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Restoring a vintage dress?

bezelpupbezelpup member
First Anniversary First Comment
in Retro and Vintage Weddings
I am looking for a 1950s style dress and fell in love with a vintage dress on Etsy. My concern is that it has not been cleaned and I'm afraid to buy it. Has anyone restored a vintage or heirloom dress? My sister wore my Mom's dress but she pretty much had to replace all the lace and tulle.
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Re: Restoring a vintage dress?

  • NukkeNukke member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I'd need a little more info before I could say for sure, but it completely depends on the dress.  Some dresses are in great condition and dont' need any restoration done.  Do you have photos of the dress?  Is there something about it that worries you?  Depending on the condition, it may only need a professional dry cleaning and regular old seamstress to tailor the dress to your measurements.  I work in a conservation lab at a museum, and sometimes I come across victorian-era dresses (or older) that are in such bad condition I can't even clean them without destroying the material.  Your (midcentury) dress is unlikely that delicate, but lace and tulle can be tricky.  It depends how it's been stored all these years, and whether or not it's been exposed to sunlight, mould, insects, etc.  But it's easy to see if the material is becoming fragile and degraded even by the photos.  Is it yellowing?  Are there already some holes and tears? 
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  • bezelpupbezelpup member
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    They commented on discoloration under the arms and some spots on the tulle.

    http://www.etsy.com/listing/85582778/wedding-gown-1950s-tulle-lace-huge-full

    I'm thinking I can have a dressmaker make something similar, but with the lace it may cost a lot more than I want to pay.
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  • bezelpupbezelpup member
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    Nukke, the seller sent me a few closeups of the bodice but I don't know how to post them or PM them to you. To me they look good, the mesh looks like its in good shape.
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  • NukkeNukke member
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    you can email me the pictures if you like at finncaevek at hotmail dot com

    it really is a lovely dress.  To get the yellowing out, you should take it to a professional dry cleaner.  The small tulle rip is an easy fix, but you should also ask the seller what the condition of the tulle is.  Ask her to give it a gentle tug in a disrcrete area and see if it's easy to tear.  If it seems sturdy, it's probably in good condition.  Also, ask her if she thinks any of it is made of silk.  If it isn't, you can also try washing it yourself in calgon (sodium hexametaphosphate) and distilled water (you can buy it in the grocery store). 
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  • bezelpupbezelpup member
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    After trying on dresses of a similar shape that ended up looking horrible on me I went with a new dress with a 30s/40s Hollywood glamor feel to it.

    My sister went through a LOT of work redoing my mom's dress, and everyone is still a little traumatized by it 20 years later...

    I hope someone restores that dress! I think it's beautiful.
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  • NukkeNukke member
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    Congratulations!  Do you have photos of the dress you chose?  We love dress photos :D

    and PS--those 1950s dresses look horrid on me too. :/
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