40s Dorothy O'Hara dress armpit marks, worth trying to clean?

[Melissa Lynn]

I have this Dorothy O'Hara dress that frankly I am bit obsessed with and I am sure there is someone who would love it as much as I do but it has a couple flaws that I don't know if they are worth trying to remedy or if it could hurt the value if I mess with it too much.

First off, I am not great at fabric identification yet so do you all know what kind of fabric this is besides the lace? Is it silk?

Then there are the flaws. There are armpit stains and the loop in the back for the hook to connect to is not there. I have read all about pit stains and how they hardly ever come out and I know the fabric can play into how I would proceed too -- so what do I do? Just let it be what it is or do I send it somewhere or try something simple and non-toxic (like vinegar and salt) here at home?

For the loop at the top of the back, it would be an easy enough remedy to create a new loop with string but is that a faux pas to add that?

Any guidance will be appreciated!

 

[retro ruth]

Lovely dress.

Re fabric identification, I think it will be near impossible to tell the fabric from a photo. Silk and rayon can be difficult to tell apart even when you have it in your hand. If you can snip a piece you could try and identify it by burn testing. Often I can tell silk by feel, but that takes practice and even with practice isn't infallible.

I don't think replacing a loop would be a problem.

Let's see what others say about stain removal.

 

[pastperfect2]

This is a hard one. I guessing rayon, but that is only a guess. It's a nice label, and worthwhile as an example, so it would be a shame to have it be more damaged. I would not hand wash this, I think it would shrink, and the rayon is very likely to form tide lines if you try any spot cleaning. Is the underarm problem only visible on the lace side? If so, you might be able to try some spot cleaning there. I strongly doubt a dry cleaner will be able to get it out.

So, it's a tough one without handling it.

 

[bycin]

Have you tried daubing vodka on the pit stains? I've done that with b.o. stains on silk.

 

[PersonalPursuits]

My first guess from your close up photos is that the dress may be rayon. However, as Ruth mentioned a burn test would be the best way to find out. I fully agree with Hollis on not hand washing. I think a good dry cleaners might be able to lessen the stain but not get rid of it entirely.

 

[Melissa Lynn]

Thank you all for the guidance! I think I am going to do the burn test and try to gently dab the stains with vodka as someone suggested. I realized last night that the lace is a bit fragile on the back portion so ultimately I think as it is not in excellent condition, someone will just love it for what it is.

Thanks again!