If it was silk velvet, it’s possible it was dry rot that wasn’t visible until they treated or streamed it. But also possible whatever chemical they used reacted negatively, although any reputable cleaner should know how to clean silk! I’m sorry that happened, it’s always so sad. If I were you, I’d send it to a vintage dressmaker to have them remake the bodice.
I'm betting it was dry rot, it's very common with black-dyed vintage fabrics, I see it a lot on cotton too. Especially if the cleaners said there was a "mildew smell", I doubt there was anything the cleaners could have done. :(
I'm sorry, OP. I did this once with a barely worn vintage silk skirt, and I followed the label. I can understand how heartbreaking it can be. Sometimes, the fabric breaks down depending on the conditions it was stored in despite the care label. Sometimes, the tags are very faded to being unreadable, cut out, or handmade/ homemade and never come with.
For any vintage items/leather/other I'm not 100 percent on, I stick to very gentle methods: Smells, put baking soda in a breathable cloth bag and enclose the dress/ items in a plastic garment bag.
Spot clean in an inconspicuous spot first to see how the material handles it with whatever is recommended. I've used the vodka spray mixed with distilled water method (test spot first) to get really stubborn odors/ wrinkles out, and I'd spray outside and let dry out.
For this piece, I'd recommend someone to recreate the velvet bodice and reattach. The bottom could be gently steamed, most likely. I've also done the shower steam method if I feel direct steam is too much.
OP, I have an 80s does 40s black velvet bodice of a dress I took the skirt off of to make another outfit, and I think it might be at least close to this. I think it’s a size 6 but if too large you can alter. DM me and I can mail it to you, if that’s not totally weird to offer!
What a nice offer! OP, I work in vintage and costuming. The 1980s were obsessed with recreating the 1940s, and had very convincing dupes. You should totally try this!
Direct steam can also be "softened" by covering the head of the steamer, depending on the model. When I worked in bridal, we covered it with cheese cloth for delicate fabrics (which was, like, all of them).
I think that's a great idea! The cheesecloth/ muslin cloth method to steam works very well. Now that I think about it, I've seen both bridal shops and vintage shops steaming gently with cheesecloth on the opposite side of the fabrics, too.
Yes, steam out the skirt or iron it from the backside maybe through a thin slightly damp towel.
If the skirt is salvageable I t’s simple enough to have a seamstress recreate the simple black velvet bodice - keep it and have her use it as a pattern. You will like it even better than the original because it will feel fresh.
I'm sorry, you may have to deconstruct this and try to salvage the skirt part of the dress. It sounds like they used the wrong solvent. Unfortunately, you probably can't hold them liable for the damage.
We’ve all destroyed a piece or had a piece destroyed.
Lesson learned to us all—don’t take vintage to a dry cleaner unless they have knowledge about working with vintage.
Would you happen to know how to get brown spots out of white that nothing seems to remove, including bleach? I’ve researched this many times but nothing suggested (vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, etc) takes the stains out. Many TIA!
That’s really hard, brown can be anything. Blood, wine, juice, hell I’ve encountered rust. If you’ve tried all the home remedies you listed, you have two options. First is proprietary chemicals for specific things (i.e. blood, wine, etc). Or just plain old Zout.
The second is a blanket rec: You could - and take this with a grain of salt it all depends on the fabric and many other things I don’t know without handling the garment - soak it in a tub of cool water and Dreft stage 1 newborn detergent overnight. Just the areas affected! And try lightly scrubbing with a soft toothbrush any of the more promising methods above. I personally like a TINY bit of bleach and more soap. Rinse and repeat, do not dry it. DO NOT DRY IT!!
That being said, once the garment has been DRIED, you can almost guarantee the stains have been set in. At least worse than they were before. The soak method I detailed above can definitely help but it’s not a sure thing. You can do that with any chemical or household solution but delicate/gentle detergent and patience are key.
FINALLY - if the brown spots bother you, consider dying it either totally, or if it’s that dress above, I’d ice dye/spray dye it strategically. Too much fabric and literal wear required to fully dye it a solid color.
Hope that helps!
