Image courtesy of Butler-Valet School

With spring at our doorstep, many of us are transitioning from one wardrobe to another. Winter wools and felts are giving way to lighter fabrics and softer hats. So before you pack away your felt hats and take out the straw ones, make sure those winter hats are  in tip-top condition. Your felts will be better served if they’re cleaned and steamed now as opposed to next autumn, and if you’re looking for some proper valet-style training, head to the Butler-Valet School .

For DIY’ers, harken to my words. Although there are no longer hat valet services per se (if you’re out there, please let yourselves be known), your local milliner can certainly come to the rescue. Never store a hat when it’s sporting surface dust, as it could be contagious. Felt hats need a good steam, a  reblock, brush, and maybe even a change of band before they’re packed away.

Some milliners perform restoration work as part of their service repertoire, since the gentlemen who used to brush up your shoes and hat while you waited are now relics of the past.  There’s no reason why you can’t reblock that battered Trilby or refurbish your father’s Borsalino. Women’s hats lend themselves to a change of trim, a new flower or feather before they’re put away for next season.  Discuss the possibilities with your milliner.

Alternatively, put on your thinking cap and invest in top quality brushes. Give your hats a proper brush-up and banish the dust yourself! You should stock up on garment brushes, as well as shoe brushes too. Build your personal cleaning kit and you’ll save plenty of time and money.

Should your butler not have his own set of brushes (or should you simply be butler-less), visit www.wardrobesupplies.com and www.hatshapers.com for an overview of the simple yet essential hat cleaning how-tos.