Any advice on cleaning/repairing 20s beaded dress

[plousia]

I got this pretty lady at an estate sale but it's a bit as-is-ish. There's some discolouration across the top of the shoulders (light?), a few dark stains that look like maybe rust, some strands of beads that have come unsewn. Any tips on cleaning or fixing it? Should I bother at all? Someone told me that due to the weight of the beads and the fragility of the fabric (and this is a very tissue-like cotton), it should not be soaked because the weight of the beads would tear the fabric. Any and all tips welcome.

 

[Jonathan]

Actually, it should wash well but I agree, the weight of the beads could pull at the cotton. If you soak it in your tub in cold water, let it sit for a an hour or two -drain, and then cover with warm/hot water until the water is cool, perhaps add a bit of liquid dish soap to the warm water. Drain and run cool water over it to rinse thoroughly (I have one of those hand held shower heads and its great to rinse things in the tub. Push it into a clump and pick up with both hands. arrange over a large bath towel and roll the towel up, repeat with another towel, then lay flat to dry, if its too fragile. That should remove any dirt and possibly even discolourations, rust is difficult to remove without removing the fabric with it, so I would leave it. It shows well in the photos and it's nice to have a beaded dress on cotton, they are more wearable than the silk chiffons.

 

[plousia]

Thanks so much for this helpful advice.

 

[plousia]

Oh I should ask: would RetroClean be too harsh for it?

 

[Jonathan]

I have never used it, but I would suggest don't on a 100 year old dress.