Hi
I have been married for just over two years, and it’s all good! I LOVE my dress still – it was perfect and not at all what I planned but it turned out it was me!! But I have been contemplating dyeing the dress and I want some feedback... actually I always planned to dye it but 2 years later still haven’t got the balls!
Leaving my dress in all its white perfect splendour, hanging in my wardrobe zipped up in its bag with a few mothballs –seems like a depressive end to a wedding dress. I dream of wearing this dress (morphed from white to gentle dove grey, or striking royal blue) on my (as yet unconceived (and not yet trying but...)) child’s welcoming shower, or at my 5th wedding anniversary, but dying the most significant, symbolic and expensive item of clothing I’ve ever own scares the bejesus out of me...
What if it goes go horribly wrong! What if I ruin the afore mentioned most important item of clothing I possess!
Would you do it?
Do your readers know of places in Melbourne who will do it for me? (cause a home job scares me more)?
(Ps just so you know I’m not completely insane this is the dress)
*****
First things first: Give it the chop.
(Our lady Artemis in her newly-hemmed wedding dress.)
And then I say GO FOR IT.
Melbourne-based Polka Dot Bride added:
I honestly think most people would do it in their own washing machine...
However, as your lovely bride is so worried about the outcome and so adamant on the colour she wants- I vote she goes professional...
Beaver Clothing & Denim Doctor, Carlton
Brown Gouge Drycleaners
Cullachange (Sydney but do postal service)
True Blue Sunhill Dyers
Cullachange seems to have the best recommendations!
For the bold, I found this dip-dye how-to. Pretty FABULOUS, am I right?
(Top image via Facehunter, Madrid)
Why would you not dye it? It's just sitting in your closet mouldering.
ReplyDeleteAt least get it away from the mothballs. They are the worst thing if you are trying to preserve a gown.
ReplyDeleteit's entirely possible that i'm simply no good at it, but i've found that dyeing in the washing machine is pretty hit or miss; it's hard to control the eventual color, and the resultant hues don't seem very vibrant. i'd go with one of the pro options or get personal with a bucket and a bathtub (my dye lab of choice).
ReplyDelete(insert customary plug for tie dyeing, which remains boss, here)
oh, hey. that's my adjective for the sparkly outerwear a few posts ago: boss.
yes yes yes doooo it! but, do research first and proceed with caution. not all fabric take to dye well. all-natural ones take it the best: cotton, linen, silk, and wool. i recently dyed a cotton skirt and it turned out exactly how i wanted, but i have a feeling you're not going for the tie-dye look, so maybe you should trust a professional instead of doing it at home...
ReplyDeletebut either way, i think it's a great idea!!
yeahhhhh the chop! still trying to figure out what the F to do with my dress. it's all lacy and shit.
ReplyDeleteWhy are we not consulting the amazing Elizabeth Dye!
ReplyDeleteDO IT! Also if you chop it off, you can PRACTICE on the bottom portion! If you go with ombre (dip dyeing)- I swear it is easy and fun. Take a deep breath and GO. And if the dye doesn't take on the bottom portion, you've already given your dress a new life by making it short!
ReplyDelete@jennwhisper smartiepants.
ReplyDeletehaha, you know it. I still haven't dyed that fucking FC dress I bought, but I know everything anyway.
ReplyDeleteHere's another how-to:
ReplyDeletehttp://whatiwore.tumblr.com/post/2826655588/do-it-yourself-overdye
Go for it! & good luck!
...and show us the finished product!!
ReplyDeleteI vote for dove gray. It would be soooo pretty.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I want to find a white cotton dress to dip dye. Thanks.
ReplyDelete(I've been planning to chop my dress since I bought it, but nearly 2 years later, it's still just hanging in my closet.)
Cullachange is going to be my dye-place of choice if I go this route (I'm in Perth). Although - My white Mariah jeans are probably okay as they are.
ReplyDeleteAnd shazam - I logged in this time!
Another Cullachange holler. I haven't used them but I work in a shop selling silks and cashmere and a million of our customers have used them and rave about them.
ReplyDeleteThey know what they're doing and they're really realistic about what you should expect - they'll tell you not to if its not going to work.
As a side note that ex-bride lady looks amazing in her cut off dress.
http://kartepaper.blogspot.com/
I used cullachange! It was for a bridesmaids dress - an unworn gift that was pale blue, they made it the exact red wine colour my bride-friend wanted.
ReplyDeleteBUT dying generally causes shrinkage. My dress was originally a touch big and ended up a touch small.
Hilarious coincidence - I am headed to Cullachange this weekend with my dress! I'm going for navy blue. It's a not-strictly-bridal short dress by Akira Isogawa, but in ivory with a tulle overlay it really does look too wedding-y. I can't wait to wear it again in a new context with awesome memories!
ReplyDeleteYeah ... dye it!! Because you wont get any other chance to wear it!!!
ReplyDeleteAt least you can wear it!!
But if you give a second thought... then you should not dye it,,, after all its your wedding dress and you want it to cherrish for lifetime.. not just wear it and throw it of after few years!!!