kittyinva asked: Hi. Congratulations on your successful bids at Mossgreen auctions. I am curious: concerning the lovely peach-colored gown, do you intend to have the missing beads replaced? Do you do it yourself or do you have someone who is expert at it? I don't know why I was wondering, but I was! And I'm so hoping you conserve the gowns, shoes, accessories etc well. Your collection is quite wonderful. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hallo - and thank you for the kind comments! Yes, the beads will be replaced. I’m fortunate that my mother is extremely good at restoration, and I work at a museum and have colleagues in conservation to consult if needed. In this case, it’s a comparatively easy job - they’re small clear bugle beads, and it’s not difficult to find them from the right period. The cotton base is also very solid. Sometimes you have to look for matching beads in the hem of the gown etc. I try to store my gowns as close to “best practice” as possible (usually in conservation boxes with acid free tissue paper, checked on a regular basis for signs of deterioration and padded/refolded as necessary to prevent fabric stress). If worn, I always try to retire them before they show signs of stress - I have dresses packed away that I’ve been asked to wear “just one more time”, but I’d rather pass them on for people in future to enjoy.