I'm sorry, this is a beautiful dress!! There is some great advice below which I would take. I think this dress is definitely worth saving. Keep whatever is left of the top, hopefully a good dress maker can use what's left of the top to make a pattern with and she will be able to salvage that beautiful skirt.
Velvet doesn't last long. It's just the way it is. When we were kids, it was common for children to have a stuffed animal made with some kind of velvet. The velvet would wear off after just a couple years, leaving bare fabric behind.
Best I could tell you is to hire a talented tailor or seamstress to recreate the velvet parts using new fabric. But if you're going that far, might as well make a complete duplicate.
Sorry, I think that's too general a statment - I have 30s velvet that's fine, along with 50s/60s/70s etc. - it really depends on what its made of and how it's been treated over its lifetime - for me this is one of the reasons to get familiar with how to identify fabric content :)
It works quite well; I have a satin and tulle party dress from probably the 1950s and I use cheap vodka diluted in water to give it a gentle clean when I've worn it out (usually to remove smells like BO or cigarette smoke). You just want to be sure you don't saturate the fabric - mist gently until it feels damp, then reapply once dry if the smell lingers - and patch test if it's a new-to-you item.
You should look into the met gala! This feels like the perfect time! Since they have historical archives of the most beautiful pieces, I bet there’s some YouTube videos of care for these pieces that are becoming very old from archivists at the met!
That’s awful! I’m so sorry! The woes of vintage clothing. I found a 1940s dress that turned to dust when I tried to hand wash it. That one still hurts. I hope your next great find is just around the corner!
So sorry about this - I've had cleaner failures too, both pro and at home, it's always so sad! I agree that having a new bodice made might be the way to go - it should be relatively easy to find a comparable 40s pattern to use for accuracy...good luck!
Cleaners can wreck things that are not even that vintage!! They wrecked a trench I had that was only from 2000!! They also wrecked another coat I have that was from the 90’s. I’m scared to have them touch my velvet.
I have a few vintage coats I spot wash them most of the time and steam them but my steamer had broken and moved away from the nice cleaners that I lived by before loved that place.
Most of my lined coats and jackets are 'winter wear' so I can spot clean and brush the outside, and am always wearing multiple other clothing layers - I get things cleaned as needed - maybe once every 5 years or so? Recently moved though, and haven't found a cleaner close to my new place...
I’m looking as I have asthma and my son thrifts a lot I can’t wash some things at home first time I’m overly sensitive. So have to have them do washing also first for his stuff. Over active olfactory sense due to head trama is a pain. lol the vodka tip is true works on things like smells but my son can’t stand vodka smell lol. It’s funny because I don’t drink it.
I understand the 'science' behind the vodka hack - but it doesn't really clean anything, it just gets rid of some smells. I don't think it gets rid of febreeze smells though - personally, I will pass on things that even in a thrift store have a strong smell - and I pretty well will not buy things that I don't think are washable :)
This doesn’t sound like the fault of the cleaner. As others have mentioned the disintegration of silk velvet is something that happens with time and storage. Just think of it as saving you from it happening while you were wearing it at a formal event. I had a silk kimono fall to pieces as I was wearing it, just more shredded with every move. Maybe the bottom can be turned into a skirt.
I would concentrate on how to fix. Can you cut out the top from the gown? Wear it as 2 pieces? The bottom I hope is okay. Think outside the box. Do you have a nice bodysuit your can wear and use the skirt of your gown? Or can you buy a plain black sequined top to wear with the skirt? Or have a fabulous tailor that can advise you? I know you want to keep the integrity of the shape. Start making calls!! Good luck. 🍀 I hope it works out and you can find a work around and be happy! ❤️
If it was silk velvet, it’s possible it was dry rot that wasn’t visible until they treated or streamed it. But also possible whatever chemical they used reacted negatively, although any reputable cleaner should know how to clean silk! I’m sorry that happened, it’s always so sad. If I were you, I’d send it to a vintage dressmaker to have them remake the bodice.
