Thread: Costume distress - advice needed

OK - this is really upsetting me! I bought an Eman Zaki costume second hand, but it had only be worn for photos by the original owner. The costume is made of a gold lycra fabric - quite heavy duty, gold on one side, brown on the other. When I received the costume there were a couple of blemishes on it - where the gold appeared to have worn off the lycra, revealing the brown base colour. The original owner said that she had received the costume in this condition.

I have worn the costume to perform a couple of times, aired it and stored it (in cotton pillowcases, inside a cardboard box). However, the skirt seems to have deteriorated in storage, and I am perplexed about why and what I can do about it. The deterioration has taken the form of the gold on the lycra 'disappearing', and the brown blothces spreading, and new ones appearing. To me they appear quite noticeable, although it's possible they are not that obvious when performing.

My question is - what is causing this deterioration, how can I prevent it continuing, and how can I disguise what has already taken place? Most of the splotches are on the back of the skirt, but there is one large one at the front. All have appeared/grown whilst the skirt is being stored. I would really like to preserve this beautiful costume, and dance in it many more times! Photos below to illustrate the problem (although the blotches don't appear that obvious in the photos...aaargh!)
D

Image of skirt - showing gold lycra/brown backing:


Blotches on back of skirt:



Blotch on front of skirt:

I have no knowledge or advice to give you, but wanted to sympathise. The pictures made my stomach lurch, as these costumes are not cheap, plus there is the emotional attachment. Is there anyway you could speak to Madam Eman about it ?

What a shame!!! I agree with Caroline. Contact Madame Emam to ask her for suggetions on how to deal with this. If you live near a university with a theater or opera department, you might try contacting the costume mistress to ask for suggestions on repair.

Folding and contact with other materials can cause the coating on the lycra to flake off. Hanging the costume may help.

I have a holographic gold LRose beledi dress but it is on heavy gold lycra and if there is any flaking or dissolving of the finish I can't see it.

Souzan

Thanks guys - however, I didn't buy this directly from Eman - I got it second hand from another dance - will that matter?
D

Deely,

The metallic fabrics stretch and lose their "metallicness" from what I can tell. I've got one metallic item and that's what happened to it.

It could also be a reaction of sweat and the metallic fabric.

In either case, there is nothing one can do short of painting the fabric over. I don't know how to test that for efficacy, but you can buy metallic fabric paints. Of course, you'd need to blend to get the right tone IF you could make it work - perhaps test a small patch on the underside.

I think it's worth contacting Eman and finding out what she recommends you do to repair.

I've had problems with the finish eventually rubbing off of metallic fabric, too. There's basically nothing you can do about it. I tried returning the fabric to the store with mine, but they were adamant and I was sure to never buy from them or that type of fabric again.

I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this with an expensive designer costume. The only possible solution I can think of would be to find a way to add design elements on top of the splotches to cover them (beads, appliques, etc.), which might work for a while until there are too many to cover.

I'm so sorry this has happened. I agree that hanging it might help. In my experience, folding so the metalic sides are touching seeming to make the "stick" together, which can lead to some of the metalic coating coming off when they are "unstuck." Definitely contact Eman -- it doesn't matter that you are not the first owner, as this is one of her costumes. If nothing else, she should be told that this fabric lot has "issues" so she can buy different fabric in the future (doesn't help you, but could potential save another dancer from facing this same problem down the line). And you never know -- maybe she has some suggestions. Good luck!!

Also no sympathy, just commiseration. That's the saddest thing ever.

Gold fabric paint seems like the best possibility, though getting a match might be hard. I hope Eman can give you some advice.

When I was with Andrea, helping her shop for merchandise in Cairo, I was always attracted to the metallics. But Andrea (who had experience working for Dahlal) told me they're too delicate to even pack up and carry around for vending, and the wear and tear from people trying them on can destroy them. I still gaze longingly at them, though!

Thanks all - useful suggestions!

Re. the hanging vs. folding - it is interesting that the rubbing off is only happening in the hip area, nowhere else on the fabric, despite the whole skirt being rolled - which makes me suspect sweat lurking, despite airing.

I will investigate fabric paint, although I wish I didn't have to.

