Party Dress Care Guide

Before You Start

A party dress is rarely made of a single fabric. The lining, the skirt, the bodice and the trimmings may all be different materials. So base your care decision on the most delicate part of the dress; in a satin dress with a tulle skirt, it is the tulle that decides.

The dress's own care label is always your first reference. Try whatever you plan to do first on a seam allowance or a small hidden area inside. If the colour runs, the fabric stiffens or a mark is left, stop there.

Where there are stones, beads, sequins or embroidery, try to keep those areas away from water and heat. The glue and thread holding the trimmings are damaged sooner than the fabric itself.

• Read the care label first
• Try the method on a small hidden area
• Decide according to the most delicate fabric in the dress
• Keep stoned and beaded areas away from water and heat

Care Fabric by Fabric

The notes below are general approaches for the fabrics we use most often. If your dress combines several fabrics, follow the rule for the most delicate one.

• Tulle: sensitive to friction and heat. If it must be washed, do it gently by hand in lukewarm water without rubbing. Do not wring it; press the water out. Never let the iron touch it directly; for creases, leaving it on a hanger or steaming from a distance is safer.
• Organza: similar to tulle but stiffer, and it loses its shape when heated. Prefer airing it to wetting it. If ironing is necessary, work at the lowest heat, with a thin cotton cloth in between, passing over quickly.
• Chiffon: very fine and fluid, and it loses shape easily when wet. Clean it quickly in lukewarm water without rubbing. Never twist it to wring it out; spread it on a towel to absorb the water and dry it flat.
• Satin: its surface is glossy, so water spots and iron marks show at once. Iron it inside out, at low heat, with a cloth in between. Dripping water leaves a mark, so do not aim steam directly at the surface.
• Velvet: pressure and ironing flatten the pile and leave permanent marks. Do not press an iron onto it. For creases, hang the dress and steam it from a distance, then lift the pile with a soft brush, brushing in one direction. Do not put any weight on it in storage.
• Lace: its fine threads snag and pull very easily. If it must be washed, do so by hand inside a fine mesh bag, without rubbing. Do not let the iron touch it directly; lay a cloth underneath and work at low heat without pressing.

The First Few Minutes After a Stain

With a stain, what you do first matters most. Do not rub it; rubbing spreads the stain into the weave and leaves permanent wear on tulle and chiffon. Instead, blot it from above with a clean, light-coloured, lint-free cloth.

If you use water, use little, and work from the outside of the stain inwards so no ring is left. Do not pour detergent or stain remover straight on; put it on the cloth first. Do not use a coloured cloth, as its dye may transfer to the fabric.

Do not apply hot water, a hairdryer or an iron to a stain. Heat sets stains, especially those containing grease or sugar, into the fabric and makes them very hard to remove later. If a stain will not come out, the best thing is to take the dress to a dry cleaner as it is, without drying it.

• Do not rub; blot
• Use a light-coloured, lint-free cloth
• Work from the outside of the stain inwards
• Do not apply heat; heat sets the stain

Ironing, Steaming and Drying

With party dress fabrics the rule is simple: start at a low heat and do not raise it unless you must. Always iron on the inside of the dress and put a thin cotton cloth between the fabric and the iron. With tulle, organza and lace, the safest course is never to let the iron touch the fabric directly.

Most creases fall out without ironing. Hanging the dress on a broad-shouldered hanger in an airy spot for a few hours, or steaming it from a distance, is usually enough. With velvet this is in fact the only right method, because the pressure of an iron flattens the pile for good.

Do not use a machine for drying. Hanging a wet party dress stretches the fabric under its own weight. Dry fine fabrics such as chiffon and lace flat on a clean towel. Do not put the dress in direct sunlight or on a radiator; the colour fades and the fabric stiffens.

• Start at a low heat and iron on the inside
• Put a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the fabric
• Do not use a tumble dryer
• Dry fine fabrics flat on a towel
• Keep away from direct sunlight and radiator heat

Storage and Dry Cleaning

Before putting the dress away, always make sure it is completely dry. Even the slightest damp causes odour and staining in a closed wardrobe. Light tulle and satin dresses can hang on a broad, padded hanger; a thin wire hanger leaves a mark at the shoulder.

Dresses with heavy skirts, many layers or stone embroidery sag under their own weight on a hanger. It is better to fold these at the shoulder line and store them flat, with acid-free tissue paper or a clean cotton cloth between the folds. Do not leave velvet in a crowded wardrobe; the pressure on it ruins the pile.

Do not use a plastic bag; it does not breathe, so it traps moisture and can yellow the fabric. Choose a breathable cotton garment cover instead. The wardrobe should be dark, dry and cool.

Dry cleaning is not necessary for every dress, but in some cases it is the safest route: a stain that will not come out or covers a large area, many-layered models with stone embroidery, velvet sections, and dresses that will be stored for a long time. When you leave it with the cleaner, say what the fabric is and where the trimmings are, and point out the stain if you can.

• Make sure the dress is completely dry before putting it away
• Light models are kept on a broad-shouldered hanger, heavy ones folded
• Put tissue paper or a cotton cloth between the folds
• Use a breathable cover rather than a plastic bag
• Always tell the dry cleaner the fabric and where the stain is