Country: America

Message: I have an imported wedding dress that is made from polyester with little plastic stars that are clear plastic. My wife wants the dress in a off-white or ivory color. Maybe could you help me as to who could dye this dress from the Philippines, or tell me the best way in directions how to go about this task. Thank you. 

I'm afraid that the two best approaches would be to 1, accept the dress in its current color, or 2, have a new dress made to replace it.

You cannot dye anything that is not washable; is there any reason to believe that this formal dress is washable? Lined formal garments tend not to be washable. When a dress does not contain care instructions, it is best to assume that it should be dry cleaned only, instead of being washed. Before dyeing anything, you must wash it carefully, in very hot water, to remove any invisible stains which will repel dye, thus leaving splotches in the final color.

Dyeing a polyester dress requires an immense cooking pot, large enough for the dress to move in freely; depending on the cut of the dress, the size of pot required may be five gallons or even larger. After buying this expensive dyeing pot, you should not plan to reuse it for food preparation.

The dress must then be boiled extensively with a special polyester dye called disperse dye. If you dress is not made to withstand boiling, then this will ruin the dress. You cannot dye a polyester dress with any dye that is intended for natural fibers; all-purpose dyes such as Rit, and reactive dyes such as Procion, will all wash off of polyester, having no chemical affinity for it. You will not be able to buy this disperse dye locally, but will have to mail-order it from a dye supplier such as PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or Aljo Manufacturing in New York. 

In dyeing this dress there is a serious chance that there will be a poor result. It would be worth it as an experiment on a thrift-store dress, but not for altering a new one. Natural-fiber dresses are much easier to dye a new color. Polyester dresses are difficult.

There is one hope for your dress: I've been able to find exactly one company that is willing to dye white polyester dresses to another color. See my page on "Where can I find someone to dye my clothing for me?". Most dyers refuse to even try to color polyester, but Manhattan Dyeing Service says that they do dye white polyester; they are therefore worth your contacting. You can contact them by phone or email, agree on a price, and mail the dress to them to dye. Since they are experts and have the necessary dyeing equipment, they provide the best chance of being able to dye your dress without ruining it.  

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