COSTUME CARE / RENTAL PREPARATION
Keep the care note
with the costume.
Useful measurements and clear handover arrangements help protect the garment and avoid assumptions. These notes are a starting point for your questions.
Put fit into numbers.
A familiar clothing size is only a starting point. Give chest or bust, waist, hips and height, with sleeve or inside-leg measurements where useful. Say how you measured and keep the unit consistent. Mention any underlayers and the movements required by the performance. Ask for the actual garment dimensions, including the lengths that matter for a coat, tunic or jumpsuit, before deciding whether the shape is suitable.
Keep an account of the pieces.
Confirm what is included before handover. Collars, caps, sashes and garments worn underneath may be separate even when they appear together in a photograph. Keep the agreed list and compare it with the items received. Record existing marks, loose stitching or missing decoration with clear photographs, and ask how concerns should be reported. Use the same list again when preparing a rental for return.
Support the garment, not the decoration.
When lifting clothing, support the main fabric and avoid taking its weight through a pompon, pointed hem or braid. Keep projecting pieces away from fastenings and jewellery that could catch them. Ask whether the actual costume should be hung, folded or laid flat. A shallow ruff, weighted coat tail and loose sleeve can need different support during storage or transport.
Follow the supplied care note.
Do not choose a cleaning method from the photograph. The fabric, dye, lining and attached trims may respond differently to water, solvents or heat. Obtain instructions for the actual item and ask before treating a stain, steaming or ironing. For a hired garment, agree who arranges cleaning. Seek permission before altering a seam, shortening a hem, changing a fastening or attaching another item.
Agree the handover in advance.
Confirm the dates, packing method, delivery or collection and return arrangements in writing. Establish the deposit and the process for cleaning or damage before accepting the rental terms. An inquiry by itself creates neither a rental agreement nor a confirmed order.