Will also try and contact Eman for advice - does she answer emails?

Thanks for all your commiserations...
D

Yes a lot of metallic fabrics do this with wear, it's from sweat, stretch, and touching(you are probably mostly holding it in the hip area when you put it on and adjust it around your hips). Nothing can be done, as others have said. I'd be wary of the gold paint fix, as it would be temporary as well, from the same things:sweat, stretch, and touching. Unless anyone knows of a hardy, heavy duty fabric paint. Maybe real spray paint? I don't have any experience with it's durability on stretch fabric.
So sorry, it's very frustrating cuz metallics are so gorgeous.

Eeek, I'd be very wary of trying fabric paint, I suspect that could make it look even worse. Make sure you test it on a non visible spot first if you go down this route.

I hate to say it but if it's that type of lame' that rubs off, as it appears it is, it's just a matter of time - it will continue to do so. The first gold lame' skirt I ever made was so beautiful, but after a few wearings, was covered everywhere with "splotches" where the gold was rubbing off, and after a short time I had to retire it.

I'm a little surprised that a costume designer would choose that type of lame', but perhaps she didn't know that was going to be happening when she chose the fabric. Also, some of the big stars probably don't expect to be wearing the same costumes over and over again, so maybe longevity is not a high priority in her mind.

It's worth a try to ask her about it. Maybe something could come of it. You could probably at least extend it's life by hanging, etc. and maybe sewing some appliques over the bad spots, but mine eventually got blotches all over, not just in the sweaty areas. If you want photos in this costume, do it soon!

Gaaaah! This skirt has been hanging, without touching anything, for the last 48 hours....and new blotches have appeared on it (on the front hip area). So, it's clearly not a rubbing issue. I am beginning to suspect what others have suggested - that it is something to do with the rubbing/touching that occurs in the hip area when the costume gets put on. What is confusing, is that the same thing is not happening to the bra.

I am pretty gutted - I expected to get a fair amount of wear out of it..cr.: . Lesson learned.

I am also dubious about the paint remedy, but I may have to resort to that to make the skirt last longer. Perhaps I should wear gloves to take it on and off?

Thanks everyone for comments...<going off to sulk>
D

I have used glitter glue on fabric for other reasons and it looked OK. If the costume is going to die anyway, maybe this could extend it for a few more wears. Let us know what Eman says... I love metalics too....

Awww thats why i hate these metalic fabrics
Unfortunately it will happen, and we all learned this the hard way ...
Dont know exactly how the costume is, but for one friend of mine that she had a fuscia metalic costume, and this happened at the skirt, she added an extra sifon skirt above that, and made some small sleeves with the same fabric and here she goooooo with her new stunning costume !!!

Maria Aya

I would think that Eman would want to know that these costumes are not holding up and discontinue using the fabric - she has a great reputation for quality that I would expect she wants to keep.

hmmm - could it be a reaction to the natural oils/chemicals in our skin?
I maintain that it's a pulling/stretching thing but some metallics react to touching of any kind right? where are the chemists among us!? :)

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Gaaaah! This skirt has been hanging, without touching anything, for the last 48 hours....and new blotches have appeared on it (on the front hip area). So, it's clearly not a rubbing issue. I am beginning to suspect what others have suggested - that it is something to do with the rubbing/touching that occurs in the hip area when the costume gets put on. What is confusing, is that the same thing is not happening to the bra.

I am pretty gutted - I expected to get a fair amount of wear out of it..cr.: . Lesson learned.

I am also dubious about the paint remedy, but I may have to resort to that to make the skirt last longer. Perhaps I should wear gloves to take it on and off?

Thanks everyone for comments...<going off to sulk>
D

I'm not surprised that the metallic bits are coming off, but what I don't understand is that the spots seem to spread while in storage. Usually this is due to pulling, age, and body chemicals. If you aren't wearing the costume then I don't see how they could multiply.

i think that in chemical terms you have corrosion going on in your dress.
please read more from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion

whatever the reason for corrosion, when the process has started, you cannot help it, and it can be delayed also after exposure of certain things in earlier times.

sorry, without touching the material i cannot be sure but sounds to be this.
only thing i can imagine you can do prevent it from things causing it to be destroyed more (no direct sun shine, no folding...)

as a costume lover i am crying over those pictures. i have never had a metallic costume but i have had a metallic lycra club top which the gold flaked off. but never blotchiness like this. i think this is a common problem, i remember a dancer in MD telling me that it happened to a gold costume of hers, but i dont know if it was an eman.
definitely contact eman about this issue. it doesn't hurt to try!
good luck!

