The Invisible Luxury
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Luxury is like an onion. Most people only see the outermost layer.
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Then you peel…
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Tailor.
Cobbler.
Leather care.
Dry cleaner.
Garment steaming.
Storage.
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Like anything worth its weight in gold, luxury takes work. It’s only as strong as its weakest layer. A strong support network keeps luxury, well… luxurious. Get your Rolodexes ready. We’re bringing in the bench.
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A good tailor is the foundation of good style. Jeans, blazers, and dresses all benefit from a nip or a tuck—and, frankly, don’t we all at a certain point? I’m wishing my own nip and tuck were as inexpensive as a new hem…

I’m 5’1”, even though my kids don’t believe it. I am! Every pair of pants or jeans that joins the club needs to be shortened. My favorite denim-tailoring secret: the tricky hem. While I’ve heard Retail Therapy’s Barrett Dudley, who I normally trust implicitly, besmirch the tricky hem, I remain a fan. The tricky hem refers to having the original hem sewn back on the jeans, and it makes a big difference in the finished appearance of the jeans.

Dudley feels that the original hem never lies right after it’s been reapplied. I—and don’t gasp—don’t wash my jeans. Yes, you read that right. That tip comes courtesy of the former CEO of Levi’s, and for me, it’s never been a problem. And even when I have had to throw said unwashed jeans into the wash, because I will wash a stained pair if needed—my tricky hem has never done me dirty. I remain team tricky.

In addition to hem work, a good tailor will make sure sleeves, shoulders, waistbands, and lapels all sit perfectly.

Most people think tailoring starts and ends with a hem. Hem-in forbid, hardly. Sleeves should hit at the wrist bone—though I have been known to break that rule. I like things a little long, and while you can always go shorter, you can’t always go longer…

Trouser breaks matter. Take your shoes into consideration. Are you wearing your jeans with a kitten heel, a stiletto, a flat? Bring your shoes and tailor accordingly. I tend to always go a little long so that I can wear a heel if I want to.

A waistband can be taken in. A blazer can be shaped. Even a simple dart can make an inexpensive dress look custom. A skilled tailor can make an off-the-rack trouser or dress look bespoke.

And then there’s the cobbler.

Luxury’s unsung hero.

A good cobbler can resole a much-loved shoe and give it a new lease on life. They can also extend the life of a brand-new purchase. Soft, supple leather soles benefit from being resoled, too. Every red sole that comes home with me makes her first trip to the cobbler before she even touches the pavement.

A little polish never hurts either—scuffed shoes always go into a cobbler pile to be given a little glow-up.

And if you’re blessed, like me, with a size-5 foot, a cobbler can be an artisan with a shoe pad. Those size 6 Chanel ballet flats in green that I ab-so-lutely had to have definitely required a shoe pad. In fairness, they are still too big. Sigh. But they’re still lovely in their box—headed to The RealReal…

Likewise, a cobbler can stretch a too-tight toe box to make an otherwise unwearable shoe comfortable. The best shoes aren’t always the newest ones. Sometimes they’re simply the ones you’ve loved long enough to repair.

Leather, too, deserves its own support staff. Suede protectors, leather conditioner, and refurbishing, when necessary, are cornerstones of a strong leather team. The same goes for handbags. My Chanel purse has been flown to Florida without me for her facelift—lucky girl. She came home refreshed and looking ten years younger… Any signs of wear and tear, magically gone. Sometimes luxury isn’t buying the next bag. It’s remembering to care for the one already hanging in your closet.

And while my cashmeres and silks aren’t jetting down south without me, they need some TLC, too. Enter the dry cleaner. Nothing should be put away dirty or stained. That said, not everything belongs at the dry cleaner after every wear. That Chanel bag? She only took one Florida vacay without me. Likewise, I try to limit how often I dry clean a piece. Stained items go directly to the cleaner, do not pass go.
Cashmere and silk follow a similar path. I try my best to only dry clean a piece once a season. Let’s face it, dry cleaning involves harsh chemicals that I don’t love subjecting my delicate fabrics to. The less dry cleaning, the better.

A steamer? She’s your best friend. Instead of taking things to the cleaners to be pressed, I steam everything—and I do mean everything—myself. Nothing makes you look less pulled together than a wrinkled tee shirt or pair of pants. And traveling? Call ahead to make sure the hotel has a steamer or, better yet, invest in a travel steamer. I don’t go anywhere without my travel steamer, and it’s saved me again and again—or at least made me look less wrinkled at a much easier-to-swallow price point than Botox!

Finally, don’t overlook storage. Cashmere should be folded neatly and stored with cedar blocks. Handbags belong in their dust bags, lightly stuffed to maintain their shape. Shoes deserve boxes or shoe trees. Even heavy blazers benefit from sturdy, preferably cedar, hangers.

Ultimately, luxury isn’t just about collecting. It’s about care. Owning an amazing piece is nice, but maintaining it for years to come? That’s a layer of luxury you don’t want to overlook.