Gendered Dry Cleaning in FiDi

From the ancient Romans' use of urine-derived ammonia to the advent of tetrachloroethylene in the 1930s, and the employment of a variety of chemical agents today, the process of dry cleaning has long been an effective, though expensive, alternative to machine washing for fabrics and garments which need gentler handling.

The business of dry cleaning has grown up around the demand for high-maintenance textiles used in the construction of high end fashion and business attire, and is associated with affluence and the corporate world.  For my dry cleaning excursion, I headed to the epicenter of all things white collar (pun intended): New York City's Financial District.

Heavily populated by business and financial industry professionals of both genders, many FiDi commuters dress in formal business attire which requires regular dry cleaning.  I decided that this area of New York would probably give me the most balanced, purely economic view of dry cleaning and gender.

My first stop, Pine Street Cleaners on Pearl Street, was in the middle of the bustle of a lunch-time rush.  As the establishment is situated between two restaurants, bustle may not be strong enough a word.  I had to wait in line to inquire about prices, and when I did ask, a flyer containing their price list was thrust unceremoniously into my hands.  

Men's:

Suits: $17 - $25

Pants: $9 - $15

Shirts Dry Cleaned: N/A

Shirts Laundered: $4

Women's

Dresses: $15 - $25

Skirts: $8 - $15

Blouses Dry Cleaned: $9 - $15

Blouses Laundered: Not Available

Next was cliff Street Cleaners and Tailoring, slightly hidden from view of the street, and much less busy than Pine Street Cleaners had been.  

Men's

Suits: $12.50 - $15

Pants: $6.50

Shirts Dry Cleaned: $6.50

Shirts Laundered: $2 - $2.25

Women's:

Dresses/Gowns: $12 - $18

Skirts: $6.50

Blouses: $6 and up

Blouses Laundered: Not Available

My third stop was Mr. Rafael's Cleaners on Fulton Street.  Getting prices here was a little more challenging at first, because the man behind the counter kept offering me a 25% introductory discount, When he realized that I wasn't going to have anything laundered, he stopped speaking to me altogether.  Customer service notwithstanding, I was able to jot down prices.

Men's

Suits: $12.50 - $60

Pants: $5.50 - $12

Shirts Dry Cleaned: $5.50 - $25

Shirts Laundered: $1.25

Women's

Dresses: $13

Skirts: $5.50 - $12

Blouses Dry Cleaned: $5.50 - $12

Blouses Laundered: Not Available 

Finally, I stopped at Alba Dry Cleaners on Nassau Street, an immaculately clean shop populated by one very talkative tailor.  Between stories about his journey from eastern Europe to the US, I was able to write down prices.

Men's

Suits: $15 - $20

Pants: $7

Shirts Dry Cleaned: $8

Shirts Laundered: $4.50 - $7

Women's

Dresses: $11 and up

Skirts: $7

Blouses Dry Cleaned: $8 and up

Blouses Laundered: Not Available

Looking at the data, two things stood out to me:

1. What is the difference between a blouse and a shirt, and why is it that in these establishments one can be laundered and the other cannot?
2. Why is it that the modifier and up was only present on women's clothing, while all of the men's clothing prices had clear prices (or at least clearly limited price ranges)?

It is almost as if women's clothing (blouses in particular) is looked at by these businesses with suspicion, and as "other," while men's clothing (shirts in particular) is standard, non-mysterious and business-as-usual.  The price and availability of services is in effect an appraisal of women's fashion (and indeed of women themselves) in an industry that has grown up around business and finance.  The assumption that blouses need to be handled differently than shirts, and the fact that in some cases, price can be arbitrarily set, seem to stem from the view of women as "new-comers" in a traditionally male-dominated sector of society.  

How do we dismantle this systemic discrimination?  Perhaps a new model, based on a non-gendered view of clothing, should be established: dry cleaning by weight or volume is one approach; another may be a combination of fabric-type and garment-size.  As fashion draws fewer and fewer distinctions between men's and women's clothing, so perhaps should the industry charged with cleaning it.