Can most lolita dresses go through the wash?

[Generic Brand Waifu]

like maybe some of the lacier btssb dresses?
or just any of the high priced dresses?
I don't want to spend a gob of money on something only to find that I can't wash it. :/

[spuntino]

It depends almost entirely on the dress in question. Most are either dry-clean only or spot-clean only, but some can be handwashed. Red and black prints/solids are generally known for being the most notorious when it comes to running when wet. You can get colour catchers that prevent the dye from bleeding into lighter areas, and that helps, but it also means that some prints will fade the more often you wash them.

You can wash blouses, socks, and smaller items in a lingerie bag in the washing machine safely, but the dresses are generally too delicate. And even the smaller items should generally be line-dried or dried flat (so that you can block the lace and make sure it's lying flat/even).

This isn't unusual for expensive garments and isn't specific to lolita fashion, either. Most higher end/expensive garments are dry clean only, because it's the best way to maintain them. The reason cheaper garments can be thrown into the washing machine/dryer is that many of those shops have a philosophy that you wear the garment either for a season (when it goes out of style) or until it falls apart. When either happens, that garment is discarded. So it doesn't need to hold up as well.

Within a fashion that mostly ignores traditional fashion seasons, those same standards to not apply.

Some brands do allow machine washing (a few indie brands and Taobao brands).

[The Nekomimi]

As the person before me said, it depends on the dress.

Here's a list of dresses that can/can't be washed: http://egl.livejournal.com/14953249.html

[Marokia]

Honey all things come with their cons.

The thing is that, fortunately, unless you have the ability to get things extremely dirty extremely fast, many lolita pieces can wait a few wears before being washed.

Like spuntino said, it depends on the dress. baby the Stars Shine Bright and I think a lot of high priced name NAME brands are in the harder to wash scenario.

To add onto spuntino, I'm pretty sure mos of Bodyline's stock is machine washable. But even going just a little higher in quality (including F+F) the amount of ways to wash something quickly dwindle.

I remember there being a wash tag or something about washing lolita somewhere.

[Generic Brand Waifu]

Marokia

Honey all things come with their cons.

The thing is that, fortunately, unless you have the ability to get things extremely dirty extremely fast, many lolita pieces can wait a few wears before being washed.

Like spuntino said, it depends on the dress. baby the Stars Shine Bright and I think a lot of high priced name NAME brands are in the harder to wash scenario.

To add onto spuntino, I'm pretty sure mos of Bodyline's stock is machine washable. But even going just a little higher in quality (including F+F) the amount of ways to wash something quickly dwindle.

I remember there being a wash tag or something about washing lolita somewhere.

I'm a bit clumsy and I'm afraid of spilling something on a dress while eating something at a tea party or convention. Also I'm a very sweaty creature who tends to very quickly wind up with pit stains on lighter colored fabrics. Those are my concerns...but if I can keep the dresses clean and go several years without washing them then that can work.

[Marokia]

That Cat Who Eats Ramen

Marokia

Honey all things come with their cons.

The thing is that, fortunately, unless you have the ability to get things extremely dirty extremely fast, many lolita pieces can wait a few wears before being washed.

Like spuntino said, it depends on the dress. baby the Stars Shine Bright and I think a lot of high priced name NAME brands are in the harder to wash scenario.

To add onto spuntino, I'm pretty sure mos of Bodyline's stock is machine washable. But even going just a little higher in quality (including F+F) the amount of ways to wash something quickly dwindle.

I remember there being a wash tag or something about washing lolita somewhere.

I'm a bit clumsy and I'm afraid of spilling something on a dress while eating something at a tea party or convention. Also I'm a very sweaty creature who tends to very quickly wind up with pit stains on lighter colored fabrics. Those are my concerns...but if I can keep the dresses clean and go several years without washing them then that can work.

If you go for years inbetween wears, then yeah. But you probably still need to clean them with like... every three or four wears? I don't know.

There are ways of getting around of staining things. You can spread napkins upon your lap and stuff one into the top of your blouse or JSK. And pits stains are rather avoidable. You can wear an undershirt or those specially made armpit cloth things. Also prescription deodorants can do a lot.

[legnanellaf5]

That Cat Who Eats Ramen

Marokia

Honey all things come with their cons.

The thing is that, fortunately, unless you have the ability to get things extremely dirty extremely fast, many lolita pieces can wait a few wears before being washed.

Like spuntino said, it depends on the dress. baby the Stars Shine Bright and I think a lot of high priced name NAME brands are in the harder to wash scenario.

