how on earth do i clean this? and is it from the 60s?!

S

susanjoyce

Registered Guest
Hello!
Long time no see!!
I am so glad the forum is back!

I took this dress to my dry cleaners the other day and she suggested that i just handwash it. What your opinions?!

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There are a few spot stains but its mainly just a little tired and grubby looking and could do with a freshen up i think.
Oh and am i right thinking 60s? I did see the label in the label resource but it seems to have stayed constant over the years.
The dress closes with a side zip and has some hook and eye closures at one shoulder.

Thank you so much! X
 
I would take the dress to a dry cleaner, and NOT the one who told you to hand wash it! If that lining is acetate or rayon, you will probably ruin it by washing, even if the shell is cotton (which it looks like it might be, or then, again, it could be a linen blend). Are there care or fabric-content labels on it somewhere? I find it hard to date--if Alice is right about the date, then it's 90s--lol! And it well could be--the side nylon zippers (I assume this is nylon) were not commonly used in the 60s; the side zip found favor again only in the comparative recent past. Could be 60s, I suppose, but it looks more 90s to me.... although if there are no care or content labels that confuses me again.
 
I do have a dated 1970 BH Wragge with a similar zipper placement. I think the date is shown as 4/6/76 in the number line of the label. I would never hand wash this. The fabrics will most likely shrink at different rates and ruin the dress. I can't imagine why a dry cleaner would suggest it. It certainly wasn't manufactured to be washable.

Hollis
 
I admit the date totally threw me! I really thought it was a bit older!
There arent any care or fabric labels and the zip looks to be a gold tone metal.

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But if 90s it says then 90s it probably is haha!
Does it seem strange the date is written- day, year, month? Or could the no. and date have been mixed up when it was written on the label? But then that would put it to the 70s which doesnt really sit right to my mind either!

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ps thanks for your input! X
 
Oh Hollis we cross posted!
But with the same idea!!
I'll try another cleaner - although they are few and far between around here :( X
 
Ah, with the zipper being metal, and Hollis having had a 1970 dress with the same type of placement, then, yes, it seems totally logical that the date of 1976 got put in the number spot, and the number got put in the date spot! So it seems that you now have an exact date on this. I couldn't read the label in the first shot, but it seems pretty clear in the new one. And, again, to reiterate my earlier point and Hollis's confirmation of that, do not hand wash this!
 
Yeah, dry clean, no water-washy. Not that I know from experience what will go horribly awry when the cottony stuff shrinks and the acetate gets all soft and weird. Nope, not me. (if I may have done that, it wasn't a Givenchy)
 
Yep that Wragge has the same shoulder opening, too. I see it's a handset zipper- another sign of quality.
 
I'm quite sure that lining is silk - Givenchy wouldn't be using acetate in his linings. I agree with the dry cleaner, however, I think you should remove the lining and have it dry cleaned separately, then put it back into the dress once it has been washed. Those marks are just not going to come out with dry cleaning. YOu could try spot cleaning them and then having the whole thing dry cleaned, but if you don't want to go to all this bother, I think I would sell as is and let the next person decide.
Also, I could see this dress being 1970 (I think the 6 is supposed to be a 0), so I bet the date is April 6, 1970 - perfect for Easter but that style was pretty much out by the end of the year. YOu see Edith Bunker wearing similar styles until about 1974, but the height of fashion for these sleeveless princess line shifts is more typically mid-late 60s.
 
Jonathan, do you think the dress will shrink?
That makes sense - here's the 1970 Wragge, which is very similar in line, with the same zipper placement:

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Fifteenish years ago I washed a similar white dress in that same thick cotton with silk lining and it came out pretty good. My dress was all over yellowed from time and exposure and dry cleaning fluid, so there was no alternative (this dress has a similar yellowing I can see along the edges.) The cotton was such a good quality that it didn't shrink (however, I also didn't use hot water and I hung dry - no dryer.) My only regret was I didn't remove the lining and although the lining didn't shrink, it never looked as nice.
 
Thank you so much for all your advice and its amazing to see that Wragge dress too!
Im very tempted to cool hand wash and line dry now i know it can be done without disaster - either that or sell as is - my mission to find a dry cleaner that were happy cleaning older clothing without care labels was not successful :(
Thanks again, Susan X
 
I agree that the date on the dress is 4/6/70 (which makes sense), that they simply reversed the style and date, and that the dry cleaner was a loony bird (seems fairly common, actually).

If I were you I'd call Bergdorf's and ask. I'd bet they keep records, and you've got all the necessary information. They might just be able to look it up for you.
 
Even though this is a Givenchy I would totally hand wash it! I have little faith in dry cleaners to get marks out, and getting them out of cotton is not hard when you can launder clothes. As it's only 40 years old (I agree with a 1970 date) it should be able to handle laundering - but, I agree with Jonathan that removing the lining and getting that dry cleaned is a good idea. Assuming it's silk, which I agree is quite likely.

Perhaps I should add that I have more faith in my hand washing than I do with most dry cleaners though.
 
Sharing a tip: I have found that stubborn spots that refuse to budge with laundering (even Vintage Textile Soak, which is a miracle worker) and dry-cleaning (which seems to set more spots than it removes) can often be completely removed with -- Murphy's Oil Soap. Yes, the thick, yellow stuff you use diluted on wood floors and furniture. It is surprisingly gentle, smells nice, and gets out stains such as pen, dry-erase marker (it's really the only thing that removes dry-erase marker -- not even pure acetone, which removes "Sharpie," gets that stuff out), and some odd-ball stuff like road tar!

I've yet to have anything ruined by it (not that it can't happen, but so far, so good). Use a child's soft toothbrush, put the Murphy's soap (undiluted) directly on the brush, scrub the spot gently, rinse. If it's going to work, you'll see improvement with the first go around. If it budges at all, repeat the process and it'll eventually come out completely. Just be patient.
 
if you decide to wash it, throw in some vinegar to the wash & rinse waters. It helps keep the colors from running.

Edited by Admin: No links to selling sites allowed
 
Oh thank you for the further help! I'll try and track down some Murphy's soap! And the vinegar tip is a good one too!
And Nicole may i say your new hair is AMAZING!! X
 
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