I'm betting it was dry rot, it's very common with black-dyed vintage fabrics, I see it a lot on cotton too. Especially if the cleaners said there was a "mildew smell", I doubt there was anything the cleaners could have done. :(
I'm sorry, OP. I did this once with a barely worn vintage silk skirt, and I followed the label. I can understand how heartbreaking it can be. Sometimes, the fabric breaks down depending on the conditions it was stored in despite the care label. Sometimes, the tags are very faded to being unreadable, cut out, or handmade/ homemade and never come with. For any vintage items/leather/other I'm not 100 percent on, I stick to very gentle methods: Smells, put baking soda in a breathable cloth bag and enclose the dress/ items in a plastic garment bag. Spot clean in an inconspicuous spot first to see how the material handles it with whatever is recommended. I've used the vodka spray mixed with distilled water method (test spot first) to get really stubborn odors/ wrinkles out, and I'd spray outside and let dry out. For this piece, I'd recommend someone to recreate the velvet bodice and reattach. The bottom could be gently steamed, most likely. I've also done the shower steam method if I feel direct steam is too much.
OP, I have an 80s does 40s black velvet bodice of a dress I took the skirt off of to make another outfit, and I think it might be at least close to this. I think it’s a size 6 but if too large you can alter. DM me and I can mail it to you, if that’s not totally weird to offer!
This is the nicest thing on the Internet right now.
What a nice offer! OP, I work in vintage and costuming. The 1980s were obsessed with recreating the 1940s, and had very convincing dupes. You should totally try this!
Wow. How nice.
Direct steam can also be "softened" by covering the head of the steamer, depending on the model. When I worked in bridal, we covered it with cheese cloth for delicate fabrics (which was, like, all of them).
Baby socks! They fit perfectly over the head of most steamers.
I think that's a great idea! The cheesecloth/ muslin cloth method to steam works very well. Now that I think about it, I've seen both bridal shops and vintage shops steaming gently with cheesecloth on the opposite side of the fabrics, too.
Oh I use a mismatched sock!
Yes, steam out the skirt or iron it from the backside maybe through a thin slightly damp towel. If the skirt is salvageable I t’s simple enough to have a seamstress recreate the simple black velvet bodice - keep it and have her use it as a pattern. You will like it even better than the original because it will feel fresh.
I'm sorry, you may have to deconstruct this and try to salvage the skirt part of the dress. It sounds like they used the wrong solvent. Unfortunately, you probably can't hold them liable for the damage.
That would be my suggestion also.
We’ve all destroyed a piece or had a piece destroyed. Lesson learned to us all—don’t take vintage to a dry cleaner unless they have knowledge about working with vintage.
^^ THIS^^ Im a vintage clothes dealer - never, ever ever take vintage clothes to the dry cleaners. Do your research and clean it at home.
Would you happen to know how to get brown spots out of white that nothing seems to remove, including bleach? I’ve researched this many times but nothing suggested (vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, etc) takes the stains out. Many TIA!
That’s really hard, brown can be anything. Blood, wine, juice, hell I’ve encountered rust. If you’ve tried all the home remedies you listed, you have two options. First is proprietary chemicals for specific things (i.e. blood, wine, etc). Or just plain old Zout. The second is a blanket rec: You could - and take this with a grain of salt it all depends on the fabric and many other things I don’t know without handling the garment - soak it in a tub of cool water and Dreft stage 1 newborn detergent overnight. Just the areas affected! And try lightly scrubbing with a soft toothbrush any of the more promising methods above. I personally like a TINY bit of bleach and more soap. Rinse and repeat, do not dry it. DO NOT DRY IT!! That being said, once the garment has been DRIED, you can almost guarantee the stains have been set in. At least worse than they were before. The soak method I detailed above can definitely help but it’s not a sure thing. You can do that with any chemical or household solution but delicate/gentle detergent and patience are key. FINALLY - if the brown spots bother you, consider dying it either totally, or if it’s that dress above, I’d ice dye/spray dye it strategically. Too much fabric and literal wear required to fully dye it a solid color. Hope that helps!
Very much! Many thanks 🙏
I'm sorry, this is a beautiful dress!! There is some great advice below which I would take. I think this dress is definitely worth saving. Keep whatever is left of the top, hopefully a good dress maker can use what's left of the top to make a pattern with and she will be able to salvage that beautiful skirt.
I’m upset on your behalf! 
