services
Your wedding gown is one of your most precious possessions. It is a symbol of an important event in your life and should be treated with special care. Whether you are borrowing it from a relative or buying it new, your gown deserves professional attention. The key to beautifully cleaning and preserving your gown is to begin the process as soon as possible. Stains will not have time to set and/or oxidize, which can make it much more difficult to achieve complete stain removal.
As proud members of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, we are licensed to use the safest, most effective methods developed for preservation and restoration of all heirloom fabrics. A blind test of four nationally known gown preservation services conducted by the National Bridal Service proved our MuseumCare™ preservation is the cleanest, provides the safest packaging environment, and offers the most comprehensive guarantee.
Find Us
Chicago
3325 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
(866)-267-4560
Evanston
1920 Harrison Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(866)-267-4560
Evaluation and Inspection: All gowns are thoroughly inspected, and a written evaluation is completed and discussed with each client. Notes are made regarding fabrication, existing damage, and stain identification. Proposed remedies and potential results are detailed.
Wedding Gowns Are Processed On Our Premises: Many dry cleaners accept wedding gowns for cleaning, restoration and preservation but perhaps because of lack of technical skills and/or experience do not do the work themselves. Unfortunately your gown is sent off site and the company you entrusted with your gown is in fact not the company that performs the work!
Hand Finishing: Your gown is gently and completely hand ironed to perfection. This is the phase of the procedure where extreme care must be taken to follow the designer’s line and drape. Their creative designs as well as their unique and beautiful laces, embroideries, appliques, pearls, beads, and sequins demand a degree of hand finishing that only truly dedicated artisans have the skill and knowledge to provide. At Davis Imperial Cleaners, we treat each gown with the same care we would lavish on our own family heirlooms.
Post Inspection: You may arrange to inspect your wedding gown before preservation is completed. Should you desire to view the preservation of your gown, we will proudly accommodate your request.
Vacuum or plastic seals and other acidic materials damage gowns. Your finished gown is placed in a 100% acid-free archival-quality wedding chest. Our preservation specialist will wrap your gown in pre-washed bleached muslin beautifully detailed in lace and satin roses and personalized with your monogram. Our archival-quality 100% acid-free tissue paper is then placed in all the folds of your gown to buffer any potential wrinkles. Your Wedding Gown Specialist box is then closed and then gently slipped into a Treasured Memories muslin sleeve. Attached to every preservation are 100% white cotton gloves. After our brides put on their gloves, they are able to touch and see their gowns whenever they desire without damaging their dress. In fact, we advise our clients to open their wedding chest every year and let air circulate around their gown. This is of particular importance because natural fibers need to breathe.
Davis Imperial Cleaners offers a complimentary garment analysis. A skilled gown specialist will examine your garment with specialized equipment and then review the results of their inspection with you. With your permission, your garment will be hand cleaned, hand pressed, and expertly tissue shaped or provided with an archival-quality preservation depending upon the service that you select. It will be either once again ready-to-wear for this generation or impeccably preserved according to museum-quality standards for future generations.
Cleaning and Preservations: Accomplished in 16 to 20 weeks. Restorations are generally completed from 16 to 20 weeks.
Pricing: Museum-quality cleaning and preservations begin at $785. Prices are based on the silhouette, condition of the gown, fabrication, trims and embellishments, and the labor necessary to restore it to a like-new condition. All charges for cleaning, restoration, and/or preservation are prepaid. For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.
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