Made to bekept
How to care for your piece, and how to re-fit and restyle it, so the piece from one wedding can walk into the next.
Proudly by Yeshan Miras
A bridal lehenga is not worn once. It is kept.
Handwork like this is meant to outlast the day it was made for. Here is how to look after it, and how to give it a second life.
How to keepan heirloom
Choose the fabric of your piece.
Metal thread loves air and dryness, and dislikes weight, damp and perfume.
Keep it well
- Store flat or loosely folded in unbleached cotton or muslin.
- Place acid-free tissue between the folds and over the embroidery.
- Refold along different lines every few months, and air the piece in shade.
- Keep it somewhere cool and dry, with silica gel sachets to absorb moisture.
- Have it cleaned only by a specialist who knows handwork.
Please avoid
- Plastic bags and covers, which trap moisture and dull the metal.
- Hanging a heavy lehenga, which stretches the fabric under the weight of the embroidery.
- Perfume, deodorant or hairspray touching the piece.
- Direct sunlight and damp cupboards.
- Ironing over embroidery.
Velvet remembers every crease, so keep the pile free.
Keep it well
- Store loosely rolled or laid flat, with the pile uncrushed.
- Steam gently from the reverse side to lift creases.
- Brush lightly along the pile with a soft brush.
- Cover with a breathable cotton cloth.
Please avoid
- Sharp folds, which press permanent lines into the pile.
- Pressing or ironing directly on the velvet.
- Stacking heavy items on top.
- Rubbing wet marks.
Silk marks easily and needs to breathe. Let it.
Keep it well
- Wrap in soft cotton and keep in a cool, dark, dry place.
- Put on perfume and makeup before you dress.
- Refold along different lines every few months.
- Show any stain to a specialist cleaner quickly, and tell them the fabric.
Please avoid
- Water drops and damp, which leave rings on silk.
- Rubbing a stain, which spreads it.
- Hanging in the sun.
- Washing at home.
Fine borders and cutwork like to be rolled, not folded.
Keep it well
- Roll gently around a tube wrapped in acid-free tissue.
- Wrap in a clean cotton cloth.
- Handle by the plain areas and avoid pulling on borders.
- Keep latkans tucked in tissue so threads do not catch.
Please avoid
- Hard folds across the cutwork.
- Clips or pins on the border.
- Hanging by the corners.
- Tape or labels on the fabric.
This is general guidance for handwork and fine fabrics. For your own piece, message us and our couturier will advise.
From her dayto her daughter's
A piece can be worn again, by a daughter, a niece or a sister, made new for her.
-
1
Bring us the piece
A mother's lehenga, a grandmother's saree, or your own from years ago. Bring it to our Chandni Chowk boutique, or send photographs on WhatsApp.
-
2
We look closely
Our couturier studies the fabric, the handwork and its condition, and tells you honestly what can be kept, refitted or reworked.
-
3
Re-fit and restyle
Taken in or let out to new measurements. A new blouse, a new dupatta, a reworked border or a different silhouette, keeping the original handwork wherever it can be kept. We quote once we have seen the piece.
-
4
Her day
The same zardosi that was worn at one wedding, walking into the next.
Heirloom,answered
Can any piece be restyled?
How much does restyling cost?
Can I send a piece from abroad?
Bring usyour heirloom
Visit our Chandni Chowk boutique, or send photographs on WhatsApp, and our couturier will come back to you.
- Boutique
- FF-176, First Floor, Gali No. 2, Omaxe Chowk, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi 110006
- Hours
- Every day, 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM