About two months ago, I received a vintage silk coat from a
client, accompanied by the following note:
Hi Stu:
Here's the coat I talked to you
about. I'd like to see if it's worth restoring. If Rave can't do
it, I know no one can. You can deliver it to the house or send it
to Chicago. If you don't think you can restore it, maybe one of
these days (name deleted) will do a movie in Hong Kong and I can
have a tailor copy it.
With thanks,
M.C.
Based on a further conversation with my client, I discovered
that the coat had belonged to her mother and was, at least, 40
years old. As it did not have a label or any sign that a label had
been removed, I assumed it was custom made for her mother.
From a restoration point of view, this coat presented a number
of challenges ...
- It had a funky, musty smell
- It was heavily water stained
- It was heavily soiled
- It was discolored in numerous areas
- It was light faded on the shoulders and along the sleeves.
In addition, the lining of the coat was very weak and had rotted
in places..
After careful examination, I determined that
key to this restoration was to remove the smell, soiling and
fading, while simultaneously retaining as much of the original
color as possible.
And the results?
The smell, water staining, soiling and discoloration have been
removed. A few stains remain but they are so light as to be
inconsequential. Unfortunately, the rotted lining could not be
saved and we elected to remove and replace it completely.
The results can be viewed in the before and after photos
below.
BEFORE
AFTER
No need for a Hong Kong tailor after all.
How can I help
you?