Mounting an 18th-century Silk Dress – Textile Conservation Step-by-Step

In this video, we take you behind the scenes of the Textile Conservation Studio to see how museum mounting professionals Lauren and Hannah mount and display an original 18th-century robe à la française (also known as a sack-back dress). Experience each step of the textile mounting process — from preparing the mannequin with conservation-safe materials, to supporting delicate fabrics – all ensuring the long-term care of the garment. This dress has an intriguing history – quite small in size, it was possibly made for a young adolescent or petite woman, and consists of a glimmering sunset-coloured shot silk. The material achieves a shimmering effect by using threads in different colours – a pink warp and a yellow weft. Whether you're a costume historian, textile conservator, historical fashion enthusiast, or just interested in what goes on in our studios, this video gives you a unique insight into professional museum garment mounting. Steps: 00:00 About the 18th-century dress 00:26 Materials – shot silk 00:47 Measuring and selecting a mannequin 01:42 Adding wadding 02:34 Petticoat & net layers for skirt 03:34 Levelling off the hem & adding top fabric 04:10 Unboxing the petticoat and fastening with gathering tapes 06:12 Interesting feature 06:30 Mounting the top dress 07:10 Fastening the bodice 07:52 Silhouette of the dress 08:29 Why is mounting important? 🔔 Subscribe for more conservation and historical fashion content @vamuseum 🧵 See more conservation processes: http