Name: donna
Message: I realize this is not exactly what your page is about, but I was wondering if you could help me out. I have a two piece lace shirt/blouse that was very expensive ($400.00). I wore it a couple of time and when I took it out of the closet after several months, the dark green color had turned to a red/orange. This happened under the arms first, but now that a year has past, all of the fabric is changing. I went through the retailer, who referred me to the wholesaler. Bottom line, they don't care. It really isn't about the money, I love this suit so much. I tried to get it dyed through several dry cleaners, and not one will touch it. I bought some green dye, but I am afraid to try this, because it calls for hot water and the cleaning instructions are to dry clean. Can you share any advise as to what I may try, or if there is a professional dye service for only one (two) item(s). I really appreciate your time.

It is impossible to really answer any questions about a garment whose exact fiber content is unknown. However, you should not use all-purpose dye on any garment you wish to wear again, as the hot water required will shrink the garment, probably making it impossible to wear in the future. If the garment is truly dry-clean-only, it cannot be dyed, though in fact many garments that are marked dry-clean-only have been successfully washed. Lined suits are almost never washable.

An even bigger problem is with the original dye, though. If the color change began under the arms, it was probably the result of an interaction between the dye in the suit and the aluminum in the antiperspirant of its wearer. It is odd that the color spread across the entire garment. The problem is that whatever caused the original dye to fail may also affect any additional dye used on the suit.

Custom dyeing is difficult to find these days. You might contact a company such as True Color Fabric Dyeing, Dye Pro Services Inc., or Color Creek. You will have to mail your suit to one of these companies in order to get it dyed.

It might be best to get a local tailor to copy the suit for you, using a more reliable fabric.


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