Is there any way to bleach a formal outfit, then re-dye to the right color?

Name: Anjali

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Dye Removal Chemicals

Country or region: USA (California)

Message: Hello,

I bought a raw silk wedding outfit from India that was supposed to be a deep crimson...still red, but a deep, rich color. If you've ever seen an Indian outfit, you know there is a lot of detail that is added onto the fabric.

The outfit turned out to be more maroon than crimson. Is there any way to "undo" or bleach the fabric, then re-dye? Will this process ruin the embellishments or re-dye the pieces unevenly?

No, you really can't do this. Is the dress washable? Most formal outfits are not washable, and yet removing dye is a much harsher process than machine washing. The details of the outfit are very likely to suffer badly in the process. The trim might also be affected to a greater or lesser extent, so that it no longer matches the fabric. In addition, some dyes simply cannot be discharged, but there's no way to know in advance whether the manufacturers of the materials used in your outfit used dischargeable dyes. You might treat the fabric and then find that the color remains unchanged, no matter what you do to it.

There are chemicals that can be used to remove dye from silk. (See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".) You can't ever use chlorine bleach on silk, because the hypochlorite which is the active ingredient will destroy the silk fiber, but sulfur-containing dye discharge agents such as the sodium dithionite in Rit Color Remover, or the thiourea dioxide in Jacquard Color Remover, can be used on silk. You have to use hot water to make it work, though, and the best way to use it is by cooking the garment with the chemicals in a huge cooking pot on the stovetop until nearly simmering. It's hard to imagine a formal outfit that would not be destroyed by such treatment.

Even if it were possible to lighten the color of the outfit, dyeing would be a problem. It is very likely that some or all of the trim on the dress, and all of the stitching, is made of polyester or another synthetic fiber, which means that you cannot dye them to the same color at the same time. Although polyester can be dyed, it requires a different type of dye than silk does, and it requires such harsh conditions of boiling that the silk would be ruined. To dye raw silk for a formal outfit, you must dye the fabric separately before sewing.

Your options are to 1, learn to love the outfit in its current color, or 2, get another one made in the color you want. The sad lesson is that one should never buy custom-made clothing sight-unseen, especially if the colors matter, unless it will be easy to return unacceptable items.

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Posted: Tuesday - January 18, 2011 at 07:35 AM

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Is there any way to bleach a formal outfit, then re-dye to the right color?

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