Jenna Lyons, the former president and executive creative director of retailer J.Crew, has revealed how you’re actually supposed to wash your sweaters – and what to avoid when it comes to taking care of them.
Of course, the former J.Crew mogul is quite well-versed in fashion, as she was at the helm of the billion-dollar company for seven years, from 2010 to 2017.
The Real Housewives of New York star shared her insights in a new video that was posted to her TikTok account this week, seemingly a part of a new ‘PSA’ series she’s been experimenting with about how to take care of certain fabrics.
‘My recommendation [is] never, ever machine wash anything sweater that is a natural yarn,’ Lyons began.
According to the LoveSeen lash founder, that means sweaters that are made of cotton, wool or cashmere.
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Jenna Lyons, the former president and executive creative director of retailer J.Crew, has revealed how you’re actually supposed to wash your sweaters
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The former J.Crew mogul is quite well-versed in fashion, as she was at the helm of the billion-dollar company for seven years, from 2010 to 2017
‘Wash them by hand, and after you wash them by hand in cold water, you can use a natural shampoo,’ she advised.
Lyons stressed that it was really important to avoid using Tide or something similar to clean the sweaters, and that you should focus on cleaning it with a shampoo that you would use to wash your own hair.
‘Then, you can actually lay it flat to dry on a towel, and put into the shape you want,’ she continued.
‘If it’s a little bit small in some places, you can stretch it out, that’s the way to do it,’ Lyons said.
However, she said if you aren’t able to wash your sweaters by hand and need to use a washing machine instead, there’s two rules that you absolutely must follow.
‘Do a delicate cycle in cold, never, ever, put them in the dryer, and then lay them flat and pull them into shape, like blocking,’ she explained.
Lyons illustrated what ‘blocking’ looked like with her own sweater in the clip, which just means settling it into place and shape.
‘That’s the way to do it,’ she concluded. ‘Good luck.’
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Lyons stressed that it was really important to avoid using Tide or something similar to clean the sweaters
+4 View gallery
In the comments section of her video, many users praised the Bravo star for her wisdoms, and raved about how much it helped them
In the comments section of her video, many users praised the Bravo star for her wisdoms, and raved about how much it helped them.
‘Jenna this is single handedly the most helpful account I follow,’ one person wrote.
Another agreed, ‘Jenna, you’re a queen. Thank you for sharing your fashion knowledge all the way down to laundering.’
‘You sharing knowledge is a chefs kiss,’ someone else typed.
A fourth TikTok user even offered their own advice for washing sweaters, writing, ‘For washing sweaters use Eucalan.
‘I’m a knitter and use jasmine-scented Eucalan for my beautiful handknits and all my sweaters. Lay flat to block and they’ll be clean, soft and better than new.’
Lyons will star on season 15 of The Real Housewives of New York for her second year in a row, which premieres Tuesday, October 1 at 9/8c on Bravo.