Coroplast or Plastic Boxes

There are several companies out there trying to convince people to preserve their precious garments in plastic boxes or coroplast. Think of plastic bins or the crates that the US Postal Service uses to hold mail and this is exactly what I am referring to. We already know from DLI or the former International Fabricare Institute that to use this type of box: * Humidity must be low when boxing * Cold or humidity can result in localized condensation/mildew * It can cause color migration * It will generate electrostatic charge which damages fibers. I have received many calls over my 17 year career with Foster-Stephens' from brides or dry cleaners dealing with a dress that was in a Foster-Stephens' box and had survived a fire with either just smoke or water damage. These gowns were saved because they were as good as new with a cleaning. The joy was so evident that these treasured memories were rescued that these people would take the time to find someone here at the office to say thank you to. We also know that plastic melts unlike cardboard. When I heard the following story today I was heartbroken for this woman. Many of her precious clothing items and keepsakes could have been saved if only it was packed in cardboard. This wedding gown preservationist said that the woman came in her shop and said she had been living in a condo. Last February, someone in another unit fell asleep with a lit cigarette and fourteen units were destroyed. She had finally for the first time been allowed into what had been her unit. Anything in plastic was not only destroyed due to fire and melted plastic but also smelled horrible. The plastic storage containers in her closet were destroyed with everything in that closet. Although it was very difficult to recognize and find anything in the debris, the bride did know the location of some things that were important to her. She rescued some heirloom bed linens and other things that were hanging in an auxiliary closet. She also rescued some crystal, shoes and a few other things that were packed in paperboard boxes. Fires are devastating as it is. Pack your precious items in cardboard so they at least have a chance of survival. With the expediency of first responders, fires are often under control before destroying everything. Smoke, water and heat damage can be extensive but not enough to destroy cardboard. It will not melt!

Happy New Year Everyone! Let’s hope 2012 is a return to a more stable economy and less worries the world over. Foster-Stephens’ made it through our 75th anniversary with a lot of celebration and plans to move forward for the next twenty five years.
Our new website is now up and running and appears to be a success as we are seeing a lot more traffic than previously. We are also able to offer more choices for embroidery on our muslin items. All of our bags now come with muslin hangers as it is essential to have the proper kind of hanger for long term storage of gowns and other fine textiles.
We will be adding to our muslin line this year due to its popularity. One of the items will be small drawstring muslin bag for small accessories like straps, buttons or beads. These can also be embroidered as a means of handing out a goody bag at a wedding, for personalized gifts for the bridal party or to just hold something special from your wedding day.
We would love to hear from our customers. Please email us at info@foster-stephens.com with your suggestions and comments.

Preservation Testing in The Wall Street Journal

I have talked about the different methods of preservation that are out there on my previous posts. The Wall Street Journal has done a wonderful article on the testing of four different preservation companies.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304760604576427881302862532.html?KEYWORDS=GOWN+CLEANING

The article talked about the “poor packaging” by one of the assembly line plants. I have yet to see an actual acid free box come out of one of these plants. This article called them flimsy which is not good for storage in a closet. The plant is wholesaling and needs to keep costs down. They also choose to shrink wrap the box. Is this to hide dirt and stains still left on the dress? The dresses tested here were unsuccessfully cleaned as discovered when opening the plastic and VOIDING the guarantee. They even offer to reseal for another fee!

There is no purpose to shrink wrapping the box except to keep people out of it. How can you change the folds around every 2 ½ years to prevent permanent creasing? How can you change the acid free tissue out every 10 years (if they are even providing acid free anything) or frequently check for any carmelization on the dress? What this plastic can do is keep moisture inside which will cause mildew. If there is a purpose to this method why does the Smithsonian not use it? Their textiles are much older than your wedding dress or child’s baptism gown that you wish to preserve.

If you care enough about your garment to have it cleaned and boxed then select a reputable cleaner. There are many across the country and we are happy to always recommend the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. They use only archival materials for Museum Quality preservation and you can find them at www.weddinggownspecialists.com.

If you ever have any questions feel free to email us at info@foster-stephens.com.

Choose a Preservationist Carefully!

The Wedding Season will soon be upon us. One of the last things a bride normally thinks of is who will clean her gown. She maybe planning on selling it or will decide later on or maybe she knows that this is one special part of her very important day that she cannot part with.

Either way, the time to look for a preservation specialist is before the wedding takes place. For success in removing most dirt and stains, the dress should be cleaned within 3 weeks after the wedding. This is very important if you are planning to sell the dress for a good price and it must look "brand new" or if you plan to keep it as a family heirloom.

The first question to ask the preservationist is if they will be doing the work inhouse. Some dry cleaners will mail off the dress to a company that does an assembly line style of cleaning and packaging. Your precious gown will receive no special care. This type of business will not care if you know that you spilled champagne on your sleeve or that your missing a bead on the left hand side of the bodice. These type of assembly line plants will use non-archival materials to package your dress because the wholesale work makes it necessary to cut costs.

If you buy the service through your bridal shop, ask to whom they are sending the gown as well. If they are using a local gown specialist then most likely they are not using these type of plants.

These plants will also shrink wrap your dress and send you literature that saids its the best way to preserve it. If that were true, then why do museums like the Smithsonian not do this? Air is important for preservation and sealing it in plastic can cause all kinds of problems like mildew. Most importantly, ARE THEY JUST TRYING TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM YOUR DRESS. Is it actually clean? Is is repaired? Has the hem been properly whitened and freed from the dirt caused by dragging on the ground?

