Once reserved for heavy-duty items such as coats, furniture and carpet, stain resistance has gone mainstream with fashions by major labels, including Dockers, Lee and Eddie Bauer. Of the several treatments available, we found Nano-Care and Teflon to be generally the most effective. Another process, used by the brand Quantum Cotton, makes clothes feel stiff, and they tend to give off a chemical smell that persists even after several washings.
Although most stain-resistant clothing is now made for men, women's and kids' clothiers are catching up: Liz Claiborne just introduced specially treated blouses and slacks called Carefree, and Healthtex has the Kidproof line.
To test how well the treatments work, we slopped up a dozen pants, shirts and ties. Here's what impressed us most.
They look and feel like Levi's, but for about the same price as a pair of 501s, Jeep Jeans ($39) will stand up to Mother Nature and tailgate parties. Jeep coats each tightly woven fiber with Teflon, which causes coffee, grape soda and olive oil to bead up and roll away. Even gobs of blueberry jelly wipe off.
When we rubbed against a greasy grill in a Jeep Denim Shirt ($39), we thought we'd snookered the Jeep process. But after one wash, nearly all the sticky smear came out. With a little pretreatment, the rest disappeared on the second wash, as did a splattering of mustard.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for a coarse, white polo shirt from Quantum, which we relegated to the rag box after it failed the barbecue-grill test and a wine spill.
The comfortable, breathable fabrics of Eddie Bauer Nano-Care Chinos ($48) and Dockers Teflon Go Khakis ($52) withstood nearly everything we threw at them. Most stains disappeared with the swipe of a cloth — though mustard and grease took several washings. Although the pants lost a bit of their repellent properties after 10 washings, wine and coffee still vanished. Plus, Bauer's chinos stayed soft and supple, and Dockers' permanent crease kept its edge.
We hope you remember Mom's advice to lean over your plate, but we recognize that some men still treat ties as narrow bibs. If you're one of them, try Arden Cravats Tie with Teflon ($45, call 1-800-824-4880 to find a retailer near you that carries the ties). Hot sauce, red wine, coffee and grape soda — this tie sheds them all with ease. Clingy foods, such as jelly and mustard, may leave a residue, however.