Cleaning a 50s taffeta dress with velvet details

cozmicstar

cozmicstar

Registered Guest
Hi everyone, I'm new and sorry that other than the introductions thread, my first post is going to be asking for your help. I just bought this dress on ebay and the seller warned me that she hadn't washed the dress (she said she was a collector). I really want to be able to wear and enjoy the dresses I buy so need to be able to clean them. This one is particuarly icky - I wasn't even that sure I wanted to try it on!

She said it was a 50s taffeta dress and although I've tried a burn test I'm really bad at deciphering it! All I can say is I think it's manmade fibres as it burnt quickly and didn't self-extinguish and that it created ash not a bead but I'm really not good with the smell or type of ash.

Anyway I've read enough of the advice on here (which is fabulous thank you!) to be wary of getting the velvet details wet (generally in really great condition although not plush) but I'm also wary of whether dry cleaning would get the stains out or just 'set' them. The velvet is not stitched to the dress (there's nothing I can see on the inside) so it must be stuck on somehow. There are extensive sweat, drinks and dirt stains, particularly on the bottom. It really does need a 'wash' of some kind before I can wear it. I've tried to show the stains in photos but don't come out that well. There's also a faint pink staining around the bodice which I'm unsure about what caused it but don't think will come out.

What I'd really appreciate is, if this was your dress and you wanted to wear it, what would you do to clean it and keep cleaning it after wearing?

Thank you so much! Rach
 

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What a beautiful dress!

I believe the velvet detail is called flocking - I can't say whether or not it would survive a gentle hand washing. However, I can tell you that in my experience taffeta does not wash well as it loses it's body and becomes very wrinkled. It's difficult to see the "pink" around the neckline in the photos but generally that is actual color change and cannot be repaired or washed out. Blue is one of the colors that can change color in blotches over time. Some of the areas on the skirt also look like color change rather than actual stains.

Sadly, color change is irreversible and can't be removed or dyed over - once it's there, it's there for good.
 
I agree that your dress is flocked taffeta - it's lovely! I also agree that it needs to be dry cleaned, a pity as you're unlikely to get the marks out - someone has had a very good time in that dress!

All I can add is that I hope you didn't pay much for it and don't mind wearing it with the stains, because I think they're unlikely to come out. If it's a lost cause, you could try washing it but as Catseye says, it will lose it's crispness and become wrinkled. If you do choose to wash it, you could afterwards take it to a dry cleaner and see if they can steam some of the wrinkles out.

Good luck! Dresses like this make me weep - I still love them, but you need to have an easy going attitude about the flaws.
 
Thank you both so much! Now why didn't I think to call it flocking? Of course it is! Seems so obvious now.

I have to say I paid a pittance on ebay for it because no one else bid, I felt rather bad for the seller because it's great and less than I'd pay for a repro dress. As I will probably cause even more stains, I'm only really comfortable in vintage that I won't significantly wreck further so the stains aren't a problem for me if I can get it to feel 'clean' which dry cleaning will do just fine. It's actually not *too* noticeable for a non-perfectionist like me.

I will get it to a dry cleaners tomorrow and report back. Thanks again.
 
Aw thanks Carrie. I really don't want to ruin anything that has lasted so long, but I do want to wear and enjoy it. I like all thre pretty things!
 
I agree with Carrie - vintage has so much to offer the modern wearer, especially if you're happy to overlook marks. I find that dresses like this are generally worn at night too, and imperfections are much harder to see when being worn. It's a terrific dress.
 
It's maybe because I'm such a big 50s fan generally, but I just love vintage cocktail/formal dresses so much. They are just so much more luxurious and special than modern clothes. I would dearly love to be able to wear the classic prom dresses but those are always in teeny tiny 22 inch waists. I think vintage is the one thing on earth that makes me consider losing some weight so I can fit into more! But even then there's so much I can get if I look, particularly accessories like gloves and brooches.
 
Hi I just wanted to post a photo of this dress on, since I wore it for Christmas day. It came back from the dry-cleaners much cleaner but still with many of the stains as expected. The bottom was still so badly stained that I have to admit I chose to take it up a little to get rid of the worst stains and because I'm a shortie! Thanks for all your help.
 

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You and the dress both look marvelous--so glad it was improved with cleaning. I hear you about not minding the imperfections that can come with vintage, but wanting to have them feel "clean." I'm a shorty, too, and I agree with Joules that the new length looks great! Thanks for sharing the "before" and "after" photos!
 
It is lovely and kudos to you for saving it. I have a similar one I posted somewhere on here I am trying to figure out what to do with it.
 
I hope it's ok to jump on such an old post and talk about my vintage taffeta dress. If it isn't I'm sure someone will tell me.

So, I have just steamed the creases out of a 1940s taffeta dress (with tulle overlay) and it did not wrinkle and looks great.

I have just bought another vintage (probably 50s )taffeta dress which has a few brown marks (but no sweat marks, hurrah!). My question is, can I attempt a gentle wash in cool water and then steam the wrinkles out of this taffeta dress?
 
In my experience, an acetate taffeta will lose some of its crisp structure in a wet wash and I always dry clean it except as a last resort. Acetate (if that is what it is) is not OK with heat, so you are right about cool. Do you have any idea what the brown marks are from?
 
denisebrain said:
In my experience, an acetate taffeta will lose some of its crisp structure in a wet wash and I always dry clean it except as a last resort. Acetate (if that is what it is) is not OK with heat, so you are right about cool. Do you have any idea what the brown marks are from?
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Thank you, Maggie. No, I have no idea what the brown marks are from. What I really want to know is, if taffeta (acetate) is not ok with heat, why is my 40s taffeta dress responding well to steaming? It's a mystery...
 
Well, your 40s taffeta might be rayon, and/or the heat from your steamer isn't too great. I steam acetate taffeta without trouble, but using warm water for washing it is only a last resort for me.
 
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