Schiaparelli pieces cleaned and hand-finished by Alex's Dry Cleaning Valet.
Heritage & Expertise
Schiaparelli, Cared For by Alex's Team
Founded in Paris in 1927 by Elsa Schiaparelli, the house defined Surrealist couture — Lesage embroidery, trompe-l'oeil knits, the famous "shocking pink," and storied collaborations with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Today, under creative director Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli is celebrated for its sculptural gilded hardware, anatomical gold embellishment, and intricate hand-beading on couture gowns and eveningwear.
These are precisely the details a conventional cleaner ruins. Aggressive solvents lift gold-plated and resin embellishment, heat and agitation crush hand-embroidery, and improper pressing flattens couture structure — damage that is often permanent. Alex's specializes in exactly this kind of garment, cleaning by hand and protecting every applied element.
Specialist Care
How Alex's Cares for Schiaparelli
Each Schiaparelli piece is inspected, spot-treated, and gently cleaned by hand, with embellishment, embroidery, and hardware individually protected and then hand-finished — never run through a standard automated process.
Sculptural gold hardware
We secure and shield Schiaparelli's gilded buttons, anatomical hardware, and metal embellishment before cleaning, using gentle methods that protect the plating from solvents that would dull or strip it.
Lesage-style hand-embroidery
Dense beadwork and couture embroidery are mapped and hand-finished without heat or agitation, so threads stay taut and individual beads and paillettes stay seated.
Surrealist embellishment and appliqué
Trompe-l'oeil details, resin elements, and applied ornament are spot-cleaned by hand and never tumbled, preserving the placement that defines the design.
Couture silk and structure
Delicate silk crepe, satin, and faille are cleaned and hand-pressed to keep their drape and built-in couture structure intact, with no flattening of darts, pleats, or shaping.
Shocking-pink and saturated color
Schiaparelli's signature vivid color is protected against bleeding and fading through careful color-fastness testing and a controlled, garment-specific cleaning process.
Pickup & Delivery
Door-to-Door Across the Bay Area
The same white-glove standard travels everywhere we serve. Pickup from your front door, doorman, or garage — returned cleaned, pressed, and ready to wear.
San Francisco
Monday – Saturday
Next-business-day return; Saturday pickups return Tuesday morning.
Peninsula & South Bay
Monday · Wednesday · Friday
Returned on the next scheduled service day.
Marin County
Every Day
Same-day return is the standard — morning pickups come back the same afternoon.
East Bay
Thursday & Saturday
Returned on the next service day.
Wine Country
Monday & Thursday
Sonoma & the Napa Valley — $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way.
$75 minimum per pickup with free pickup and delivery across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and the East Bay. Wine Country (Napa, Sonoma & St. Helena): $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way. Same-day service available in most areas for an additional fee.
Common Questions
Schiaparelli Garment Care FAQ
Can a Schiaparelli gown with gold hardware and embellishment be dry cleaned safely?
Yes — but only by hand and only by a specialist. Schiaparelli's gilded hardware, anatomical gold pieces, and applied embellishment can be loosened or dulled by standard machine dry cleaning and harsh solvents. Alex's secures and shields each element, cleans the garment by hand, and hand-finishes it so the embellishment and plating are preserved exactly as designed.
How do you clean Schiaparelli's intricate beading and Surrealist embroidery without damage?
We never tumble or use heat on embellished couture. Each beaded or embroidered area is inspected and hand spot-treated, the piece is gently hand-cleaned, and any loose beads or threads are re-secured. Hand-finishing replaces machine pressing entirely, so dense Lesage-style embroidery stays taut and intact.
Do you offer door-to-door Schiaparelli pickup in San Francisco?
Yes. Alex's is a door-to-door dry cleaning valet — so we come to you anywhere in San Francisco and across the Bay Area. We collect your Schiaparelli pieces from your home, clean and hand-finish them in our care, and deliver them back to you. Simply text 415-338-9318 to schedule a pickup, and for pricing visit alexdryclean.net/pricing.