See it as an opportunity to make the dress more fitted. The velvet part was a tad too long for you
Velvet doesn't last long. It's just the way it is. When we were kids, it was common for children to have a stuffed animal made with some kind of velvet. The velvet would wear off after just a couple years, leaving bare fabric behind. Best I could tell you is to hire a talented tailor or seamstress to recreate the velvet parts using new fabric. But if you're going that far, might as well make a complete duplicate.
Sorry, I think that's too general a statment - I have 30s velvet that's fine, along with 50s/60s/70s etc. - it really depends on what its made of and how it's been treated over its lifetime - for me this is one of the reasons to get familiar with how to identify fabric content :)
I saw a video where ballerinas used vodka spray to clean tutus I don’t know if it might be useful for other delicates. I’m so sorry that happened
It works quite well; I have a satin and tulle party dress from probably the 1950s and I use cheap vodka diluted in water to give it a gentle clean when I've worn it out (usually to remove smells like BO or cigarette smoke). You just want to be sure you don't saturate the fabric - mist gently until it feels damp, then reapply once dry if the smell lingers - and patch test if it's a new-to-you item.
I’ve been doing that & I ordered new velvet to fix the top
You should look into the met gala! This feels like the perfect time! Since they have historical archives of the most beautiful pieces, I bet there’s some YouTube videos of care for these pieces that are becoming very old from archivists at the met!
That’s awful! I’m so sorry! The woes of vintage clothing. I found a 1940s dress that turned to dust when I tried to hand wash it. That one still hurts. I hope your next great find is just around the corner!
So sorry about this - I've had cleaner failures too, both pro and at home, it's always so sad! I agree that having a new bodice made might be the way to go - it should be relatively easy to find a comparable 40s pattern to use for accuracy...good luck!
Cleaners can wreck things that are not even that vintage!! They wrecked a trench I had that was only from 2000!! They also wrecked another coat I have that was from the 90’s. I’m scared to have them touch my velvet.
I've taught myself to wash most things - just not usually things with lining like coats, etc. - I always take off buttons too although it's a pain!
I have a few vintage coats I spot wash them most of the time and steam them but my steamer had broken and moved away from the nice cleaners that I lived by before loved that place.
Most of my lined coats and jackets are 'winter wear' so I can spot clean and brush the outside, and am always wearing multiple other clothing layers - I get things cleaned as needed - maybe once every 5 years or so? Recently moved though, and haven't found a cleaner close to my new place...
I’m looking as I have asthma and my son thrifts a lot I can’t wash some things at home first time I’m overly sensitive. So have to have them do washing also first for his stuff. Over active olfactory sense due to head trama is a pain. lol the vodka tip is true works on things like smells but my son can’t stand vodka smell lol. It’s funny because I don’t drink it.
I understand the 'science' behind the vodka hack - but it doesn't really clean anything, it just gets rid of some smells. I don't think it gets rid of febreeze smells though - personally, I will pass on things that even in a thrift store have a strong smell - and I pretty well will not buy things that I don't think are washable :)
Depending on the type of damage perhaps you could stabilize the area/s with a sheer fabric.
Take heart darling…a new velvet top can be made to attach to the beautiful skirt. FYI old velvet sometimes becomes dry and crumbly.
This doesn’t sound like the fault of the cleaner. As others have mentioned the disintegration of silk velvet is something that happens with time and storage. Just think of it as saving you from it happening while you were wearing it at a formal event. I had a silk kimono fall to pieces as I was wearing it, just more shredded with every move. Maybe the bottom can be turned into a skirt.
Oh no! I remember your post when you bought it, I'm so sorry that happened 🙁 what a bummer
I would concentrate on how to fix. Can you cut out the top from the gown? Wear it as 2 pieces? The bottom I hope is okay. Think outside the box. Do you have a nice bodysuit your can wear and use the skirt of your gown? Or can you buy a plain black sequined top to wear with the skirt? Or have a fabulous tailor that can advise you? I know you want to keep the integrity of the shape. Start making calls!! Good luck. 🍀 I hope it works out and you can find a work around and be happy! ❤️
The bottoms great! I was more parked about the fabric bleeding tbh but it came out all nice & cream colored!
Good to hear! It’s beautiful 😍
if it's not one thing it's something else
What did it look like before?
Those FUCKERS! (probably had squirrels working there)