Oh gawd, what a gold lycra nightmare! I experienced a similar problem with a gold metallic lycra skirt that had this black backing - it was a troupe costume fishtail skirt some 6 years ago made from this gold lycra with a black backing. Just from handling it, black splotches were appearing on everyone's skirt - soooooo distressing! I would not recommend gold paint first of all, matching it is practically impossible and it might crack anyway.
Sadly, these trouble skirts were only passable for one performance and had to be scrapped; I used mine as a pattern to make a fishtail skirt for myself. I took a large piece of the "black splotchy gold stuff" to Britex and they told me that it was an incredibly inferior type of metallic lycra; impossible to work with it and practically no wearability. Is it possible you could make another skirt from better gold lycra? Because the problem is going to get worse and worse I know! I would definitely let Eman know what you have experienced; she should know if her gold lycra is having this problem to the degree you experienced just isn't acceptable.
I'm so sorry I can't be more helpful - I have numerous L.Rose gold metallic lycras and they've been in washer AND dryer and worn and worn and NEVER showed any black spots - but then, L.Rose is very picky about fabrics.

Just hearing your plight with this gold skirt is making me shudder, remembering the horror of the "troupe gold fishtail skirts"!

I think it has something to do with the moisture. When you danced in it, your skin came in contact with it (with some perspiration) and I think that caused the metallic sheen to change color / rub off. I don't know why it continues though.

I once had a very hot bathing suit, it was one piece, silver metallic. It looked soooo good. I don't hink I even ever went in the water in it.
Then one day I washed it, all the silver came off, and now it was a boring, black lycra one piece.

Marianna

It's the fabric, it just can't stand up to use and anything beyond the mildest of stretching. I know that fabric. I had a troupe bedlah made out of it. The costumer (ledgens) tried to talk us out of gold because it simply doesn't hold up over time. My top was designed to stretch more than the others, so it died first. It is my parts costume. The belt held up beacause it didn't need to stretch but the gaunlets, headband, bra....no. We'd been warned, so I couldn't blame anyone.

There is no saving it. The bald patches will stretch more than the still gold ones and it will spread.

No costumer who understands how a costume is to be used should ever use THIS particular gold fabric. Ever. And I can't understand how anyone could have thought it was ok to sell to another dancer.

Metallic is a beautiful fabric. Too bad that haven't made one that will last, or is so delicate.

Deelybopper, so sorry to hear about this beautiful costume!!! ..cr.:

I recognise that costume, is that the one with the ankh decoration on the front? I bought one similar from Eman in April last year. She told me she was using a different fabric for that particular costume because the original fabric didn't wear very well.

So sorry this doesn't help you, but at least she is aware that the fabric is problematic and no longer uses it.

hugs from the other end for the world xx jilyan

Hi jilyan - yes, it is that costume! Glad to hear that Eman knows the fabric is problematic, and thankyou for posting to say so - that makes me relieved in some way - at least it isn't something that I'm doing!
D

Hi Deelybopper,

This is so unfortunate, because the costume is just so beautiful! I would try adding fabric in between the beadwork - maybe a turquoise color - to cover the worn spots. It won't look the same, but at least it's still wearable. I wonder if there's any type of fabric spray or something you can apply to keep the rest of the skirt from doing this. Maybe a visit to a fabric store could help - you never know!

Another possibility would be to make another skirt in a more stable fabric, but the beadwork out like appliques, and add to the new skirt.

Souzan

And wear a sweat-soaking slip under it.

Maybe a seamstress could clip out the beadwork and attach it to a new skirt.

So is there a type of stretch metallic fabric that will work for costumes?
I would kind of like to incorporate some into a costume I plan to make.
What type do L Rose use that makes it ok?