When I made the decision to wear my grandmother’s wedding dress on my big day in November 2014, I didn’t realize how challenging it would be to find a Colorado-based garment restorer competent and talented enough to restore this 60-year old bro...cade gown. This once-gorgeous gown had been through a lot, pulled in-and-out of storage over the years by three other brides in the family who’d worn it since my grandmother did in the late 1950’s. Brocade is a richly decorative, shuttle-woven fabric. Like satin, it should have a beautiful sheen and radiance about it, although years of handling had left my grandmother’s dress rather lackluster in appearance. Even worse, the gown had turned an unwearable, very deep yellow color after 50+ years of oxidation, about 8-9 shades darker than a typical shade of ivory.
Before I found Gold Label, I made dozens of calls in the Denver-metro area, all of which left me feeling either nervous or frustrated. Some cleaners admitted they were simply too afraid or too inexperienced to try to lighten this family treasure. “Sorry, we don’t offer that service,” they said. Others were quite willing and confident, but seemed to lack much experience working with discolored, antique fabrics, saying unsettling things like: “I’m sure a bleach bath will whiten the dress right up! Bring it on over!”
When I first spoke with owner Sunny Jung at Gold Label Restoration Labs in Greenwood Village, I knew I’d found the woman and establishment I could trust with this priceless heirloom. We’ve all heard of “dog whisperers.” You might call Sunny a “fabric whisperer,” with her intuitive talent working with materials of all sorts. But not only does Sunny just “have a knack” for fabric, she also continues to develop this talent, regularly travelling around the continent to attend trainings and conferences for professionals who specialize in cutting-edge, museum-quality garment restoration.
Sunny spent more than three months carefully and patiently restoring my grandmother’s gown to its original color and sheen. When the day finally came to pick it up, I coached myself in the car: “Don’t be disappointed if it’s still really yellow. You can always ditch the wear-your-grandmother’s-dress plan and buy a new gown at a bridal boutique.” When Sunny emerged with the gown, my jaw dropped. Comparing the restored gown with a fabric swatch I’d removed before the restoration process, the difference was truly unbelievable. The color was a perfect light ivory, the shade of designer wedding gowns sold at high-end boutiques. And the sheen of the brocade was absolutely remarkable… You could have sworn the fabric was produced last year.
As a bride, you work with dozens of vendors (caterer, venue, DJ, photographer, seamstress…). In my experience, the phrase “you get what you pay for” was never truer than in my choice of Gold Label Cleaners and Restoration Labs. I couldn't be happier I chose Gold Label, both to restore this antique dress before I wore it and to clean and preserve it afterward, in the event that another girl in my family chooses to wear it as her “something old.” :) Sunny and Gold Label come at my highest recommendation. You simply will not find more talented, knowledgeable, and trustworthy garment specialists in Colorado for vintage or new gowns alike.
-Sarah