tulle skirt and travel

[bia]

My new ballgown has a tulle skirt, and I'm wondering whether it will be more difficult to smooth after travel to a comp than my previous chiffon ones. The wrinkles from its original shipment have hung out fine in the closet, but I didn't pay attention to how long it took. Am I likely to be OK with a steamy bathroom and/or puffing out steam from the hotel iron, or should I buy a travel steamer?

 

[Al Gisnered]

First you need to know what fiber the tulle is. Silk? Cotton? Nylon? Rayon? Silk, cotton, and Rayon will have a tendency to hang out in a steamy bathroom. Nylon - not so much. (But then it wouldn't have hung out after shipping.)

Were it mine, I'd take the gown, pack it as I will to travel, and leave it overnight. Next day, hang it in that steamy bathroom and see if it hangs out, and how long it takes. If it hangs out, no problem. If additional steaming is needed, I'd get a steamer and experiment with it well before I was under pressure at the competition.

I wouldn't trust the hotel iron, by the way. You don't know how it has been maintained, and it could suddenly give you a burst of rusty or lime-y steam all over the dress.

 

[bia]

Thanks! That all makes lots of sense.