I got this really pretty lord and Taylor wrap dress at a high end thrift for 14 dollars. It's gorgeous and pretty heavy for linen I think it's lined with some kind of satin which is the only damaged part of the dress because it has some blotches but luckily it's not visable when worn. It has little snaps in the lining and on the dress and even some on the collar to secure the wrap part and they are pretty delicate but all the original buttons are on the dress and it's just so so cute and I would hate to ruin it. It's not filthy I just wanna spruce it up for a sale Any tips? Maybe just the dry cleaner? Or is that bad?
I think drycleaning is a better option. It's quite a nice dress. Consider this: the bargain price allows you to cover the expense of drycleaning. This is a nice dress and would have cost $80-100 when new.
As it does state dry clean, I agree that is the way to go. With trying to wash it the main culprit would be those buttons which are most likely metal based with the fabric covering them and they could rust. It's possible even the dry cleaners may suggest removal and sewing them back on afterwards. I have washed linen in the past but it has been a solid color.
I wouldn't chance washing it - the blue may run, once it's dry you will have to iron it and its a nightmare to iron linen in tiny corners and not leave a shine, plus the satin lining would pull and droop and probably crease and likely the staining wouldn't come out. You would end up with a dress that would look like it was run over by a bus. I know this from experience as I have washed some things deliberately that are not supposed to be washable (on items that are already damaged, so its no loss, but good education....) This combination is deadly and it won't turn out well when washed.
