Hand Washing or Dry Cleaning a 1930s Silk Gown

BGVintage

BGVintage

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Hi Everyone! I'm new to posting on the forums but have longed appreciated the advice that you all give to each other on here.

I have a 1930s (I believe?) ivory silk gown with accordion pleating that needs to be cleaned. It is in great condition just looks a bit dingy due to dust. Not sure what the best method would be for cleaning -- I am a bit nervous about taking it to a dry cleaners due to the age. On the other hand, I am nervous about hand washing this garment.

Curious to hear if anyone has hand washed a garment like this before, if so, what was your process. Or, if I should brave the dry cleaners.

Thank you all for your time -- I look forward to hearing from you.

Very best,
Brooklyn
 
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I would not touch it with the pleating.
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That would be my (biggest) concern as well. I'm not sure the pleats would survive a handwash.
 
What a beautiful dress, I just went in to edit and used the larger image to show it for you instead of the thumbnail photo.
I would not handwash with those pleats. I have yet to find a reliable dry cleaner around here, we used to have them but the newer
run places just don't seem to know how to handle old fabric.

Do you have a clothesline, maybe if you could hang it out when there is a little wind, it might help the dust.
 
I'd be wary of washing it, too, again, because of those pleats.

@ dry cleaning: we don't have a reliable one here in our small town anymore, so when we acquired a couple of wedding dresses, we made some calls to cleaners within a 30 mile radius of us. One place charges $50/dress (no beading, no lace) starting price, one charges $100/dress (no beading, no lace) starting price, and one adorable little old lady says they no longer accept vintage dresses at all due to their innate fragility. (wish they did, she was SO nice on the phone!)

point being, you might want to make some calls to see if/what options you may have available, or not. I think if I were you I would try hanging it outdoors, as suggested, and then sell as is with a disclaimer of how you feel the condition is.

eta: oh, yes, and I agree, it looks GORGEOUS!!!
 
Have you looked at it against the sun? I'd be careful with cleaning it, some older garments dissolve after cleaning. Because silk deteriorates with age. Also, don't hang it. Keep it in a acid free box. Do not handwash it.
 
denisebrain said:
Oooo! More pictures please! I'm getting major Broadway Melody of 1940 vibes!
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Sorry, I got excited and forgot my manners—welcome Brooklyn!
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Good morning! Please excuse my delay in getting back to everyone. I really appreciate the replies and advice regarding the caring for this vintage dress. I uploaded a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure -- I'm in awe myself!

Yes! It definitely has Broadway Melody vibes. On that note, I just watch Honolulu in which Gracie Allen wears this sailor inspired dress with star buttons that reminded me of this dress. Lastly, The Met has a gown in their collection by Valentina Schlee that is in the same vein.
 

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thevintagebungalow said:
Wow! Love that so much! I would be scared to wash that. If you can remove those wonderful buttons, dry cleaning might be the best bet. You could also try to run it through Dryel at home but I always feel like that is more of a refresh than a real cleaning.
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Thank you for your reply! I'm head over heels for this dress too!!

I am terrified to wash this dress even though I have hand washed a few vintage wedding dresses before -- this is a whole new level.

Good advice about removing the buttons!

I thought about dry cleaning but it has a 'dingy' appearance in areas. I think you can see in the full length photo, the left side of the skirt has darker area and the underarms. My dry cleaner is great but these type of 'stains' never get out from the process. For example, the scuff or drag marks on the bottom hem of a full length dress, these never come out at my dry cleaners. I would love to know how to remove these from garments.
 
The Vintage Merchant said:
I'd be wary of washing it, too, again, because of those pleats.

@ dry cleaning: we don't have a reliable one here in our small town anymore, so when we acquired a couple of wedding dresses, we made some calls to cleaners within a 30 mile radius of us. One place charges $50/dress (no beading, no lace) starting price, one charges $100/dress (no beading, no lace) starting price, and one adorable little old lady says they no longer accept vintage dresses at all due to their innate fragility. (wish they did, she was SO nice on the phone!)

point being, you might want to make some calls to see if/what options you may have available, or not. I think if I were you I would try hanging it outdoors, as suggested, and then sell as is with a disclaimer of how you feel the condition is.

eta: oh, yes, and I agree, it looks GORGEOUS!!!
Click to expand...



Thank you for all the advice!

I have a trusted dry cleaner but I feel like this might be out of their usual expertise.

I looked into getting it professionally cleaned by a garment conservation company here in NY. However, it is expensive, costing about $650-800 for a 'wet cleaning'.

I appreciate your suggestion about selling it with a disclaimer -- that is a good idea to consider.
 
Katarzyna said:
Have you looked at it against the sun? I'd be careful with cleaning it, some older garments dissolve after cleaning. Because silk deteriorates with age. Also, don't hang it. Keep it in a acid free box. Do not handwash it.
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Thank you for your advice.

I haven't looked at it against the sun. What should I be looking for when viewing?

My heart sunk reading the word 'dissolve' -- I would be so heart broken. Thank you for the warning!

I am keeping it stored in a nice box with acid free tissue for the time being.
 
BGVintage said:
Thank you for your advice.

I haven't looked at it against the sun. What should I be looking for when viewing?

My heart sunk reading the word 'dissolve' -- I would be so heart broken. Thank you for the warning!

I am keeping it stored in a nice box with acid free tissue for the time being.
Click to expand...
something that looks like micro stretch marks, i believe it's called dry rot. unfortunately silk as a natural textile falls apart with time.
 
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