How to Care for Silk, According to Como

In Como they speak about silk the way winemakers speak about vines — with reverence, superstition, and strong opinions about water.

Rule one: silk hates machines. Wash by hand in cool water with a soap so mild you would use it on a newborn. Two minutes, no wringing. Wringing is violence.

Rule two: dry flat, in shade, on a towel. Sunlight fades silk the way gossip fades reputations — quickly and unevenly.

Rule three: iron on the reverse, slightly damp, on the coolest silk setting. Or better — hang it in the bathroom while you bathe and let steam do the work of patience.

Rule four, the Como rule: wear it. Silk kept in drawers dies of boredom. It wants shoulders, wrists, the handles of good bags, the wind of a fast walk.