Name: Jenn

Message: I am in a wedding next year. The bride decided to go with a dark lilac color from a well-known bridal shop for bridesmaid's gowns. I just bought a gown there last year for another wedding I was in. The dress is a light lilac color. I believe it is satin underneath, with a chiffon layer on top. It also has a beadwork band around the waist.

Satin and chiffon are weaves of fabric which can be made from any fiber, cotton or rayon or polyester or silk. What fiber are you talking about, here? Dye choice depends utterly on what exact fiber is being dyed.

I was hoping that I could just get the gown I already own dyed to match the other girls. The bridal shop will not do this for me. They suggested I check the yellow pages but there aren't any dress dyers in my area. (Central PA). I was wondering your thoughts on the likeliness of me either finding someone to dye it for me or me dyeing it myself without completely ruining it. Where should I go from here?

Is it washable? Is it an easily dyeable material such as silk or cotton? I'll be very surprised if the answer to both of these questions is yes.

You cannot dye a dress that is not washable, period. Nobody will be willing to wash a dry-clean-only dress for you, either. Dyeing requires a great deal off washing.

There is never a local concern that will dye even a washable dress. There are a few dyers that will dye your dress if it is washable and made of an easily dyeable fiber, such as silk, rayon, or cotton, but you will certainly have to mail it to them, probably in another state. The only company I know about that is willing to dye a 100% polyester dress is Color Creek, in Alaska [update: unfortunately, Color Creek now appears to have gone out of business]. Other dyers that are willing to dye blends or natural fibers may be found listed on my Custom Dyers' Listing.

Doing it yourself is not a good idea except for machine washable 100% cotton and similarly easy-to-dye fibers. I strongly recommend you not even consider dyeing a polyester dress. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

You will probably need to buy another dress for this wedding. Sorry.

[links updated November 29, 2007]