Journal
An heirloom garment usually arrives at the shop already fragile, and the trip from the closet to our door is often where the most avoidable damage happens. None of this requires special equipment — just a few minutes before you leave the house.
1. Skip the plastic bag
Dry-cleaner plastic traps moisture and off-gasses chemicals that yellow old fabric over time, especially silk and aged cotton. A clean cotton sheet or pillowcase, loosely wrapped, breathes and protects far better for the short trip in.
2. Don’t pre-treat stains yourself
It’s tempting to attack a stain with whatever’s under the sink before bringing a piece in, but the wrong solvent on old fibers can set a stain permanently or weaken the weave around it. Tell us what you know about the stain — what it is, roughly how old — and let us choose the approach for that specific fabric.
3. Carry it flat, not folded on a hard crease
A garment that’s been folded the same way for decades often has a permanently weakened fold line. Re-folding it differently for the trip, or better, carrying it draped over an arm or a hanger, avoids adding stress to a line that may already be close to tearing.
What we’ll do when you bring it in
Before any work starts, we examine the fabric and construction and tell you honestly what’s realistic — what can be fully restored, what can only be stabilized, and what (rarely) is better left alone. This conversation happens before any cost is discussed, not after. Read more about our approach on the garment restoration page.
Have something you're not sure is restorable? Send us a photo on WhatsApp — there's rarely a charge just to look and advise.