Hot-Weather Favorite Gets Updated Look
Question: This week’s hot weather reminds me that last summer I searched all over for a cotton muumuu to no avail. I was even told that they’re no longer an everyday sight in Hawaii. I’m hoping that you can uncover a muumuu somewhere to fit me. I’m a size 16.--N.D.
Answer: I didn’t find an authentic muumuu, but I did find the new muu, illustrated here. It’s by Samantha Scott, and it’s available in red-and-white polka-dot cotton for $82 at Bullocks Wilshire. Sizes are 8 to 18. There’s a self belt in case you want to belt it.
Q: I’m planning to wear my mother’s wedding dress at my wedding. It’s made of satin and French lace, it’s beaded and it’s off-white in color. Since my mother’s wedding 40 years ago, the dress has darkened, although evenly, and I was wondering if there is some way of reversing this process. Is there a way to lighten the fabric without ruining the dress?--C.T.
A: Jerry Goldstone at Museum Textile Cleaners in Northridge says he can lighten your mother’s dress in the cleaning process, and he can remove stains, but he’s not sure he can lighten it as much as you would like. If you take the dress to him, he can tell you about how much lighter the dress will look after cleaning.
Q: When I went to get my favorite Angora sweater out of the drawer last week, I noticed little holes all over the sleeve. I don’t use mothballs because I hate the smell. Is there any way to protect my sweaters without having them smell like mothballs?--J.H.
A: You can get mothball protection without mothball odor if you put four or five mothballs in an open jelly jar and set it in a corner of your sweater drawer.
Q: Where can a woman buy dresses, suits and coats without football shoulders? I’m sure I cannot be the only one who doesn’t care to look like a football player.--E.H.
A: Football shoulders are fashionable right now and have been for some time, so even the most conservative manufacturers offer them. If you don’t want them, simply remove the pads. If that ruins the line of the garment, try smaller pads.
