“One reason – a very great one – why the English gentleman is so much better dressed, on less money usually, than the American, is that the former is perfectly valeted (even though he perform this office himself), while the latter more often than not hasn’t the least idea what proper valeting means. First of all, how typical is it of the American man to put trees in his shoes the instant he takes them off? And does he carefully pull his trousers flat and fold them straight and hang them smooth over the trouser bar of a hanger (or the back of a chair), and hang his coat carefully, too; or does he fling his clothes any old way upon a chair seat, and even let his trousers fall into their ‘natural folds’?”
The book is a new acquisition, and this passage caught my eye. I am of a mind to pay a good note to it, even though I do start off with a good idea of proper valeting…
The modern day, however, does get busy; time falls short. Clothes pile in a heap. So very soon, I shall move from temporary digs into my new place. My clothes, so spoiled as they may become, will get their own room, and as such I shall have my own dressing room.
The discovery of this has excellent timing; I do need to include into the dressing room a system to allow for proper valeting, and then – of course – I need to follow it, so that my clothes get the long life they deserve.
As a bonus, I get to be properly turned out. It’s a win-win situation…
our cattywampus cottage 