A bridal lehenga is the most worked garment most of us will ever own — kilos of zardozi, stones and sequins on silk, net or velvet. Stored well, it stays wearable for a generation. Stored in the bag it came in, it yellows within a few seasons.
Clean it before you store it
Every lehenga leaves the event with perspiration, food, mehendi and hem dirt — invisible now, oxidised and permanent in six months. Have it professionally cleaned before it goes away.
Box, don’t hang
Heavy skirts stretch at the waist when hung. Fold with acid-free tissue in every fold, embroidery facing inward, in a rigid, breathable box — never polythene.
Refold twice a year
Open the box, air the lehenga in shade for a few hours, and refold along new lines so stones and threads do not crack at the same crease.
Finishers, spotters and fabric-care specialists. Writes the Journal from the finishing floor of The House of Laundre Luxe, Bangalore.
