Name: chalsey
Message: I am wanting to dye a dress for a wedding. The dress comes in ivory and I would like to dye it fuchsia pink. I have attached the link for the dress. I have read lots about dyeing polyester and that it is difficult. Could you let me know if it would be possible to dye this dress? Thank-you. Your input is much appreciated.

No. You cannot dye this dress a solid color (though you could tie-dye it with the right fabric paint). Instead, what you need to do is buy some white silk, dye it to your preferences, then hire a local seamstress to sew the dress for you.

Polyester is a wretched fiber to dye, and it's not nearly as nice to wear as silk is. The only way you can dye that dress will be to mail-order the special kind of polyester dye known as disperse dye, buy a non-aluminum pot large enough to boil the dress in while being able to stir it freely, and boil the dress in the disperse dye for an hour. A hand-wash-only dress like the one you linked to is unlikely to survive treatment that rough. The large enamel or stainless steel dyeing pot would cost almost as much as that dress does, and then you are not supposed to ever use it for food again, because textile dyes are not safe for use in food.

See my page on "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

For a less expensive and easier dress dyeing project, take a look at the dyeable rayon and cotton dresses at Dharma Trading Company, for example on the following link: Women's Spaghetti Strap Dresses. These dresses will dye better than almost anything else you can buy ready-made, because the fabric is prepared for dyeing, and even the stitching at the seams is made with easy-to-dye cotton thread.

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