A friend recently modeled for me a glorious vintage full-length patchwork coat she had just gotten. She was thrilled with it, as well she should have been! But there was a problem: The collar — a big, dramatic faux fur number — was hopelessly matted and scraggly looking.
Well, not hopelessly.
Because there’s a secret to refreshing the appearance of furry clothing like coat collars, hats, boot linings, and so on and, it being winter, this is a good time for me to tell you what it is. It is this $5 pet brush.
Yup! You’re going to brush out your clothing the way you would Fido or Fluffy. It’s one of those things that most people wouldn’t think of on their own but once you hear it, it’s like, “Oooh yeah. That makes so much sense.”
So that’s the secret! The only other thing to know about is that the slicker brush — oh right, that’s what they’re called, and they’re also known as pin brushes — should be used very gently. You don’t want to yank or rake the brush through faux fur (or real fur, for that matter) because too rough a touch can pull the fur out from the garment. You should also brush in one direction. That’s really all you need to know!
I use this technique in my own life to brush out my hot pink furry athletic slides because, sure, yes doesn’t everyone?