Caring for and storing an embroidered caftan

A well-kept embroidered caftan lasts twenty years and is handed down. Badly stored or badly cleaned, it dulls, marks and loses its shape in a season. Here are the simple rules.

Cleaning: the right approach for each fabric

• Silk, satin, velvet, brocade, heavily embroidered pieces: specialist dry-cleaning, telling them there is embroidery and metallic thread. Avoid the corner dry-cleaner for a piece of value.
• Linen, cotton, cotton-silk, light embroidery: hand-washing is possible, in cold water, with a mild detergent, without rubbing. Press the water out without wringing, dry flat on a towel, in the shade.
• Between wears: often it is enough to air the piece overnight on a hanger. Only clean when necessary — every cleaning tires the cloth.

Stains: act fast, act gently

Blot (never rub) with a clean, barely damp cloth. For make-up or grease, a little fuller’s earth or talc left to work then brushed off. For anything else on an embroidered piece: do not try anything yourself, take it to a specialist cleaner and show them the mark.

Pressing and steaming

Always inside out, on low heat, through a pressing cloth. Never put the iron directly on the embroidery, the sfifa or the buttons. A garment steamer held 15–20 cm away, vertically, relaxes creases with no risk — it is our preferred method for takchitas.

Storage: the most important point

• A wide, padded hanger, never a wire hanger that marks the shoulders.
• A cotton or linen cover, never plastic: plastic traps moisture and yellows whites.
• Away from light: sun, and even strong artificial light, fade bright tones and dull gold.
• Never fold a piece across its embroidery. If you must fold it for travel, slip acid-free tissue paper into each fold and unfold it on arrival.
• Store the mdamma belt flat or rolled, separately.

Travel

Tissue paper, flat in the suitcase for a light piece; on a hanger in a cover, as cabin baggage, for a heavily embroidered takchita. On arrival, take it out at once, hang it, let the creases relax overnight. We pack every piece bought in the shop for transport.

Small sewing mishaps

An aqad button that comes off, a sfifa thread that pulls: do not cut anything, do not pull. Bring the piece back or send us a photo — a repair made early is invisible, a repair made late never is.

To understand how fabric reacts to care, see The fabrics of the caftan. For any question about a piece bought from us, write to us from the Visit us page.