Lafayette 148 pieces cleaned and hand-finished by Alex's Dry Cleaning Valet.
Heritage & Expertise
Lafayette 148, Cared For by Alex's Team
Lafayette 148 New York was founded in 1996 at 148 Lafayette Street in Manhattan's SoHo, the address that gave the label its name. A vertically integrated American luxury house with its own design studio and production atelier, it is celebrated for clean-lined, architectural tailoring, tactile cashmere and wool knits, and modern dresses cut from premium European and Italian fabrics — clothes engineered for an exacting fit.
That precision is exactly what improper cleaning destroys. Lafayette 148's structured shoulders, bias-cut gowns, and sculpted seams can twist or relax permanently under aggressive solvents and machine pressing, and its fine cashmere and viscose blends pill, shrink, or lose drape when handled like ordinary garments. Alex's specializes in this caliber of womenswear — gentle process, hand-finishing, and shape protection on every piece.
Specialist Care
How Alex's Cares for Lafayette 148
Alex's hand-inspects each Lafayette 148 garment, cleans it with the gentlest effective method for its specific fabric, and hand-finishes the tailoring so its architectural lines, knit drape, and original fit come back intact.
Architectural tailoring
Lafayette 148's sculpted shoulders, darts, and clean seams are pressed by hand on contoured forms — never flattened by automated machinery — so the garment's deliberate structure and silhouette are preserved exactly as designed.
Cashmere and wool knits
We treat Lafayette 148's tactile cashmere and fine wool knits with low-agitation, temperature-controlled care that prevents the pilling, shrinkage, and felting that ruin a fine knit, then reshape each piece to its original drape.
Bias-cut gowns and dresses
Evening gowns and bias-cut dresses are cleaned and finished flat with the grain to hold their fluid hang, so the fabric never twists, sags, or loses the line it was cut to fall in.
Premium European and Italian fabrics
The label's fine viscose, silk-blend, and Italian-woven cloths are matched to the correct solvent and gentlest cycle, protecting color depth and hand-feel that harsh chain processing strips away.
Beading, sequins, and evening details
Embellished necklines, sequins, and delicate trims on Lafayette 148 evening wear are inspected and spot-treated by hand, then protected during cleaning and pressing so nothing is crushed, loosened, or dulled.
Pickup & Delivery
Door-to-Door Across the Bay Area
The same white-glove standard travels everywhere we serve. Pickup from your front door, doorman, or garage — returned cleaned, pressed, and ready to wear.
San Francisco
Monday – Saturday
Next-business-day return; Saturday pickups return Tuesday morning.
Peninsula & South Bay
Monday · Wednesday · Friday
Returned on the next scheduled service day.
Marin County
Every Day
Same-day return is the standard — morning pickups come back the same afternoon.
East Bay
Thursday & Saturday
Returned on the next service day.
Wine Country
Monday & Thursday
Sonoma & the Napa Valley — $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way.
$75 minimum per pickup with free pickup and delivery across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and the East Bay. Wine Country (Napa, Sonoma & St. Helena): $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way. Same-day service available in most areas for an additional fee.
Common Questions
Lafayette 148 Garment Care FAQ
How do I get my Lafayette 148 pieces cleaned in San Francisco?
Alex's Dry Cleaning Valet is door-to-door — there is nothing to drop off. Text 415-338-9318 to schedule a pickup anywhere in San Francisco or the greater Bay Area, and we collect your Lafayette 148 dresses, gowns, and knits at your door, clean and hand-finish each piece, and deliver them back to you. We have served Bay Area households this way since 1984.
Can Lafayette 148 cashmere and knits be safely dry cleaned?
Yes — when handled correctly. Lafayette 148's cashmere and fine wool knits should never go through an ordinary high-heat machine process, which causes pilling, shrinkage, and loss of drape. Alex's uses a gentle, temperature-controlled method specifically for fine knits and reshapes each piece by hand to restore its original fit and softness.
Will cleaning ruin the shape of my Lafayette 148 gown or tailored dress?
Not with the right process. Lafayette 148's architectural tailoring and bias-cut gowns rely on precise structure that automated pressing can permanently distort. Alex's cleans these pieces gently, finishes them by hand on the correct forms, and presses with the grain so the sculpted lines and fluid drape return exactly as the atelier intended.