday during London Fashion Week.

There were some trips, tumbles, and unfortunately tears but the New York Fashion for Relief show has already raised over $100,000 just from ticket sales. It truly speaks to Campbell’s legacy that she can organize such a remarkable event on two different continents to help out those suffering a horrible ordeal.

Your man Jeeves will have more to share later about all the extraordinary gowns we have cleaned.

Jeeves cleans down with CO2

As the weekend approaches, so does the impending doom of yet another winter storm bringing with it lots of frozen precipitation, and the need for the warmest of your outerwear.

Your man Jeeves has had just about enough of these cold New York days, and is certainly ready for spring and the warmer weather. However, on these brisk days he braves the streets wearing his down jacket which he only used to wear on the exceptionally cold days because it was quite an ordeal to clean.

In the past Jeeves had avoided cleaning this jacket at great lengths due to the fact that the first one he purchased when arriving in the US was almost ruined because of his ignorance to care for a garment he was unfamiliar with.

Many down jackets instruct the consumer NOT to dry clean these jackets. Why? Typically, in the dry cleaning process the feathers all clump together so that their warmth is no longer distributed throughout the entire jacket. Worst of all, the chemical odor lingers in the feathers and follows you everywhere.

The same results tend to happen with home cleaning sans the cleaning odor, but with the added potential for a devastating headache as many cleaning professionals instruct that tennis balls or sneakers be placed in the dryer with the jacket to help redistribute the feathers.

This cleaning was a futile effort for your man Jeeves until now. With the introduction of the CO2 machine, and this being Jeeves’ first winter with the ECO2 Cleanse process he figured he would try his luck. By this point he had tried everything else…

Before cleaning Jeeves was very hopeful, for he had helped Mrs. Jeeves during the last snow blast, and had seriously soiled his jacket. In case you were unaware your man Jeeves LOVES color, so his vibrant jacket does not conceal stains well.

The results were remarkable! The jacket was removed from the machine spotless, odorless, and colder than the temperature outside the store. Your man Jeeves felt like he had just received a brand new jacket and it only took half the time of regular dry cleaning.

CO2 dry cleaning is able to clean any down jacket much better than any other process and in much less time.

For all your down jacket cleaning needs come visit your man Jeeves, the only luxury garment care firm with CO2 in all of Manhattan.

How Secure Are your Pockets

The majority of Jeeves’ family still lives on the other side of the Atlantic, so he greatly anticipates their weekly chats. Your man Jeeves is a little behind the times and has not quite figured out skyping yet, so he still relies on the telephone. When he rang his youngest brother, Alfred this week they discussed a similar trend between their two businesses (Alfred handles luxury garments as well).

The conclusion that these two gentlemen came to is the astounding volume of items left behind in the pockets of dry cleaning clients.

A study conducted in the U. K. stated that almost 5,000 memory sticks and portable devices were found in pockets across 100 dry cleaners last year alone. This study was conducted by a security firm , Credant Technologies in an effort to emphasize why information on devices such as these should be encrypted.

Your man Jeeves does not care much for what this study is implying about the general public’s disposition, but does recognize the need for concern and precaution.

If you are someone who deals with highly personal or sensitive information Jeeves recommends that you not download unprotected information or other information to portable storage devices that if lost could lead to a breach in security or worse.

• Your man Jeeves has a few suggestions to help you keep track of your personal belongings:
• Empty your pockets when undressing
• Place items of value in a briefcase or purse
• If you must place them in a pocket check to make sure there are no holes
• Take a few extra minutes before sending clothes out to check your pockets

Rest assured that anything you forget to remove from your pockets before you send it to Jeeves for cleaning will be returned to you. Jeeves’ staff carefully attends to all pockets before cleaning to ensure that nothing is ruined or lost.

The Pocket Square

Jeeves was very fortunate this Christmas. Mrs. Jeeves was very kind and thoughtful (as always) and gave Jeeves the gift of a few more pocket squares for his collection.

The pocket square is considered by Jeeves as the most overlooked item in a well dressed gentleman’s wardrobe. To quote the Art of Manliness, “Don’t leave your suit naked.”

