While seats have been empty and theaters have been dark, costumes have hung in closets, warehouses, shops, and even dressing rooms waiting to again bring life to characters. As theater makers are beginning to unlock and reopen, some are more confident than others about what they might find on those racks and shelves. Now as many costume and wardrobe teams are working hard to assess, repair, resize, and in some cases remake part, if not whole shows, one begins to think about the fabric label statement: Handle with Care. We spoke with three companies who know a lot about costumes—Ernest Winzer Cleaners, Historical Emporium, and Pierre’s Costumes—on how to always care for and store costumes.
Ernest Winzer Cleaners
Having been in business since 1908, Bronx, NY-based Ernest Winzer Cleaners is THE go-to dry-cleaner for Broadway and Off-Broadway for over a century, even receiving a 2018 TONY Award for Excellence in the Theatre. Speaking with Bruce and Sarah Barish, the third generation that has owned and operated Winzer, Bruce offered some tips on storage and cleaning. His biggest tip, “do no harm” and that means never rub, if you need to dry up a spill—“blot it, never, never rub. It only seems like you’re cleaning it, but you’re actually rubbing it deeper into the fabric and you can even pull the color out of the fabric itself. That’s something as a cleaner we cannot fix.” A quick tip from Barish, “I often tell people to use a baby wipe. You’d be shocked what you can clean with a baby wipe and you’re not going to pull color out of fabric with it.”
Being proactive in storage care will also help avoid your needing to be reactive to damage. “If the costumes are not going to be in use, they should be cleaned before they are stored,” he maintains. “Also, costumes shouldn’t be stored in a musty environment, obviously. I think that the big worry right now—I’m sure throughout the country—is that a lot of these theaters are old, and storage in them may not have be the best for long term. As many probably didn’t get to clean the costumes before the shutdown, they will need to go through each costume to see how what needs special attention. They should all be cleaned now.”
Historical Emporium
Historical Emporium, Inc. is family owned and operated in San Jose, CA and has been an online costume seller since 2003. They sell authentic period clothing for men and women and cover Victorian, 19th Century, Old West eras as well as steampunk styles. The company sells to theaters, film and television projects as well as period reenactors, performers, and living history enthusiasts. Co-owner Alicia Allen’s advice on taking care of your costumes. “Be sure to protect fabrics from direct sunlight, to avoid fading. The ultraviolet rays (UV) from sunlight will not only fade the color from fabrics but will also cause it to breakdown and disintegrate, so be sure to keep your costumes in a dark room.” Allen further reminds us if you cover them with plastic, “leave air gaps so fabrics can breathe. If it must be sealed, be sure to use silica packs or another way to eliminate moisture that can cause mold or fabric deterioration.”
As theaters are evaluating costumes now that may not have been stored in optimal conditions she suggests, “It’s best to unbag them, and hang them somewhere a bit warm, but well ventilated. This will help remove any moisture and musty smells. It’s important to assess inside sleeves, trouser legs, etc., to avoid any surprises when it’s time to put on the show.”
Pierre’s Costumes
Dating back to 1876, Pierre’s Costumes is one of the oldest full-service costume and mascot manufacturers based in Philadelphia, PA. Their stock of rental costumes is well over a million pieces making them one of the largest costume shops in the country. Rich Williamson, owner of Pierre’s shared some of the procedures they use to clean and store their rental costumes upon return which might help theaters make their storage choices. “We quarantine all rental returns for a minimum of three days before touching them. We then launder or dry clean all returned costumes. We use a commercial dry cleaner who uses good practices and when returned, we leave the dry-cleaned costumes on a quarantine rack for at least two days before putting them away into our warehouse. Because we have over a million costumes in our stock, the time between different customers wearing costume is at minimum, one month.” Williamson knows how it is more important than ever to people that their costumes are clean and he suggest that you “work with a reputable company like us, who has taken the time to keep a clean work environment and has costumes in a safe properly maintained warehouse.”
All three companies advise vigilance and care because storage should not be the end of the road for any costume.
