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Night notes · Care notes · 3 min read

How to wash stretch party dresses

Stretch knits hold close because the cloth pulls back after it moves. Heat weakens that pull slowly, run after run in a machine, until the waist hangs loose and the neckline gapes. Here is how we wash and dry our dresses so the seams stay where we set them.

Wash cold and turn the cloth inside out

Turn the piece inside out before it touches water. That protects the outer face from rubbing against the drum, especially on ruching lines where the cloth gathers thick. Use cold water. Warm cycles soften the stretch strands inside the knit and loosen the recovery over a season. A mesh bag stops thin straps, halter ties and sleeve hems from twisting around other items in the drum. Close any zip before washing so the metal teeth do not catch on the knit. Run a short, gentle cycle. The dress needs to get clean without being pulled out of shape by the spin.

Wash stretch velvet on its own

Velvet needs its own space in the tub. The upright pile catches loose fluff from other clothes, and once lint gets into the base of the pile, picking it out takes patience. Wash stretch velvet inside out in cold water. Do not crowd the drum. If the pile gets crushed against heavy items during the spin cycle, the flat marks can stay set into the surface. Keep the detergent mild and skip harsh stain removers that can strip the sheen from the nap. Take the piece out as soon as the cycle stops so deep folds do not form while the knit is damp.

Dry flat away from direct heat

Do not use a tumble dryer. The heat cooks the elasticity out of the knit, which leaves the waist and hips slack even if the seams look fine. Press the water out gently between clean towels instead of wringing the piece. Wringing twists the side seams and can pop the stitching along ruched panels. Lay the dress flat on a drying rack so the weight of wet cloth does not stretch the shoulders or the neckline. Keep the rack away from radiators and out of direct sun. You can also hang the dress across a thick bar by its waist seam.

Steam velvet instead of using an iron

Do not put a hot flat iron onto velvet. An iron crushes the pile flat and leaves shiny marks that will not brush out. Use a hand steamer instead, holding the head a short distance from the inside of the garment so the steam pushes through from the back. The steam lifts the pile and releases packing folds without flattening the texture. Once the velvet is dry, store it on a wide hanger in a closet. Folding stretch velvet into a drawer creates deep creases along the folds that take steam and hanging time to lift out before you can wear it again.

Know when the knit is done

A stretch knit tells you when it has reached the end of its life. The test is simple: pull the cloth at the hip or the hem, then let it go. If the knit snaps back against your hand, the stretch is still healthy. If the cloth ripples and takes seconds to creep back, the heat has broken the inner strands. Fabric softener speeds up this failure by coating the knit with a film that blocks the snap-back action. Once the stretch fails, no wash or cold soak will tighten the cut back to its original line across the body.

Hang by the sturdiest seams

When a dress is dry, hang it by the waist seam or on a padded hanger so thin straps do not take the whole weight. Our catalogue holds 63 pieces across 4 sections, cut to sit close. Care for the cloth with cold water and no dryer heat, and the lines stay crisp.

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Four pieces from the midi dresses section, most rated first.

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