How do you store your evening wear?

danza.armonia

In acid free boxes? Hanging with or without some kind of cover?

I've been hanging my evening gowns in my closet with the original plastic covers over them. Some of these were opaque, though, so it was hard to tell what was what straight off the bat. Also, given limited closet space, I'm looking for ways to make it easier to see my everyday items (so that I use them) and gowns are definitely not everyday items.

Now that I'm doing a purge and closet re-org, I'm wondering if I should change my system. . .what are your thoughts?

13 years ago

General

15 replies

Latest reply was from Mia

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Evening gowns, are those like nightgowns? The few formal dresses I have are in a garment bag in my closet to cut down on the dust. But if you've got something floor-length, beaded, strapless, or anything where keeping it on a hanger for a long time might mess it up, storing it in a box may be a good plan. I know that post-wedding I got my wedding dress cleaned and then packed in one of those acid-free boxes with acid-free tissue paper, etc.

13 years ago

Jjsloane

Veteran

I think plastic is not so good - emits toxic chemicals or some such. I have mine (what little I have left) in canvas garment bags (supposedly they can breathe - which sounds creepy as I type it). If I had really good stuff I'd do the acid free route (like for my wedding dress like Laura did). I think if you segregated them into a certain type of bag and knew that bag was evening wear it wouldn't matter if it was opaque.

13 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I roll mine into a ball and stuff it into a back corner of my closet. Do not recommend!

13 years ago

danza.armonia

Active Member

Thanks for the answers guys!

Laura, where do you keep that acid free box? Is it sealed? Do you put cedar in the box?

Jjsloane, can those canvas bags fit more than one dress in it? I could put a picture of each of the dresses in there on it potentially.

Lyn, do you really?

13 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I do have a garment bag (from the BF's shopping in Seattle at Mario's) that I have my one satin and chiffon dress in. It does have both a clear plastic window you can see the fabric through and a spot for a card, or label, I suppose. That is my one and only 'fancy' dress that's stored lol!

13 years ago

Steph

Veteran

All of my (many!!) evening dresses are in garment bags. A few of my cocktail dresses are as well, although I have SO many cocktail dresses that most of those are just hanging in the closet without a cover.

13 years ago

Sunita

Veteran

Err...the only really nice clothes I have are my saris, including my wedding sari. And I *think* those are languishing in a suitcase in my basement.

Thanks for the reminder to find them and store them properly!

13 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

The only "nice" clothes I have suitable for evening wear are like 4th hand and smell terrible and I'd never wear them (nor should anyone else); hence in the corner.

13 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Lyn, that reminds me of a book I read recently that was set in Britain during WWII, and a whole female ambulance corps shared a couple of formal dresses since there were no new fancy dresses to be had - whenever someone had a date or went to a dance they could take their pick of the increasingly tattered choices. By the end of the war no one wanted to wear either ever again!

I'm pretty sure my wedding dress box is in the garage on a shelf.

13 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Both of my formal black gowns are folded up in either a box or in a plastic zip bag that came with a luggage set, intended to hold wet items. I figure if I ever want to wear them again I'll need to have them cleaned first, or at the very least iron them, so it doesn't really matter if they get wrinkled. My wedding dress is in an old suitcase under the bed. I really need to decide what to do with it.

Maybe I should find a better way to store them as part of my closet revamp plans...

13 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

My cocktail dresses are in a hanging garment bag in our spare basement closet. There is another hanging garment bag that holds out-of-season clothes and a couple of sentimental items (i.e., my grandmother's coat that is two sizes too big for me). The bag is canvas with a little clear plastic window so you can see the contents. I have one long gown from an inaugural ball four years ago that has its own long hanging bag -- the one in which I carried it home from Nordstrom.

13 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

I have one cocktail dress that I store on the hanger in the original store bag. I also store the shoes for it in the original boxes.

12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Evening clothes?!? What are these mystical things of which you speak

I have a toddler and live in Wisconsin. Formal around here means jeans in any color other than blue. Okay, so maybe not that bad, but pretty darn close!

12 years ago

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

Most of mine were in the closet in the spare bedrooms. Some of my favorites made it into a garment bag that was more fabric than plastic. A few are still in bags since the move and some did not make the cut including a beautiful deep teal silk with black beading and a godet hem.. *sigh*

12 years ago

Mia

Veteran

I have a custom made evening gown that was my grandmothers and she actually met the queen of England while wearing this dres in the 50's. It fits me but I have yet to have the occasion to wear a ball gown. I have it in a fabric garment bag and really should look at proper storage.
If I ever get an invite to the Oscars I am ready

The few cocktail dresses I have are in a wardrobe with doors (some ventilation holes). So far so good.

12 years ago

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