Bought one of the beautiful 100% silk styles from the Olivia Darcy Debut Collection? We’re here to help you care for your silk number to ensure its longevity, and that its shine and soft qualities last you a lifetime.
Highly sought after around the world, silk is renowned for its beautiful qualities. Despite silk being one of the strongest natural fibers in the world, the fabric itself is incredibly delicate and requires special attention when it comes to cleaning, drying and storing to ensure it stays in pristine condition.
Does my silk garment have to be dry cleaned?
You’ll notice that on our care labels we state, ‘Hand wash cold or dry clean only’. While we advise dry cleaning over hand washing—purely to maximise the silk’s longevity—we understand that it isn’t always a convenient option, so we’ve provided a guide for washing your silk at home.
Can my silk be machine washed?
While it is entirely possible to machine wash silk, we strongly recommend against it with your Olivia Darcy. Due to the silk’s delicate quality, the constant turning motion of the machine drum is a little too rough for it. In addition, being a natural fibre, silk should be handled with the utmost care, including using silk-friendly detergent (as opposed to your usual washing detergent). However, even when doing this, you still risk residue from regular washing detergents or bleach from previous washes entering. There is just too much risk of damage to your beautiful garment, which is why we urge you to follow our care label advice for preserving your special garment.
How to hand wash & dry your silk:
- Fill a bucket or sink with cold water, anything under 30 degrees—ideally lukewarm is best.
- Add your silk detergent to the water and gently begin to submerge your silk.
- Once submerged, constant movement is key. Gently swirl your garment in the water for approx. 5-10 minutes for all smaller to medium garments. For longer, larger garments, swirl for the first 5 minutes then leave to bathe for no longer than 30 minutes.
- After washing for the advised period of time, remove your garment from the bowl, do not squeeze or ring the water out. Drain the soapy water & refill with fresh, cool water.
- Gently swirl the garment in the fresh water to remove any detergent residue before removing from the water.
- To dry your silk, you need to absorb any excess moisture. This can be achieved by gently pressing between a clean towel. Be sure never to twist the silk fabric.
- Once removed from the towel, leave your garment to hang dry or lay flat to air dry (avoid using pegs!). Please avoid direct sunlight exposure when drying. Silk dries fairly quickly so your garment should be dry within 30-60 minutes.
- If air dried flat or hung, your silk should be wrinkle free & ready to wear. If you need to remove any creases we always recommend steaming your garment rather than ironing. If you do wish to iron, use a low heat or special silk setting, or to ensure minimum risk of damage lay a towel between the iron and silk to prevent direct contact.