Well dressed gentlemen from Frank Sinatra, Sean Combs and Don Draper would never be seen without a pocket square.

Your pocket square should always pick up a touch of color from your tie, but never allow yourself to purchase a matching tie and pocket square, it is just too much.

A white pocket square can be worn with anything and it is Jeeves favourite. In fact Jeeves only wears a white pocket square.

Jeeves was at a holiday party last week and immediately struck up a conversation with a gentleman that he had never met before. The gentleman had a perfectly “4 point” folded pocket square (and in white!), this was an easy conversation starter.

Gentlemen, it’s high time for pocket squares, don’t leave your suits naked. And for Jeeves it is time for high tea.

For more information about how to fold a pocket square the Art of Manliness has a great post here.

When your pocket square and your suit needs a perfect cleaning, please do consider Jeeves.

Jeeves is renowned world wide for finest in garment care. Jeeves can clean or repair just about anything made of cloth, leather or suede anywhere.

For the love of luxury

“I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness or ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity.”

-Coco Chanel

Chanel has always been a presence both in and around New York City. With two retail locations just blocks away from our store on the Upper East Side, your man Jeeves has always loved the double C.

Not until recently however, did your man Jeeves realize that he and this fashion icon shared so much in common. As a gentleman it is only natural that Jeeves does not care for vulgarity, and typically keeps company that shares this.

Too bad for Jeeves that he and Coco were never able to discuss their love of luxury, their aversion to crudeness, or their appreciation for fashion.

As you all know Jeeves of Belgravia is the only international luxury garment care firm, so your man Jeeves would have been able to tend to all the needs of this legendary fashion icon. His reputation for quality and excellence most definitely precedes him.

Your man Jeeves can promise you service above the rest. His love for luxury items, as well as his staff’s expert training in this field guarantees your garments will be well cared for. His CO2 cleaning process assures that your wardrobe will be taken care in a manner which cannot be replicated anywhere in New York City.

Jeeves offers other luxury services besides dry cleaning such as tailoring, shoe repair, handbag repair, and bridal gown preservation. For a full list of services click here.

For luxury dry cleaning NYC , luxury tailoring NYC, and bridal gown preservation NYC come to Jeeves of Belgravia.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry.

With all the excitement surrounding hanging wreaths, putting up lights, and decorating the tree your man Jeeves almost forgot to clean his favorite tuxedo for the overwhelming amount of holiday gatherings his presence was requested at.

Jeeves has noticed that inside of his store is starting to resemble the twinkling lights all over New York City.  All of the lovely ladies who bring their garments to your man Jeeves have exquisite taste as their sparkling holiday collections would display.

The ornate details of crystals, sequins, and beads add to the fine elements of holiday glamour. They also require very careful cleaning . Lucky for you, with generations of experience your man Jeeves is able to pay extra attention to your festive garments, so that they will be in your holiday repertoire for years to come.

Here are some helpful holiday tips from your man Jeeves and his staff.

• Never cut a loose bead or sequin off a dress or skirt, for you may cause a whole row to fall off.
• Beaded and sequined items require special care as some ornate items are affected by ordinary dry cleaning.
• Ordinary dry cleaning may cause beading or sequined to melt or lose color.
• Unfortunately, most dry cleaners will not accept responsibility for beaded work, but at Jeeves our highly trained staff is able to clean any beaded garment no matter how complicated.

So as you eat, drink, and stay merry through the holidays remember that you can also keep your festive clothes fresh from one party to the next with the assistance of Jeeves of Belgravia.

From Science Fiction to Reality

The door clicked into a locked position, as the technician rotated the door hatch. She checked the visual indicator to make sure the seal was not breached and then glanced at the computer screen to initiate the pressurization sequence.

Carbon dioxide began to pump from the holding tanks into the chamber as the pressure went from sea level to 650 PSI.  The carbon dioxide began to transform into a liquid, exactly what the technician needed.

Once the desired result had been achieved, the cylinder depressurized, and the CO2 returned to its original state as a gas.