Use a preservation specialist who will pack the gown in front of you after cleaning. Make sure they use archival materials only. Check the gown periodically by wearing cotton gloves. Listen to your preservationists instructions on where to keep the gown in the house. All of this will add up to a beautiful family heirloom and a wonderful memory of your wedding day. If you plan on selling, make sure they hang it in a proper archival style bag that will still protect it from unltraviolet rays and contaminants in the air.

The Gimmick of Shrink Wrapping

If you are a bride to be or a new bride preparing to take your dress in to be cleaned and preserved, please beware. It is very frustrating for me in this year of 2010 to hear that cleaners such as wholesale, assembly line plants that clean gowns, are still selling a service that includes this method. Buyer beware! Think of your grocery store. Years ago, many items were shrink wrapped to keep in freshness. Since inside packaging has improved, I cannot think of a single box that is still wrapped in plastic at the market. The only items I can think of that are still shrink wrapped are items in which the manufacturer WANTS to keep YOU out. Those items are CD's and DVD's where they want to prevent theft or prevent you from a return upon opening. Bottom line is to keep you from whats inside.
That is the true reason why your gown may still be shrink wrapped depending on whom you take it to. Some dry cleaners will send it out to a third party to be cleaned. Some refuse to honor their warranty if you break the seal. What are they fearing? Some may have just refused to change to a modern approach. When I first started in this business in 1995, Leeza Gibbons had her own show and she was doing a segment on preserving gowns. She brought her own preserved gown to the studio and opened it in front of a live audience. When she tore off the shrink wrap, she discovered that her gown was not inside. The only things it contained were her veil and petticoat. Unfortunately, I have heard similar stories over the years. Wrong dress, dirty dress, missing veil etc. Not all of the places are out to scam you but why bother with shrink wrapping if it serves no purpose and hampers you from properly caring for your gown?
First and foremost, your gown needs to be properly cleaned. Second, the container used for your gown should be acid free or archival. I have not seen a large facility who shrink wraps use an archival type of box yet. Third, it is important where you store it at home. Attics and basements are bad because of vast temperature and humidity changes. In a closet or under a bed, away from your registers and light is the best. Check your gown approximately every 18 months to 2 years. Be sure to wear cotton gloves so that you do not transfer hand oils to the fabric. Check for any carmalizing spots and yellowing. Change the folds on the gown to prevent permanent creasing. It is a good idea to change the acid free tissue every 5 years as well. The paper in a Foster-Stephens' box has a life expectancy of 1000 years but the box and tissue are what is obsorbing chemicals and pollutants from the air to protect your gown. A muslin cover makes a nice addition for protection and will help the tissue last much longer. And remember, your gown needs to breathe. Do NOT wrap it in plastic. Do museums? Absolutely not. Why would you. Shrink wrapping is just an old gimmick to make a bride think her dress is being kept "fresh". It has nothing to do with "preservation" and may in fact hinder the application by trapping moisture on the inside of the plastic which will promote mildewing of your dress. It also creates an environment that has an electrostatic charge. It will also cause permanent wrinkles.
So if you are a bride seeking to clean and preserve your dress, make sure you can handle your dress when you choose so that it may be checked and cared for. Preservation is a long term process. The length of this process is for as long as you plan on keeping your precious memories.

Foster-Stephens' 75th Anniversary

2011 is a big year for us. In 1936, Elmer (Bill) Jones began the business by selling marketing signs to dry cleaners. He first opened with a small building on Christina Ave. on the southside of Chicago. In 1968 he moved to a larger facility in Skokie where we remained for 41 years. We are now located in Elk Grove Village near O'Hare Airport. 75 years after Mr. Jones opened shop, we are the biggest Preservation Box manufacturer serving the industry in the world. We have the largest, most comprehensive line available. We have many new exciting things for the coming year. Lets look back on 1936:

- Construction of the Hoover Dam was completed.
- In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Nazy Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.
- Bruno Richard Hauptmann is convicted of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh III and is executed in New Jersey.
- Italy annexes Ethiopia.
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is published.
- The 1936 Summer Olympics open in Berlin, Germany, marking the first live television coverage of a sports event in world history.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt attends the dedication of Thomas Jefferson's head at Mount Rushmore.
- The first edition of Life Magazine is published.

It was also the birth year of ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK, BUDDY HOLLY, JOHN MCCAIN, ROBERT REDFORD, DENNIS HOPPER, ALAN ALDA, BURT REYNOLDS, URSULA ANDRESS, JOHN MADDEN, GLEN CAMPBELL, RUTH BUZZI, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, MARY TYLER MOORE, DICK CAVETT, MICHAEL LANDON AND BUDDY GUY.

Muslin Accessory Bag

We now carry the small Muslin Accessory Bag so that you can store other items with your garments you are preserving. These accessory bags are 18” x 12” with a 1” gusset. They have a convenient white plastic zipper for easy closure.
If you are storing your wedding gown you may want to pack a tiara, veil, shoes, garter, gloves or purse in with your dress. With our Muslin Accessory Bag your items will be stored safely.
If you are storing your child’s christening outfit you may want to pack in a certificate, candle, cross or bible.
For a prom dress you may have a dried flower, jewelry, shoes or photo.
So many different additional items can be packed safely in our storage bag. Store your precious memories carefully and use our new Muslin Accessory Bag inside your Preservation Kit.