How to keep it the way it left the studio.
A few things I say to everyone at collection, written down so you do not have to remember them. Nothing here is complicated. Most damage to a good garment happens in the wardrobe, not on the day.
Storing it
- Hang it, do not fold it — unless it is heavily beaded or bias-cut, in which case fold it loosely in acid-free tissue and lay it flat. Weight on a hanger stretches a bias seam over a season.
- Cotton cover, not plastic. A dry-cleaner’s plastic bag traps moisture and yellows silk. A pillowcase with a hole cut for the hanger does the job.
- Out of the light. Daylight fades silk and weakens old fibre faster than anything else you can do to it.
- Give it room. A gown crushed between two coats will need pressing again before it is worn.
Pressing and steaming
- Steam, do not iron, wherever you can. A hand steamer at arm’s length takes travel creases out of tulle, chiffon and most silks without touching them.
- If you must iron, use a pressing cloth — a clean cotton tea towel — between the iron and the fabric, on the wrong side, with the iron on its lowest useful setting. Never iron over beading, sequins or a printed area.
- Velvet is never ironed. Steam it from behind and let it hang.
Cleaning
- Tell the dry-cleaner what has been done. Beading, appliqué and hand-finished hems need to be mentioned, or they will be treated like a suit. A good cleaner will thank you; a bad one will not ask.
- Deal with marks that day if you can — blot, do not rub — and tell the cleaner what the mark is. Wine, grass and make-up each want different treatment.
- A wedding dress is cleaned once, properly, by a specialist who will box it in acid-free tissue. Ask me for a name.
If I fitted a bustle
The fastening points are numbered inside the skirt in the order they do up. Practise once before the day, with the person who will be doing it. Hooks first, then any ribbons or buttons. It takes about a minute once you have done it twice.
If something is not right
Tell me. A seam that pulls, a hook that catches, a hem that has dropped — reply to any email from me or write to [email protected]. I would far rather put it right than have you live with it.