Chapter1

How to Select

Let’s start with shopping. Everybody has their own personal basics.
What kind of clothes make you think “I could wear this one forever”?

• 

  Bambou Roger-Kwong

  Stylist, Fashion Designer

  Based in Paris, Roger-Kwong works as an art director and a styling consultant for advertising and clients like THE PLANT magazine. She is also a designer for her eponymous brand, which has won acclaim for luxuriantly soft items ranging from formalwear to pajamas.

  • @bambourogerkwong

  1. Useful Tools

  Clothes aren’t just for wearing. You use them like tools. This makes practical designs essential. For outerwear especially, the bigger the pockets the better. This saves you the trouble of carrying a bag and frees up your hands. Workwear is useful for everyday tasks and lasts for a long time. A great wardrobe staple.

  2. Natural Textures

  Shirts made from natural materials like silk, cotton and flax break in naturally over time. Repeatedly hand-washing these delicate materials gives them character, creating something that fits you precisely. The drape of a broken-in shirt is one of those joys you can only get from wearing a well-made product.

  3. Comforting Silhouettes

  Roomy clothes have a protective quality, while eliminating physical restraints. For a while now, I’ve been a big fan of the wide pants from Uniqlo U. They’re like a uniform for me. Wearing them gives me a boost. They’re so comfortable. It’s like having an old friend with me. Pants like these you’ll want to keep, no matter how they get marked up.

• 

  Yataro Matsuura

  Essayist, Creative Director

  A past editor of Kurashi no Techo, today Matsuura writes essays focusing on the joys, the richness, and the lessons of work and everyday life, with a personal motto of “Honesty, Kindness, Smiles.” His many books include Words to Live By and 100 Outfit Basics.

  • @yatarom

  1. Simple Quality

  Broadcloth boxer shorts and ribbed cotton socks. Handkerchiefs. The fact that they’re hidden by your other clothes is all the more reason to choose high-quality traditional items that feel good to wear. Handcrafted items will gain character with regular use, increasing their appeal. Once you start seeing a handkerchief made from sea island cotton as a craft object, it becomes priceless.

  2. Classic Design

  Choose items that will look good in the space around you. Traditional, classic designs will always have a place in your wardrobe. That’s why I admire time-honored designs that haven’t changed for years and years.

  3. Clean Whites

  The key to style is freshness. When it comes to underwear and handkerchiefs, white is the way to go. After washing, give your iron trunks, socks and handkerchiefs a gentle ironing. With regular care, you’ll enjoy the added pleasure of brighter whites. (Text by Yataro Matsuura)

Chapter2

How to Custom

Adding a favourite colour to an item makes it special

• 

  Put your initials on a piece

  Your clothes don’t have to be order-made to enjoy this special touch. Putting your initials on the items that you see yourself wearing far into the future harkens back to childhood, when you wrote your name on what you brought to school. A subtle way to dress up the front of a shirt. Make your clothing yours.

• 

  Customize with sashiko

  Sashiko is a Japanese needlework tradition that stands out for its geometric patterns. Born from mending, these decorative embroideries can also reinforce features like front pockets that get lots of use. The patterns can become a mode of self-expression, as well as a gesture of commitment to your clothes.

• 

  Wearing rigid denim

  Though stiff at first, these jeans will gradually conform to you. Denim gets better and better with time. When washing, fasten the buttons to ensure the jeans retain their shape. If they’re rolled up, unroll them, too. Each cycle makes these jeans more a part of you.

Chapter3

How to Care

Ideas for keeping your clothes in top shape.

• 

  Hang your knits

  If you put a sweater on a hanger, it messes up the shoulders. Here’s a trick. Fold the item in half, then slip the hanger under the armpits and fold it over. The difference that it makes is worth the time it takes. It also helps you notice frays and stains.

• 

  Dealing with lint

  Tug lint gently and snip off with a thin pair of scissors. Letting clothes rest two or three days between wearings prevents lint from appearing in the first place. But lint is part of wearing knits. Let the yarn do its thing.

• 

  A note on brushing

  First off, it straightens the weave. This helps to prevent pilling. Second, it removes dust and dirt. Important work, since winter items can’t be washed as frequently. This goes for coats and knits alike. When you come through the door, give your clothes a gentle brushing.

• 

  Washing inside-out

  Fabric soils easily where it touches the skin. Socks and innerwear are best washed inside-out. Same goes for fleeces, as the cold weather approaches. Wash separately, turned inside out, and place inside a mesh bag, to help maintain their fluffiness and prevent the nap from flattening.

• 

  Shade drying & flat drying

  For many fall and winter items, drying in the shade or drying flat is recommended. If you don’t have special hangers, knits can be spread out on a towel in an airy location. Once partly dried, turn over. Finish off with a bit of steam across the surface.

• 

  Removing wrinkles

  For jackets and other structured garments, a steamer comes in handy. Hang on a thick hanger and steam the shoulders, sleeves, front, collar, and back, in that order. Insert a rolled-up towel through the cuff and hold the elbow for easier handling.

• 

  When down comes loose

  Many have found themselves pinching free an errant bit of down, only to find more issuing from what seems to be a hole. A quick fix is to pinch the feathers through the fabric and work them back inside. If the issue persists, consider repair.

• 

  Changing seasons

  New weather and old favourites. After pulling off the plastic from the cleaner’s, air items out by hanging in the shade. These bags thwart dust, but also block fresh air. This fall and winter, give yourself a fresh start. And when putting things away, omit the bags.

Chapter4

How to Repair

Wear and tear are unavoidable. But clothes can be repaired.

• 
  • 1.frayed
  • 2.button
  • 3.snatch
  • 4.hole
  • 5.tear
  • 6.hole
  • 7.frayed seams
  • 8.crotch hole

  Mending damage

  No amount of care or gentle laundering can prevent damage due to normal wear. Holes in knits, tears in jeans, and fraying collars can be points of pride, attesting to your time together, but if they make you hesitant to wear an item, that’s no fun. Fixing things as soon as they show up is best. It’s amazing how replacing just one button can make an item feel like new, but it’s okay to ask for help. The tailor is your friend. Repairs can be discreet, done in a matching thread, or they can add new colour to an item, like with an interesting patch.

Chapter5

How to Hand Over

Don’t toss it: reuse or recycle.

• The time comes to let things go. It can feel good to pass things on, especially favourites. In Japan, there’s a long tradition of hand-me-downs among friends and relatives. Why not share your well-loved items with those close to you, or recycle them, working towards the greater good? Your old clothes could become somebody’s vintage finds, or they could find new life as a recycled material.