Shrinkage in length..... - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Shrinkage in length.....

Sal

Veteran

Hi All,

I tend to find my clothes get shorter over time..... Now I know that if I get larger things get shorter, but in this case I don't think that is the case as I am the same size as when I added these items.

100% Viscose dress
Ponte dress
Cotton fleece hoodie- I think this one has shrunk all over after the first wash....
100% organic cotton knit dress

I wash either cold or 30 degrees C. I almost exclusively line dry my clothes - none of these have been put in the dryer.

What am I doing wrong - is it my fabric choice?

I am tallish so can buy dresses at a length I like and then find they become 1-2 cm shorter and I no longer like it as much. We don't really have long or tall dresses here either.

Thanks in advance
Sally

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from Preppy Pear

Brooklyn

Veteran

This happens to me too and it drives me crazy.

I particularly find it to be a problem with 100% viscose. I wash on cold, delicate cycle and line dry but still some things will shrink. I’ve also sometimes encountered it with cotton (but not Ponte).

I think Angie doesn’t recommend 100% viscose (hopefully she will chime in). I now look for viscose blends that have a little bit of elastane or nylon for shape.

I think modal (which is a type of viscose) is supposed to wash better but I’ve had mixed results with that too. Sigh.

SarahD8

Veteran

Blergh. Annoying. Any chance you could wet the item down and stretch it lengthwise?

Tina

Veteran

This has been my experience with various garments as well:-(
I would try ironing the viscose and cotton knit dresses while they are damp and see if you can coax some more length back out. I want to try this with a linen tee I put in the dryer by mistake.
The pointe dress has me scratching my head though, what blend of fabric is it?

Years ago I sewed children’s clothes out of a good quality cotton fleece. I always preshrunk the fabric but when you do it in large batches (I was preshrinking meters at a time) you can expect some more shrinkage with the first wash of the actual garment. This was what I would tell my customers. I always dried the fleece in the dryer. It could be that your fleece was not preshrunk. Sometimes it will state that it is made with preshrunk cotton.

Sal

Veteran

Brooklyn - Yes I bought the 100 percent viscose one and I saw a bit later Angie had advised against this fabric - but it was too late. I have had success with the fabric before but I guess weaves and quality vary. I have two modal tees that have stretched (out but not in length so they have become very much an underlayer for walks with a puffer jacket).

Sarah and TIna - I could and will try stretching the two dresses. The hoodie does not really matter as I wear it 80% of the time to and from the gym or lounging on the couch. The ponte dress is older and this one I should examine more carefully - maybe in this case I just prefer longer dresses now...... I am fussy with dress and skirt length on me and definitely prefer some lengths to others.

Joy

Veteran

I have seen this happen many times. Ironing Viscose or rayon usually restores the length but not guaranteed. Sometimes you can restore shrunken cotton or knit garments by weighting then to stretch some when wet and hung to dry. I use heavy wooden suit hangars clipped on the bottom plus more weight added as they dry.

Sal

Veteran

That is worth a try Joy. One dress is just basically a tee shirt dress but it was organic cotton and so not inexpensive. The other was a designer dress so whilst casual it was actually pricey. I like them both and will wear them come spring so if I can regain an inch or so it would make them look better.

Bijou

Veteran

Sal I have this problem with viscose, that and horrendous creasing in the fabric. I now have a policy of not buying the fabric. I did see a dress in bamboo crepe and wondered if this was viscose by another name?

Anonymous

ECK!!!!!!!! This is my greatest fear when buying clothing. Even half an inch can make a huge difference in how I feel about a garment. I'll follow with great interest.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I have had the same problem, Sal, and it's most noticeable (and frustrating) with dresses, that you really want at the length you purchase!

I agree with those who say you might get more length by "blocking" the items a bit while damp and/or ironing them damp. Otherwise, it's careful reading of labels and a bit of guesswork.

Sorry this has happened.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

This very issue is why I sometimes tend to buy an item slightly large rather than if it's even on the brink of being snug or short. Of course, then it turns out some things refuse to shrink when I want them to! Hehe

I agree with the advice to try hanging the item to dry, gently stretching it from time to time.

Anonymous

I have no experience with viscose but I'm guessing it retracts when it gets wet and doesn't necessarily relax, same with the ponte. The cotton items might shrink a tiny bit just from washing but you might be able to get the length back just by giving them a good shake when they're still wet.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It’s awfully annoying

Viscose is the worst offender. See blog post. Sorry I can’t ink to it. On my phone from a plane.

The dryer is the next culprit.

Inferior cotton, rayon and modal can be a mare too. Hot water is not a good idea unless items need to be sanitized - like sheets and towels.

I also press some items back into shape. Especially knitwear and natural fibers. That helps give them back their length after wrinkling in the laundry.

Runcarla

Veteran

What Angie says. I've had good luck with 'blocking' woven garments - iron on steam setting. If fabric is particularly delicate, I sandwich it between linen tea towels. No solution for knits other than to stretch and shape them while damp.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks all. I will definitely attempt the blocking with the dresses. The viscose one does crease a bit but it is not too bad.

I have become more fabric conscious this year and have added more linen and cotton as a result. I don't have much viscose but in future will only choose this in a blend......

I am often between sizes here in NZ - and when I fit the smaller size I do feel pleased I admit. And the length is the reason I do sometimes regret this.

nemosmom

Veteran

So frustrating! I have no experience or advice. I have had luck stretching out modal garments and rigid denim by washing them in cold, standing on the hem and gently pulling them to stretch them while they're still damp. Repeat a couple of times as you air dry. I've gained as much as an inch-inch and a half in jeans this way. That probably doesn't help with viscose...

Anonymous

Ugg! No solutions, since you said you're not machine drying. Just sympathy!

Anonymous

Hi Sal! Oh how I feel your pain! A year ago my wardrobe was mostly made up of rayon/spandex knit dresses. I found a brand I really liked at a secondhand store (which had already been shrunk) and it fit so well that I duplicated a bunch more from EBay. They fit me perfectly and I was thrilled. Then I washed them one by one, following the manufacturer’s instructions exactly, and lost a good inch to inch and a half in length! I was distraught! I need my dresses to at least reach the top of my knee or I am very uncomfortable.

I tried everything, soaking them in hair conditioner or fabric softener and cold water and hanging them dripping wet to dry by their hems (this would look very promising when they were wet—they would stretch out hugely!) but as soon as they were dry, BOING! They would bounce back to their shrunken state once again. Must have been the 7 or 8% spandex at work. I eventually passed them on.

I can’t tell if your dresses are knit or woven. I have had very good success getting woven viscose, rayon and tencel to stretch back out to its original size if hung up dripping wet.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks for chiming in all. Lovely to see you Claire!!

The expensive cream floral is woven, the black tee dress is knit.

It is frustrating isn't it as that inch in length makes all the difference.

Lessons for me:

1) No 100% viscose dresses
2) Err on the longer side if in between sizes.....

Preppy Pear

Veteran

I am sorry! My personal worst offender is rayon, but have had this happen with viscose, too - I never use the dryer, either. For better or worse, I have embraced dry cleaning to avoid shrinkage.