Costume Care Instructions
Thank you for choosing Captiva Designs to enhance your costume collection. Your costume is part of your first impression in competition, which is an important aspect of your performance. Though our costumes are made strong to withstand the competitive seasons, please understand that even the highest quality fabrics and trims can be delicate. Your kindness to your costume can determine the length of it’s life. Proper care and maintenance will help you keep your new costume looking it’s best, so here are some tips to help you:
As a performer myself, the best luck that I have had is to hand wash (in the sink or tub) in COLD water with a mild shampoo, concentrating on the problem areas and getting the entire costume wet. This will prevent water rings. Once rinsed completely, I then roll the costume in a towel (it should look like a pumpkin roll or jelly roll) and very gently press with weight from my hands to get the excess water out and lay it flat to dry on a sweater dryer. If your costume has 3 dimentional appliqués such as flowers, hang dry it to prevent deforming appliqués. Placing a dry hand towel inside of the costume will help draw moisture out of the fabric and help dry it faster. Allow enough time for your costume to dry at least over night.
Never use Woolite or other wool wash detergents! These will ruin your metallic! (Sequins, lamae etc, ) It actually takes the color right out of sequins!!
Never put your costume in the washer or dryer. It may shrink, and it’s much rougher on your costume. Sequins will catch, fabrics can snag etc.
Never take your costume to the dry cleaners. I’ve seen the effects and they’re not pretty. Not only can the chemicals, heat and detergents esed ruin the metallic, but they also break down the glues used for rhinestones causing them to fall right off!
Embellishments are by no means indestructible. Some sequins, rhinestones and other trim may fall off here and there. The more wear, the more tear - it’s just the nature of it. TRIM loose threads, do not pull them. Re-attach strands of sequins as soon as they begin to come away from your costume to avoid a big unraveled mess. Use E6000 glue to replace rhinestones. If you need to replace items Captiva Designs will always be available for repairs at a charge if you would rather not try your hand at it. Just call to set up an appointment.
Thank you, again, for choosing Captiva Designs, your business is greatly appreciated! Captiva Designs is always willing to help you take care of your costume, so if you should ever need any further help, or if you have any comments or concerns, we are here for you.
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