CELEBRATE!
Life Is A Celebration.
ROBIN MILLER
Special to the Jewish News
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week doesn't go by that
Steven Saidman doesn't get
an emergency call from a
panicked bride-to-be.
That's understandable, because
Saidman runs Imperial Gown
Restoration, a company in suburban
Washington, D.C., that specializes in
restoring and preserving old wedding
gowns and rescuing new ones.
His customers come from all over the
country, says Saidman, who — like
many other restorers — has seen his
business increase since Sept. 11, 2001, as
people seek the comfort of a family
treasure.
Many of the vintage gowns Saidman
sees today come from the 1930s and
1940s.
Such gowns add something extra spe-
cial to a wedding, says Antonia van der
Meer, editor-in-chief of Modern Bride
magazine. She notes that many heirloom
gowns being worn today mirror contem-
porary styles harking back to glamorous
evening gowns of the 1930s.
Wearing a piece of family history is a
unique way to celebrate a family's tradi-
dons, van der Meer says. She strongly
suggests making the dress and its history
a part of the wedding if possible.
"If the person who originally wore the
dress is still alive, it would be fun to talk
to her about the dress and include any
information in the wedding program,"
she says.
Difficulties
Still, wearing a vintage wedding gown is
not just as simple as pulling one out of
the family cedar chest and taking it to
the cleaners or the tailor, says Jonathan
Scheer, president of J. Scheer and Co., a
New York-based textile conservation
firm that handles vintage wedding
gowns.
If a gown has not been cleaned and
stored properly, it may not be wearable
at all, Scheer says.
Gowns that have not been cleaned or
have been exposed to light or humidity
may have stains that have permanently
damaged the fabric. Food and perspira-
tion stains also can weaken a fabric to
the point where cleaning it creates holes
in the stained areas, Scheer says.
PAST PERFECT on page C18
Past
Perfect
There's more to
wearing
grandma's gown
than pulling it
out of a cedar
chest.