How can a top that is 100% polyester be ''dry clean only''

[AldiProsecco]

such as this one

I'm not going to buy this as it's so expensive (even though I really like it)
But even if it were on sale, it'd still be dry clean only. So they say. I have polyester tops that I wash and they're fine. Can one polyester item be dry clean only and another made of exactly the same material be machine washable?

Yes, sometimes. My understanding is that occasionally they don’t want to fork out for full fabric testing so just stick dry clean only on it to cover themselves. I have handwashed ‘dry clean’ only items and it’s been fine but I think I’d pause at a £145 blouse!

Can’t believe they charge £145 for a 100% polyester top! It’s nice but crazy overpriced

Polyester so microfibres in the ocean. Dry cleaning so disposal of solvents. It's an environmental nightmare.

I just bought a wool dress from Hush that was dry clean only. I put it in a very cool wool cycle in the machine and it was fine. As a PP said sometimes 'dry clean only' is just a lazy manufacturer so it's always worth trying it. Some clothes won't survive but most do.

Yes, I think dry clean only covers them, but who could take the risk at that price! Lovely top though.

With ruffles it might be that they are a nightmare to iron out after washing, so I think some expensive brands stick dry clean only on them to prevent customers complaining after that the clothes don’t look the same - but with polyester that can’t be the problem. It’s very lazy, I agree.

some are so poorly made ( though hopefully not something costing £145) that they might fall apart in a machine wash
I suspect it is to cover themselves

I bought my kids some trousers in UNIQLO that were hand wash only. I hadn’t realized that when I bought them. I’ve just been machine washing them as who the heck has time to hand wash kids clothes and sure enough two of the three pairs have literally fallen apart at the seams. Really shoddy!

I’m so tired of crappy, poorly made clothes.

Interesting. I have just put two pairs of very expensive 100% polyester Issey Miyake trousers in the wash at 40 degrees and they look as good as new. The quality of the fabric is amazing. The label says light machine wash.

It's a lovely top; but seems a lot of money for polyester and insane to have a dry clean only label; it would of course be fine to be machine washed.

I dont worry about Dry Clean Only labels on most of my clothes(the exception being coats or silk).
I wash expensive items on a delicate or wool wash in washing machine. Never had a disaster!

And I have a couple of Gerard Darel items. They are beautifully cut imo and worth the money.

Looks like silk to me? Might be an error. Silk would explain the dry clean only part. And the price, sort of.

That designer has his own website. Can't see that top but did check similar looking material at same price. Polyester. It might made differently though because deffo looks more like silk to me.

Designers website says polyester
www.gerarddarel.com/en_us/chemisier-top-esterina-391611.html

Lazy, that’s all it is.

Textile scientist here😊

Polyester is fine to wash, it should never need dry cleaning, UNLESS, it has beads, sequins on it, it looks like satin, or it is part of a structured garment.

Other than that it’s fine. They just can’t be arsed to test it properly.

A picture of the item would help

I would ignore the label and go for a 30 degree gentle wash.

A top that can only be dry cleaned in real life is about as useful as a dry clean only bikini

It looks like polyester yarn in a satin weave. If it’s shiny you can wash it in a pillowcase or something to prevent snagging.

But it actually looks like silk to me

Ah and beads and sequins sometimes cannot be dry cleaned because they melt in the solvent. So that blouse would be marked spot clean only or water wash.

@theemojiformerlyknownasprince, thanks for that clarification there!