1930's Golden Silk Gown...need help with stain removal!

CLVintage

CLVintage

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Hello all! My first post here after reading for some time. :)

I found this 30's silk gown with this pucker to the fabric I believe makes it a plisse (after reading the wonderful fabric resource here!). Am I correct? It's nearly perfect, save for a few reddish/pink stains on the capelet and the inside only of the bodice that I would love to remove. I don't have a local dry cleaner that I would trust with this at all. But I'm not sure I trust myself with it much more! I do handwash a good deal of my vintage clothing and will take a chance with more everyday items, but this is just too sweet to risk. I've handwashed silk, but this weave/treatment makes me think of rayon vs. rayon crepe washability issues. I'm also worried about ironing or steaming it, as is evident in my photos. :)

What would you do?

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Stunning ensemble!

I love to hand wash but I'd be worried about damaging it so would go for a dry cleaner but I doubt they could budge the stains. It's hard to get old stains out of silk so if they're not visible, I wouldn't worry about them. It's a beautiful set.
 
Gorgeous set!!!! I might try a tiny little bit of Capture which is a dry rug and upholstery cleaner on a Q-Tip on the inside of the bodice first, since you wouldn't be risking anything if it did not work. You might try hanging it in your bathroom first to see if any wrinkles come out - before trying to steam it (from the reverse side).
 
Thanks so much, ladies! I tried to snap a few photos of the stains this morning and will attach, but I think you're right... I should probably give up on the idea of getting these out. Luckily the dress itself doesn't show them on the outside, but the cape is pretty affected. Linn, I will look into the Capture product. It looks like my local Home Depot has it.

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I think you are right not to get it wet. I am guessing you would have shrinkage and a texture change, and that's far too nice a set to take a chance on.
Steaming from the wrong side should be alright. I have to say that stain doesn't look like it would come out. It's too much of a color change and lighter than the fabric color.

Hollis
 
You are right...I hadn't noticed it until taking photos, but the stains do look a lighter shade. I also noticed in one tiny pinhead spot of a stain that the fabric appeared weakened with a broken thread or two, while the rest of the fabric is super strong. So, in the interest of preservation at least is there anything I can do to prevent further disintegration? I wondered if they might be old wine/cocktail stains. (imagining that this was worn out in the evening, possibly cape draped over arm? Considering the area of the stains...down the inside of the bodice and just the back of the cape) I looked up methods of neutralizing acidic wine stains and one using Dawn dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide came up as one that worked on even old stains. Do you think a q-tip spot treatment would do any good? Again, not necessarily to get the color staining out, but to neutralize any further acidic damage to the silk...
 
Wow, this is gorgeous. :wub: I'd let it alone, as others mentioned the stains are most likely not removable and it would be near impossible to avoid damaging the silk.
 
The weakened fabric at the stain suggests someone's tried assorted methods to get it out before - an indication that you're unlikely to be successful. Best to stop before the fabric is damaged more.

If the cape is a lost cause, I would take a deep breath and carefully hand wash in mild detergent and luke warm water - dry flat in the shade, on a towel. I've had success with getting marks out of old silks this way, using a eucalyptus detergent but would recommend a water test first to see if the fabric will stand it.

I've got a few '30s silks with this fabric and it's one of the nicest fabrics around, very luxurious. I have a late '20s dress in burnt orange that I wanted to wear for my wedding (it's okay, I had blonde hair then) but it needed/still needs major restoration. I haven't seen a modern fabric that comes close to it and all the garments I've seen made out of it have been extraordinary.
 
What a gorgeous dress - so timeless and so wearable! That's what I love about 30s evening wear. I would guess that since the stains are so light, someone already tried their hand at them and managed to get a bit out, but not all of it. Personally, I wouldn't try to do anything about them. I'm not very good with vintage silk and rayon, and just fear I'd damage it, so I'd rather take it to the drycleaners. I know they can't work miracles, but I have a drycleaner whom I trust absolutely with my vintage. Yes, not all stains have come out, but sometimes, it was just a matter of getting old dust etc. out, and the color looking much nicer again - that already makes such a difference. and of course they now how to steam/press it, which I'm not always good at either :).​

Karin
 
Thank you all for your help and feedback...I appreciate it so much! I will just leave them alone...the cape definitely isn't a lost cause and I think wearable as it is. I just wish I was both tall enough and had occasion to wear it so I could keep it for myself! It has a really neat bouffant train piece in the back, so alterations are out.

Nicole, that burnt orange dress sounds amazing! (and I adore your hair color!) I've had one other 30's dress with this treatment, but a rayon crepe (which served as my very first lesson as to why you don't wash crepes...eek. I was 18 and have since forgiven myself.)...still lovely, but does not compare to the feel of this.
 
Oh, yes - most of us learn the hard way about rayon crepes. It's about the most dramatic lesson in the vintage book!

The burnt orange dress is amazing - I hired it out for a novel cover, I just wish I could remember the name of the book. I keep looking for it when I go to bookshops. It's in my rather copious mending pile. Someone asked me the other day how much was in that pile and after a quick calculation I replied, at least a thousand garments. I do a lot of mending and restoration!
 
I thought I'd post here before starting a new thread...not sure if it will bump it so anyone will see, but here goes. So, I've left the dress alone for now...calling my local small town dry cleaners and none seem very knowledgeable with vintage. BUT I steamed the dress and out wafts a horrible mildew smell that I did not notice at all before. There is no visible mildew, just the (house permeating) odor. I can't seem to find a definitive answer online...will dry cleaning deal with mildew?? Or is this my not so gentle nudge to have to try handwashing?

I will say that the steamer spat out a bit of water onto the dress, saturating a spot...and no issues. No stiffening, no spotting, no change in the puckering. But I know saturating the whole dress is a different story. Augh, I'm so conflicted! One site says never wash silk, one site says washing revitalizes silk. One says vinegar never, one says it conditions the silk fibers! I know we all learn for ourselves as we go from mistakes and risks...but this isn't the dress I want to learn with! I just can't decide which is the bigger risk to take... Help?
 
I say hand wash!

Try dabbing a moist cotton wool or bud in an inside seam and see what happens - it sounds like it will be fine.

Hand washing, gentle squeezing out the excess water and drying flat on a towel in the shade should do it the world of good. One of my '30s silk gowns I've twice hand washed, because someone got lipstick on it, and it came up a treat.

Good luck!
 
Before you wash it - depending on where you live, you might try hanging it outside in the fresh air for awhile and see if the smell goes away. Obviously this will not work if you live in an apartment or if it is snowiy but if it's a nice clear day you might see what happens!

Linn
 
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