The ivory wedding dress has become the favorite brand in many young lovers’ eyes,” according to the writers of weddinginthebox.com.

“Ivory seems to be the predominant color chosen by brides who are getting married the second time, opines www.professosrhouse.com.

So, which is it? Asks one Classic Cleaners’ blog reader.  Can first-time brides wear ivory, and can white be appropriate for a “second time around” bride?

As specialists in wedding gown care and preservation, Classic Cleaners professionals typically meet brides – and their dresses – after the big color decision has already been made.

• Before the big day, Classic Cleaners performs alterations and prepared dresses for travel to a destination wedding site.
• After the wedding, Classic Cleaners’ expert stain removal process comes into play. Many brides select MuseumCare preservation in hopes a daughter or even granddaughter will be able to someday carry on the tradition.So, no, we’re usually not consulted on color selection ahead of time.  But, since, at least one reader has popped the ivory vs. white question, here’s what we know:

Only since Queen Victoria’s wedding was white even used for wedding dress.  In fact, the color thought to symbolize purity and virginity was blue, with white meant for mourning!  Later, white became a status symbol, meaning you could afford to spend money on a garment that would be worn only once!

The most sensible response we found to the white-ivory question was given by a Yahoo!answers reader:  “My dress is off-white because it goes better with my complexion!”

In recent months, Classic Cleaners has dry cleaned, prepared, restored dresses in red, gray, ivory, and white, ranging from worn only once to 47 years old! We can tell you – they are all beautiful.

Our final answer (yes, Regis!) to our blog reader’s query – Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.  Whatever color makes you feel most beautiful – IS most beautiful!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

“Sing me no song! Read me no rhyme! Don’t waste my time, Show me!” sings Eliza Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady.

Recent Classic Cleaners blog posts have featured MuseumCare™, our wedding dress preservation system, guaranteed by all members of the worldwide Association of Wedding Gown Specialists.

Summerlot dress before restoring

While we love singing songs and reading rhymes, in today’s blog post we’re going to show

Summerlot dress after restoration

and tell you about the very special linen and lace wedding dress brought in to Classic Cleaners by customer Virginia Summerlot. Virginia’s daughter, a California resident, is getting married next year and plans to wear her mother’s 47-year old restored gown, matching gloves, train, and all. This promises to be a wedding story with not one, but two happy endings! (Who knows? With proper care and preservation, there might be more encore performances in store for this gorgeous garment!)

The special hand cleaning and preservation treatment system used on the Summerlot gown was showcased by Classic Cleaners at the

Classic Cleaners' Booth at the Scottish Rite Bridal Fair

bridal display at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on January 8th and 9th of this year. Our table features awards, photos, and the acid-free, archival quality wedding dress box we use for heirloom preservation.

Sing you no songs, you say?  Read you no rhymes?  Any time, we’ll show you!

By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

“Good customer service is the life blood of any business,” remarks Martin Day in the eMagazineForCustomerServiceProfessionals. “A customer satisfaction survey will help demonstrate to your customers that you care and are proactive in looking for ways to improve the service you provide.”

Classic Cleaners certainly agrees.  Over the Indianapolis dry cleaners’ 25-year history, Classic Cleaners management has continued looking for ways to serve its customers in new and better ways.  In fact, this very month, each Classic Cleaners customer can earn a $10 dry cleaning coupon by filling out a seventeen-question online survey.

Martin Day points out to his customer service professional readers that customer satisfaction survey information can work in two directions:

• Customers to business:  The business obtains valuable market research data.
• Business to customers:  The customers become aware of aspects of service they perhaps didn’t know about.

In the case of the Classic Cleaners survey, information might function as a 3-way street:

1. When the results are tallied, Classic Cleaners managers will know more about the demographics of their customer base – what age groups are represented and how long customers have used Classic Cleaners for their dry cleaning and laundry needs.
2. Customers will be informed (or reminded) of the “Classic Rewards” program.
3. Central management and field managers will be able to discuss in detail with front desk customer service representatives and with route drivers whether customers have any concerns with the appearance and cleanliness of the stores, the friendliness and patience of the front desk representatives, and with the timeliness of order completion.

It’s interesting that the survey does not emphasize all the uncommon “extras” Classic Cleaners provides to its customers, including the lockers, the heat stamping that avoids the need for punch tags, the expert alterations service, the restoration of heirlooms, and the fluff and fold service.  The customer satisfaction survey would have needed to be far too long and complicated to include all the “extras” Classic Cleaners customers have come to take for granted!

Perhaps the most important statement on the survey is the one about which Classic Cleaners hopes its customers will all answer “strongly agree”:

“The customer service representative made me feel appreciated for visiting Classic Cleaners.”

If you haven’t already done so, won’t you take our survey?  Click here

By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

“Sweater pills, or the fuzzy balls and little fluffs that pop out on the surface of your sweater, are signs of active use.  This problem appears when you don’t store and take care of your sweater properly,” explains howtogetridofstuff.com.

“Pills happen because of abrasion to the fabric surface.  The less abrasion you give the fabric, the better it will look,” adds vintagevixen.com.

At Classic Cleaners, removing pills from sweaters and other materials is routine.  Using specialized hand tools, some pilling can be handled when clothes are checked in at the counter. Then, if pilling should occur during the dry cleaning process, Classic Cleaners inspectors will depill garments before they are made ready for delivery to their owners.

Some Classic Cleaners tips:

• Make sure that, while hanging in the closet, wool and knit garments are not crowded or rubbing against other clothes.
• Remove dry cleaned clothes from their plastic bags.
• Take special care to protect the fabric against abrasion by rough coat fabrics, brooches, necklaces, and zippers.

Materials matter, as howtogetridofstuff.com points out. Acrylic, for example, pills easily, whereas angora and cashmere present much less of a problem. Depending upon the weave, wool sweaters can last years without pilling.

The dry cleaning professionals at Classic Cleaners have expertise in the care of all the most popular fabrics.  So, if your favorite knit develops a problem, take that “pill” and call Classic Cleaners in the morning!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team