Park Slope Style in Natural Blush Stripe (XXL, c/o)
Like many, it’s no secret that I love Dudley Stephens! If you’re unfamiliar, Dudley Stephens is a sustainable women-owned apparel company known for their fleece and jersey materials. You can check out my entire Curvy Guide to Dudley Stephens here. I personally wear their turtleneck styles the most, but you can often find me in their hoodies, crewnecks and beyond line, too! Whether I’m hanging at home, on-the-go, traveling, out to dinner, or even at work, my Dudley Stephens fleeces see a lot of use in my closet.
So, I thought I’d share how I easily care for my Dudleys to keep them in tip top shape throughout the seasons. The main thing about Dudley that I really appreciate, is that their fleeces are truly livable. When you’re sporting them, you don’t need to be afraid that you might run one into the ground, you won’t. These hold up well and are truly well made. That being said, I don’t throw them in the washer and dryer haphazardly, I just give them a minor amount of TLC and they’ve always remained in great shape.
Dudley also has their own care guide if you ever have any specific questions. Remember, tomorrow, 7/27 at 10:00am ET Dudley is restocking their striped fleece styles in all sizes, if you head back to their site tomorrow, they’ll be available!
I should also mention that my care process applies to both the vello and terry fleece fabrics.
MACHINE WASH INSIDE OUT
I wash my fleeces inside out, and on warm, as per Dudley’s suggestion. It’s smart to wash something like a fleece inside out for two reasons. Firstly, it keeps the exterior looking newer for longer. Secondly, the side that comes in contact with your skin and your underarms really gets a deep, good clean!
ALWAYS AIR DRY
While it takes a little more time, air drying your Dudleys is the best way to go. They really keep their structure this way and you avoid any shrinkage a dryer might cause. I’ve also found that air drying leads to less pilling overall. If my fleeces ever do pill (which is just the nature of the fabric), I take my Remington fabric razor and just run it over them like I would my cashmere.
DON’T OVERWASH
It can be tempting to want to wash your fleece after every use. But, I’ve found that wearing them a handful of times before washing helps them stay in tip-top shape. I think that these fleeces do a great job of not easily absorbing odor, so they naturally feel fresher for longer. I also love to use The Laundress Sport Spray in-between washes to freshen things up when necessary.
HAND TREAT YOUR STAINS
Dudley also recommends that you treat your stains as soon as you can and I definitely found this to be beneficial advice! Whenever I get a stain, I hand treat before washing. I use The Laundress Wash and Stain Bar and rub it right on the fleece with a little water and work out the stain. Waiting to treat the stains can make them a little more unruly and harder to get out.
HANG WHEN NOT IN USE
This may be a personal preference, but I’ve found that hanging my fleeces like I would a blazer is a game changer. Since I don’t wash them after every use, this helps them air out a bit and stay fresh. Hanging also avoids any creases or wrinkles that folding or rolling can cause, and since Dudley suggests you don’t iron or tumble dry, it’s an easy way to keep things looking crisp!
