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Your
wedding dress has had its big moment, been oohed and aahed over, and
photographed a hundred times. Now why not preserve it forever, in
picture-perfect condition?
Should you decide to have your
gown professionally cleaned and boxed for storage, you'll want to take it to a
company that specializes in doing only that — not just the dry cleaner around
the corner. And regardless of which company you choose to preserve your wedding
dress, "one of the worst things you can possibly do," warns Chris
Paulocik, a costume conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
City, "is to store your dress in the attic or the basement. One is too hot
and dry; the other is too cool and damp." Sara Riter, a conservator at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, says, "If the temperature is right for the
owner, chances are it's right for the gown — anywhere between 68 and 75
degrees is good." She suggests keeping your boxed gown beneath the bed.
Experts also recommend opening the box every year or so, as the fabric benefits
from a little airing out. Finally, wedding gowns should never be hung in a
closet; the pull of gravity will stretch and weaken the fabric's fibers.
Most
companies will pack your dress by wrapping it in acid-free paper, then packing
it in an acid-and-lignin-free corrugated cardboard box. (Lignins are impurities
found in paper that, over time, will damage your dress.) Should you choose this
method, be prepared to change the box and paper every few years, as both will
absorb moisture that will lead to the oxidation of your gown, resulting in the
fabric's taking on an unpleasant yellowish hue. (The truly diligent can buy a pH
pen from a conservation company in order to test the acid content of both
container and wrappings — best done on a yearly basis. If the paper or box has
an unacceptable level of acidity, the ink you apply to it will change color.)
The other way to store your gown
is in a box made from Colorplast, or Cor-X, a polymer that many museums use for
long-term textile storage. These boxes are not as readily obtainable as their
acid-free counterparts, but it's worth the extra effort to seek out companies
that use them — particularly if your home can't be kept at the recommended
temperature. Colorplast is especially effective in warding off the harmful
effects of moisture and temperature fluctuation; to prevent the build-up of
static electricity (which attracts dust that could harm your dress), the entire
box should then be wrapped in clean muslin.
Finally, should you decide to
replace the box and tissue yourself, don a pair of clean gloves so that the oils
on your fingers don't come into contact with the dress. Then refold the dress so
that there are as few creases as possible, placing accordion-pleated rolls of
tissue paper inside each crease. Tissue paper should also separate each
"layer" of the dress. |
