40s dress that has seen better days

[LousyLoversVintage]

I really need help figuring out if this dress is worth trying to save.

I've read everything on this site about cleaning and caring for vintage

I believe this is chiffon. But I don't know if its silk chiffon

There is underarm staining

And some staining at hem line probably dirt or rust perhaps?

It also looks like the color ran on the sleeves. Should I even bother soaking this in a very gentle solution? Since this is a 40s dress. I worry it might fall apart or the color will run even more.
Opinions and tips about diving into this would be so helpful. I d love to bring it back to life

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

Personally, I have never been able to to get the underarm stains out of delicate fabric, without a hole appearing. It also looks like it is lined, and in my experience, the under lining shrinks or stretches more the outer.

 

[LousyLoversVintage]

I have done vintage silk. But it did fade the dress over into a softer shade of pink. It did work. Baking soda hydrogen peroxide and some gentle soap

 

[denisebrain]

If the dress was mine, I would say there's nothing to lose in trying to clean it with a gentle soak. You can use cool water and hydrogen peroxide (or oxygen bleach) and detergent as you say, and a color catcher sheet or two. Those will attract loose dyes. I'd let soak for a day and if gets any better, do another day, etc. Only problem with repeated soaks is that those may be covered buttons with metal, and they could rust. To be safe, they should be removed before soaking.

At the same time, as Suzanne said, you could be saying goodbye to the dress. But it is so pretty—I'd vote for giving it a try.

 

[LousyLoversVintage]

Thanks alright I'm diving in tonight. I'm going to just spot treat the underarms with my special paste and then rinse and see what happens. I need to go get the color catcher tomorrow then I can do the whole dress. Fingers crossed it'll be wearable in a few days!

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

Keep us updated. I do hope you have good results and the lining doesnt shrink or the outer layer.

 

[LousyLoversVintage]

Ok here's the update.

Some good stuff and bad lol
But its definitely in better shape.

Ok I completely removed all underarm stains yes win! It didn't disintegrate. But it did while removing the stain lift the color from the area. Which isn't good. But it just looks like the rest of the dress whitish.

Them hem was more difficult and lifted the stain but made the flowers orange uggghh so I soaked once more , made the orange disappear almost completely....leaving the rest of the flowers on the chiffon untouched. I think I had a bit of color fade overall but nothing too noticeable.

A small hole was discovered , not sure if it wS me or already there. But totally ok . I'm not obsessed with absolute perfection here.

But the under arm stain removal was great I did not soak it for days just hours , in fear of losing too much color.

***for anyone wanting to know:***
Its one part dish soap 2 parts hydrogen peroxide mixed. Pour directly on stain. Then layer with baking soda rub in gently sit for an hour. Then soak for in soapy water for 30.

Anyway more bad news ....

The chiffon lining did shrink a bit nothing insane, but it did pull up. Sadly

So now I wonder if it is supposed to be wrinkly like this? I think it is. Maybe was a very skinny pleating?

Not sure where to go next. Can I try to stretch out the lining? I have done this with crepe. That was a doozy. But I did it. This is extremely delicate would steam help?
I think it needs to be pressed in certain areas hmm I don't know

Maybe hem the lining?
Thank you for reading my extremely detailed post lol

Amy more advice is welcomed.
Pics attached

 

[Midge]

I wouldn't try stretching it, but giving it a steam and letting the fabric relax might help. You can't lose anything by that, really.

 

[LousyLoversVintage]

I wouldn't try stretching it, but giving it a steam and letting the fabric relax might help. You can't lose anything by that, really.

Ok here are the final results I did bring up the lining bc I couldn't get the chiffon to come down the entire way.

Its still close to its original length. I think it looks pretty good

 

[denisebrain]

It's definitely a beautiful dress, and congrats on making it better!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

You saved it!!! Such a pretty dress, glad you decided to work on it.

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

Well done!

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

It looks wonderful and really so pretty. Well done is right!

 

[Midge]

Wow!

 

[BonniesVintageClothesLine]

You sure did a nice job of cleaning this lovely dress! Glad you were able to save it.