To add onto spuntino, I'm pretty sure mos of Bodyline's stock is machine washable. But even going just a little higher in quality (including F+F) the amount of ways to wash something quickly dwindle.

I remember there being a wash tag or something about washing lolita somewhere.

I'm a bit clumsy and I'm afraid of spilling something on a dress while eating something at a tea party or convention. Also I'm a very sweaty creature who tends to very quickly wind up with pit stains on lighter colored fabrics. Those are my concerns...but if I can keep the dresses clean and go several years without washing them then that can work.

Dresses will likely not touch your body much so you dont have to clean them often, but going without doing any cleaning for years is a bit much. Just think about how gross it is and what you need to do when deciding on cleaning. Blouses tend to be easier to clean anyways, but there are stuff out there to help with the pit stains.

Personally I do it based on what I did with the dress. Some just need airing out, some need spot cleaning, some need to just be washed. Prints may run so you should do a check with waist ties, but hand washing is an alternative to dry cleaning if you are good about it.

[Princess JessieKate]

I have one dress that I've been too terrified to actually wash because it's black with white lace, (it'll probably be fine, but...) but everything else I own, including every Baby, the Stars Shine Bright piece, has been though the washing machine. If you don't have money for dry-cleaning, just avoid red things, very dark things, dryclean only fabrics and apliques.

But like other people said, I usually wear dresses, skirts and jumpers 2-3 times before washing. Excess washing will make them wear faster, and I want my babies to last forever. (I've had my first brand piece for almost 7 years now, and I've worn it at least 40 times, I think.)

[Generic Brand Waifu]

Princess JessieKate

I have one dress that I've been too terrified to actually wash because it's black with white lace, (it'll probably be fine, but...) but everything else I own, including every Baby, the Stars Shine Bright piece, has been though the washing machine. If you don't have money for dry-cleaning, just avoid red things, very dark things, dryclean only fabrics and apliques.

But like other people said, I usually wear dresses, skirts and jumpers 2-3 times before washing. Excess washing will make them wear faster, and I want my babies to last forever. (I've had my first brand piece for almost 7 years now, and I've worn it at least 40 times, I think.)

Problem with avoiding black and red is that I'd be getting into primarily Gothic Lolita. I'd be wearing the dresses on special occasions mostly...like tea parties and anime conventions, perhaps occasionally out shopping. If I don't have to dry clean them too often then I think I can afford to dry clean them sometimes.

[Princess JessieKate]

That Cat Who Eats Ramen

Princess JessieKate

I have one dress that I've been too terrified to actually wash because it's black with white lace, (it'll probably be fine, but...) but everything else I own, including every Baby, the Stars Shine Bright piece, has been though the washing machine. If you don't have money for dry-cleaning, just avoid red things, very dark things, dryclean only fabrics and apliques.

But like other people said, I usually wear dresses, skirts and jumpers 2-3 times before washing. Excess washing will make them wear faster, and I want my babies to last forever. (I've had my first brand piece for almost 7 years now, and I've worn it at least 40 times, I think.)

Problem with avoiding black and red is that I'd be getting into primarily Gothic Lolita. I'd be wearing the dresses on special occasions mostly...like tea parties and anime conventions, perhaps occasionally out shopping. If I don't have to dry clean them too often then I think I can afford to dry clean them sometimes.

If it's pure black it should still be easy to wash as you don't have to worry about it running, but otherwise you can wear 2-4 times depending on how long you wear them and whether you're getting sweaty, and you can buy home drycleaning systems. Home drycleaning systems like Dryell are super cheap and I used them for years without any issues. They can damage some materials, but just read the directions to find out what you can't clean with them. Some of your items will still be fine to handwash in cool water and you can spot check before throwing the whole thing in.

[Ichthys Vulgaris]

Oh gosh, the idea of running one of my dresses through the wash makes me feel really uncomfortable.

With the exception of simple cotton bodyline stuff I handwash or dry clean. I wouldn't want to risk frayed lace or pilling.

[spacekitten]

Marokia

To add onto spuntino, I'm pretty sure mos of Bodyline's stock is machine washable. But even going just a little higher in quality (including F+F) the amount of ways to wash something quickly dwindle.

Just a note, be careful. I sent a Bodyline skirt through the wash, and the print faded significantly.

I know its a pain, but nice clothes need to be treated with a lot of care. All of my Lolita, hand-knit, or other nice garments that can touch water, I hand wash with a gentle detergent and hang to dry. Anything that can't, gets an occasional trip to a dry cleaner I trust, or a trip through the Drycleaner-in-Your-Home-Dryer system if it just needs freshening up.