When the technician released the hatch and opened the door she witnessed something remarkable…

Her blouse and jacket from the night before had been cleaned. Perfectly.

If you’re thinking that your man Jeeves has a soft spot for science fiction, think again.  Described above is the Eco2 Cleanse process, available at Jeeves NY, and is the newest most technologically advanced way to clean clothes.

Little has changed since the evolution of dry cleaning over the last 150 years, and your man Jeeves has always understood the fundamentals of clothes washing, garments are washed in a liquid (either a petrochemical or water), soap is added to remove stains and then dried using heat.

CO2 dry cleaning changed every one of Jeeves’ beliefs about the cleaning process when he was first introduced to Eco2 Cleanse. Although clothes are still washed in a liquid, the physical properties of CO2 allow clothing to be cleaned in a heat free environment so they are removed from the machine at near freezing temperatures.

Your man Jeeves has really outdone himself this time with the level of cleaning he is now offering clients due to his exclusive use of CO2 on dry cleaning. This method far surpasses any other dry cleaning method out there.  Jeeves is also preserving your wardrobe by subjecting your garments to less wear-and-tear with his new system!

CO2 dry cleaning right now is very rare with less than 25 firms in the world using this type of technology. Lucky for all you residing in Manhattan, Jeeves of Belgravia can offer you this service, and you can join your man Jeeves in his innovative industry changes.

The CO2 process is also the only method of dry cleaning that has been approved as safe by the EPA.

For dry cleaning New York you can choose traditional dry cleaning which has not evolved in 150 years or turn to your man Jeeves and his new process that is Simply Green, Simply Clean and Simply Better for You.

Co2 Dry Cleaning = Best Cleaning Available

Co2 dry cleaning vs. traditional dry cleaning. The difference will astound you!

Actually from a cleaning standpoint there is no comparison. Our Co2 dry cleaning process, Eco2 Cleanse does a better job no questions asked.

For the last three weeks the Jeeves’ technicians (who have over 77 years of collective experience) have been working with our new Co2 dry cleaning machine and everyone of them were “wowed” by the results.

And this crowd is not typically  “wowed” by anything.  Seeing the final result of the Eco2 cleanse process , turned these skeptics into true believers.

Garments that were impossible to clean properly, can now be cleaned beautifully.

At Jeeves we were working on a Just Cavalli outer jacket that was very soiled (and that is putting it kindly). Cleaning this garment was an issue because it has white leather trim, fur trim, down filling and a silk exterior.

Traditional dry cleaning would  ruin the fur. The use of  a wet cleaning process would distort the fabric of the outer jacket and hand cleaning would never remove all of the embedded soil.

Eco Cleanse to the rescue! My techs have figured out how to safely clean just about anything using Co2 and they benefit besides great dry cleaning…

• Simply Green- No petrochemicals or perc. Garments are cleaned in the same substance that puts the “fizz” in soda.
• Simply Clean- Whites stay white, dark colors stay dark and colors are vibrant.
• Simply Better for You- Why expose your skin to harmful chemicals?

36,000 Costumes Cleaned for The Met

At last count your man Jeeves  has cleaned over 36,000 costumes for the Metropolitan Opera House. What an accomplishment.

And these aren’t everyday items.

The costumes at the Metropolitan Opera’s are the best-of-the-best. Their costume designers use only the finest fabrics and materials. Yards and yards of silk, miles of crinoline. You wouldn’t believe  how much padding is in some of the petticoats.

Garments are referred to as; mantua, frock, breeches and court jackets. The language of their wardrobe quickly transports one back in time.

Corsets are worn under gowns to pinch in a woman’s waist and  padded petticoats give  hips the required width. When all is said and done some of the gowns must weigh 30 pounds!

One of the most amazing things about the costumes at the Met is how well made they are. No detail is too small, including proper period buttons and embellishments.

The costume designers at the Met are truly magicians. My staff and I are transported to another place and time every time these costumes are brought to us for cleaning.

This week we are in ancient Egypt; we are cleaning Aida.

Thanks for listening, your man Jeeves.

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