Has it ever crossed your mind that a bad dry cleaning experience can ruin a whole photoshoot? Well, this is something that you MUST think about when you’re in a production, specially in a far away location shoot.

When putting a photoshoot together, and doing a walk-through with the stylist (a rehearsal to see the looks the night before the photoshoot) you must make sure that the clothes are the perfect fit, they are stain free and of course, ironed. Why? The camera captures every small detail, and for the most part you want to avoid hours and hours of editing wrinkles of fabric on photoshop.

When the clothing is in need of dry cleaning service, and the items at hand are high quality and pricey, you can’t afford to send it just anywhere. So what do you do when you are shooting on a location far away, or a new hotel?

For the most part, dry cleaners know what to do or know their limitations, but you can never trust them entirely if the garment is one of a kind, and this is what happened to my team during a photoshoot. And when I mean one of a kind, I mean there was only that 1 sample in the entire world… a beautiful handmade silk blouse, that basically gave her life up for a shoot.

Immediately we were extremely worried, since all the clothing that stylists gather for a photoshoot are borrowed from brands, and usually each piece is already scheduled for another shoot after yours. So, how do you overcome a moment like that!? Knowing that not only the creation of the designer is completely ruined, and probably our relationship with the maison as well, and not to mention the 5 figure cost we would have to cover. 

1st: Analyze what part of the shirt isn’t ruined

2nd: In what angle does is it featured as the protagonist of the photo

3rd: Let’s make it a beautiful shot 

At the end, we managed to rescue a beautiful angle of the blouse, and make it seamlessly part of the editorial story. Thankfully, we had a long relationship with the designer and we were able to come to an agreement as we explained the situation. This is a reminder, that building relationships and trust is everything in this industry!

So now, how to avoid this from happening again, or to you on your next shoot? Here are three simple questions to ask your dry cleaner before scheduling pick up. 

• Have you handled the specific material before and how many times?

• What process and chemicals do you use for cleaning and ironing?

• What is your insurance policy for damaged items?

Quick tip: if the item is not visible dirty, wear it as is for the photoshoot, or you can always hand wash a piece in the sink. Iron it with a steamer or hang in the washroom and let hot water run in the tub, this will create a steam like room and will help with major wrinkles.

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