ISLAND STYLE
Saving your wedding dress requires you to think ahead
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Ritsuko Matsuzawa tries on a wedding dress with the help of Hiroko Oishi of Watabe's. A heirloom such as a wedding dress should be properly stored to keep it like the day that you wore it.
Advertiser library photo • April 11, 1997 |
Uh-oh. In Hawai'i's tropical climate, she's asking for trouble.
Whether the bride lives on the Leeward side or on a ridge, where dryness and dust may cause problems, or on the Windward side or in a valley, where humidity and mildew may be damaging, or near the ocean, where the salt air may eat away at fabric, storing an heirloom is problematic at best.
In addition, that gorgeous gown may have stains from wine, grass, saltwater, perspiration or wedding-cake icing, becoming darker and permanent over time.
If the gown is not cleaned and stored properly, there's no way it will be passed on to her daughter, much less her granddaughter.
The same warnings apply to any special gown, from that Heart Ball confection to a keiki's christening robe.
We talked to experts about how best to safely store an heirloom gown or dress.
1. Have it cleaned.
First and foremost, have the gown cleaned by the highest-quality dry cleaner you can find. Ask other brides or friends who go to formal events where they take their clothes. Check with bridal salons for their recommendations.
2. Store it properly.
Proper storage is critical. Linda Hee, a textile conservator and owner of Handwoven, recommends buying archival materials for storage of special garments. "You need to make sure you're using good materials that will not degrade or give off harmful gases when they age," Hee said. The average plastic bag is a no-no because "the plastic will give off gaseous chlorides that react with anything metal, such as zippers, snaps or beading, and will cause corrosion."
A cardboard box is a bad choice as well, Hee said, because "most papers and cardboards contain lignin, a component that degrades with light and becomes acidic. An acid-free, archival cardboard box takes out the lignin and slows degeneration." (You've seen the results of lignin if you've ever left a newspaper where the sun can get to it, and it turned yellowish-brown.)
Hee said all archival materials are not created equal, and even an acid-free box may break down over the years. It's best to purchase a Ph pen that enables you to test for acidity and alkalinity. First test the outside, then the inside, then tear apart a little corner to test the inner layers. It will be necessary to test again 10 years later because even some archival papers can break down.
3. Consider preservation treatment.
Elsie Casamina-Fernandez, who teaches a class called "Bridal Clothing" at Honolulu Community College, recommends her students tell their clients to send wedding gowns to the Mainland for preservation. She refers them to Gladys Agsalud of Casablanca Bridal & Formals in Mapunapuna. Agsalud then forwards the gown to Allied Heirlooms in Missouri for cleaning and preservation. There, the gown is cleaned, given a special finish, boxed and sealed in archival materials, then shipped back to Hawai'i. The cost is $175 to $210, depending on the fabric, complexity and size of the gown.
4. Protect against the elements.
Hee emphasizes this tip: You don't want to put your carefully cleaned dress in a humid Manoa closet or tuck it away in a hot, dry, dusty Wai'anae drawer and forget about it.
To prevent dampness and mildew, wrap the box in a good polyethylene bag with aluminum laminate, and add silica-gel dessicant to keep down the humidity inside. Some dry cleaners offer the storage materials locally, or you can check with the online sources listed here (see sidebar).
In drier areas, Hee suggests, put the box in a bag made of DuPont Tyvek, the same fabric-like synthetic paper the Postal Service uses for its mailer bags. Tyvek doesn't break down, and it has fibers that allow air to pass through. Look for it at dupont.com.
Agsalud said she doesn't always recommend vacuum sealing, especially for gowns made of natural fibers such as silk. "It's better to wrap it in cotton so it can breathe," she explained.
After the honeymoon is over, get that gown properly stored. That is, if you want it to last as long, or longer, as your happily ever after.
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A few tips from Whirlpool's Institute of Fabric Science:
- Have your gown cleaned within a few weeks of the nuptials. The longer stains and soil are left on your dress, the greater the probability of permanence.
- When packing a gown away, bodices or other curved areas of a garment should be stuffed with acid-free tissue to prevent creasing.
- Keep your gown away from sunlight and artificial light. Most light sources can cause degradation and fading of heirloom textiles.
- If you are hanging your gown, wrap it in a white cotton (not polyester) sheet or muslin and hang with the inside loops that are connected to sturdy side seams. Never hang it by the fragile shoulder seams, which can stretch or sag.
- Occasionally check your gown for damage while it's in storage. Stains that weren't apparent at first might appear at a later date and should be treated immediately.
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Storage services
Online sources for storage services:
- Conservator's Emporium: ConsEmp.com (775) 852-0404
- Gaylord: www.Gaylord.com (800) 634-6307
- University Products: www.universityproducts.com (800) 628-1912
- Talas: talas-nyc.com (212) 219-0770
- Hollinger Corp.: hollingercorp.com (800) 634-0491
