Storing Vintage (or Precious) Clothing

Could self storage be the answer?

Space is always tight, especially in a bedroom. So where are you going to keep the clothes that you virtually never wear ‒ but which you cannot bear to throw away? Perhaps it’s a vintage Christian Dior 1950s New Look dress that you stumbled on in a charity shop; or an inherited 1930s tail-coat, or a complete white-tie outfit, Fred Astaire-style. Or the wedding dress, worn once, forever cherished.

The average bedroom might tolerate a few of these items, but if you’re heading towards a collection that takes up space needed for items in more frequent use, you are going to have to seek alternatives.

Clothes should be stored in a place that is clean, airy and dry (moisture and damp invite mildew and mould), dark (light harms fibres), and pest-free (clothes moths, carpet beetles and “woolly bear” larvae, and mice can cause ruin).

Clean, airy, dry, dark, pest-free… hmmm… that sounds like self storage ‒ self storage of the modern, purpose-built, warehouse variety.

In fact, the conditions in a modern self storage facility are near perfect for storing clothes.

But what’s it worth?

There are precious clothes ‒ clothes you are emotionally attached to (yes, that wedding dress). Then there are vintage clothes, such as an authentic Mary Quant dress from the 1960s, or a 1920s dropped-waist, beaded flapper dress. And what about antique clothes: a Victorian embroidered waistcoat, or a brocaded silk robe of the 1770s? Any of these could be worth £200 to £2500, or more.

Some clothes, of course, can be worth much, much more ‒ especially if they have celebrity connections. Witness Pricess Diana’s 1981 black taffeta dress, from the Emanuel Collection, which recently sold at auction for £192,000. Such clothes are unlikely to end up in self storage. But note that the market in vintage clothes is highly unpredictable: fortunes have been made by canny buyers spotting bargains ‒ a little Ossie Clark number unearthed at a jumble sale. Storing old clothes ‒ and carefully ‒ may be wiser than you (or perhaps your partner) think.

So how do you store clothes carefully? Of course, the care (and expense) taken should be commensurate with the value of the item.

Acid-free

Starting at the top: antique and valuable vintage clothes are best stored flat, in cardboard boxes. Top-of-the-range “archival” textile storage boxes are made for museum-standard conservation and are very expensive (£25 a box or more). But they are “acid free”: untreated wood-based paper/card products contain acid which damages textiles over time, causing yellow spotting and general deterioration. So museum conservators will use specially-prepared acid-free boxes, lined with unbleached cotton muslin.

It may well be worthwhile investing in an acid-free box for a wedding dress; but it is possible also to use ordinary, lidded cardboard boxes lined with washed cotton sheets, or at least two layers of acid-free tissue paper. (Acid-free tissue paper is available at most major self storage facilities, at moderate prices of around £3 for 40 sheets.)

Fold your clothes gently and loosely into the box; place sheets of acid-free tissue paper between the folds. Avoid tightly-pressed folds or creases: they damage the fabric. Instead, be prepared to bulk up folds and sleeves with scrunched-up acid-free tissue paper. Flat items (such as strips of lace) can be rolled around cardboard cylinders ‒ protected, of course, with acid-free tissue paper.

Stack clothing loosely in the box, with heavier garments near the bottom. Shallow, lidded boxes are best, so no item of clothing is pressed down by the weight of others; but the boxes can be stacked one on top of the other.

It is best to keep white fabrics separate from coloured ones, as dyes can migrate.

Put a layer of acid-free tissue over the uppermost garment, and cover the box with its lid. Do not seal the box. To stay in good condition, fabric needs air and space to “breathe”. For that same reason, do not use plastic boxes, or any plastic bags or sheeting.

Avoid coat hangers!

Hanging garments from coat hangers puts a strain on the shoulders and waistlines, and can cause distortion, or damage to the stitching. Of course, this rule applies really to precious and/or vintage or antique clothing above all ‒ but also to woollens and any knitted garments, or bias-cut fabrics.

For practical reasons, however, hanging clothing may be the best solution. So if you must use coat hangers, avoid metal ones, which can cause staining, or stretch the fabric: use wooden or (even better) padded ones instead.

You can buy specially-made cardboard “wardrobe boxes” (fitted with hanging rails) in the larger self storage facilities. But if you have a great many clothes to store, you could use a large hanging rail of the kind used in clothes shops. If you are doing that, however, be sure to cover your clothes with a dust sheet ‒ ideally a fitted dust sheet made out of washed white cotton sheets.

Clean clothes

Clothes are best stored clean. Dirt and soiling can cause long-term damage and discoloration. Of course, how you clean your most precious clothes will depend on their age, value and fragility.

The best of them may have to be cleaned by specialists, or by dry cleaners with specialist knowledge. But gentle hand-washing, in lukewarm water, with a soft soap (not a detergent) may be possible for simpler garments ‒ but check for colour-fastness first. However, note that all fabrics will be damaged and weakened by repeated washing (and ironing), so don’t overdo it!

Pest control

The best deterrent for pests is cleanliness. If you are worried about moths and other insects, you can put mothballs, or equivalent chemical deterrents, in close proximity to your clothes, but make sure they do not come into contact with the cloth. Be careful to air a garment this has been done to before wearing it, as it can take quite a while to get rid of the chemical smell.

Regular check-up

So you’ve put your treasured collection of vintage clothing in self storage. Out of sight, out of mind? That’s unlikely ‒ but do be sure to inspect it from time to time. Ideally, once a year, you should open the boxes, remove the garments and check them for insect and other damage. Then refold them slightly differently, with fresh acid-free paper, before returning them to their shelves.

2 Responses to “Storing Vintage (or Precious) Clothing”

1. Wendy says:

   June 27, 2010 at 8:54 pm

   I love the sentence – “Clothes are best stored clean.” – I must tell my husband and children that several times a week! Now I have it in black and white

2. Helen says:

   July 10, 2010 at 1:41 pm

   If I stored an item of clothing in an acid free box with linen sheets would this also help to reserve the smell of the garment?