Revealing the Hidden Interior of a 1930s Couture Evening Dress | Textiles Conservation

Go behind-the-scenes in our Textiles Conservation studio, as Conservators Caterina and Nora perform an almost surgical-like operation on an extremely fragile silk dress designed by Elsa Schiaparelli. Almost 100 years old, the dress is severely damaged and disintegrating in several areas, requiring additional support and intervention before it can go on display. Caterina dyes support silk and a net overlay in the exact colour to match the dress, before opening up the strikingly pleated sleeve to insert extra supports, made of adhesive-treated crepeline. 🎧 Pop on your headphones to experience the unintentional ASMR of the Conservation treatment. 00:00 A 1933 silk evening dress by Elsa Schiaparelli 01:25 Inspecting the dress for damage 02:20 Dyeing fabric to colour match the dress (unintentional ASMR) 03:00 Carefully inserting a support patch 04:40 Stitching: laid couching technique 05:49 How were the pleats created? 08:29 Inside the left sleeve 09:19 Silk crepeline adhesive treatment 10:22 Removing dust with a museum vacuum and soft brush 11:19 Aligning the grain and applying adhesive film 14:33 Using heat to increase tackiness 17:06 Reactivating the adhesive with solvent 19:12 Attaching custom-dyed conservation net 19:31 Finishing the dress on the mannequin 🔔 Subscribe for more new conservation videos @vamuseum 👉 See the Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art exhibition at V&A South Kensington from 28 March – 8 November 2026. This exhibition has been created in collaborat