How to Care for Your Resortwear: Washing, Storing and Making Your Luxury Pieces Last Longer
A beautifully made piece of resortwear is not a single-season purchase. It is an investment in craft, in fabric, in the way you want to move through the world when you are at your most free. And like any investment worth making, it rewards the attention you give it.
The women who wear the same silk kaftan five summers in a row and somehow make it look better each time are not doing anything complicated. They are simply caring for their pieces with a little knowledge and a consistent routine. This guide gives you everything you need to do the same.
Understanding Your Bondi Resortwear Fabrics
Before washing anything, the most important step is knowing what you are washing. Bondi Resortwear is crafted across three distinct fabric tiers, and each has its own care personality.
The Signature Collection is made from Premium-Bamberg, a soft, breathable fabric with a silk-like feel that is more forgiving in care than pure silk. The Elite Collection uses Moss Silk, a lightweight and beautifully draping fabric that requires gentle handling. And the Luxe Collection, made from 100% pure silk, is the most refined and the most particular in its care needs.
Knowing which tier your piece belongs to tells you exactly how careful to be. When in doubt, always treat your resortwear as though it were the most delicate thing in your wardrobe. You will never regret the extra care.
How to Wash Silk Resortwear
Silk is one of the oldest luxury fibres in the world, and it has survived this long because it responds beautifully to gentle treatment. The number one mistake women make with silk is trusting a machine to do what only hands should do.
Hand washing pure silk
• Fill a basin with cool water. Never warm, never hot. Heat is silk's most consistent enemy — it weakens the fibres, causes shrinkage, and dulls the natural lustre that makes silk so extraordinary.
• Add a small amount of gentle detergent. A detergent formulated for delicates or silk specifically. A teaspoon is enough. Avoid anything with enzymes, bleach, or brightening agents — all of these degrade silk fibres over time.
• Submerge and swirl gently. Do not scrub, wring, or agitate. Let the water do the work. Thirty seconds of gentle movement is sufficient for a lightly worn piece.
• Rinse thoroughly in cool water. Leftover detergent residue is one of the leading causes of silk dullness over time. Rinse until the water runs completely clear.
• Never wring. Press the fabric gently against the side of the basin to release water, then lay it flat on a clean, dry towel and roll the towel to absorb the moisture.
If you take only one rule from this guide, let it be this: cool water, gentle detergent, no wringing. Those four words are the whole of silk care.
Can you machine wash silk?
Some silk pieces tolerate a delicate machine cycle with cold water in a mesh laundry bag, but this is always a risk rather than a recommendation. For Bondi's Luxe Collection in pure silk, hand washing is strongly preferred. For the Elite Collection in Moss Silk, a machine's delicate cycle with a laundry bag is acceptable when hand washing is not practical — but cold water only, always.
How to Wash Printed Resortwear
Bondi's signature prints are what set the brand apart, and keeping those colours vivid wash after wash requires a small amount of specific attention. Whether your piece is from the kaftans collection or our printed maxi dresses, the approach is the same.
• Wash dark and bright prints inside out. Turning your piece inside out before washing protects the printed surface from friction and direct detergent contact, preserving the colour intensity with every wash.
• Wash alone or with similar colours. New pieces, particularly those with deep or vivid prints, may release a small amount of colour in the first wash. Washing alone eliminates any risk of transfer.
• Avoid soaking. Leaving printed fabrics submerged for extended periods accelerates colour fade. A quick, gentle wash cycle is always preferable to a long soak.
• Keep detergent mild and colour-safe. Harsh detergents are the fastest way to diminish the vibrancy of a print. A gentle, colour-safe formula used consistently is the best investment you can make in your resortwear's longevity.
Drying Your Resortwear the Right Way
How you dry your resortwear matters as much as how you wash it. The two most common drying mistakes — tumble drying and hanging in direct sunlight — cause more damage to luxury fabrics than almost anything else.
• Always dry flat or on a padded hanger. Hanging wet silk or moss silk on a thin wire hanger distorts the shoulders and stretches the fabric under the weight of the water. A padded hanger or flat drying surface preserves the garment's shape completely.
• Dry in the shade. Direct sunlight bleaches silk and fades prints rapidly. In Australia's intense summer light, even a single afternoon of direct sun exposure on a wet silk garment can cause visible colour loss.
• Never tumble dry. Heat and agitation are the twin enemies of luxury fabric. A tumble dryer does both simultaneously. No luxury resortwear piece should ever go near one.
• Iron on a low, silk-appropriate setting if needed. Place a clean cloth between the iron and your garment, always iron on the reverse side, and never use steam directly on silk. Most Bondi pieces will release light creasing naturally as they warm to body temperature.
How to Store Your Resortwear Between Seasons
Proper storage is where the life of a luxury piece is truly extended. A silk luxe robe that is folded carelessly into a drawer and a silk robe stored with intention will look like two entirely different garments when you return to them six months later.
• Fold silk, do not hang it long-term. For storage periods longer than a few weeks, fold silk pieces in acid-free tissue paper and lay them flat in a drawer or storage box. Long-term hanging causes silk to stretch and distort at the shoulders.
• Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Heat, humidity, and light all degrade silk fibres over time. A linen cupboard, a drawer away from direct light, or a fabric storage box is ideal. Never store in a plastic bag — silk needs to breathe.
• Use cedar blocks or lavender sachets. Natural moth deterrents protect your pieces without the harsh chemical residue of synthetic alternatives. Replace cedar blocks every season to maintain their effectiveness.
• Always store clean. Body oils, sunscreen, and perfume residue that are invisible on the fabric will oxidise and yellow over time if a garment is stored unwashed. Never put away a piece you have worn without washing it first.
Quick Care Reference by Fabric
100% Silk (Luxe Collection): Hand wash only in cool water with gentle silk detergent. Dry flat in shade. Iron on silk setting with pressing cloth. Fold for storage in acid-free tissue.
Moss Silk (Elite Collection): Hand wash preferred. Delicate machine cycle in a mesh bag is acceptable. Cold water only. Dry flat or on a padded hanger in the shade. Light iron on reverse side if needed.
Premium-Bamberg (Signature Collection): The most forgiving of the three. Delicate machine cycle in cold water with gentle detergent. Lay flat or hang on padded hanger to dry. Keep out of direct sunlight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you machine wash a silk kaftan?
Pure silk kaftans should always be hand washed in cool water with a gentle silk-formulated detergent. Machine washing, even on a delicate cycle, introduces agitation and unpredictable temperature fluctuations that risk shrinkage, distortion, and dulling of the fabric. For Bondi's Moss Silk pieces, a machine's delicate cycle in a mesh laundry bag is an acceptable alternative when hand washing is not possible. Check the care label on your specific kaftan before washing.
How do you get sunscreen out of a silk dress?
Act quickly — sunscreen sets into silk fibres rapidly if left. Blot the area gently with a clean cloth to absorb as much as possible without rubbing. Apply a tiny amount of gentle dish soap directly to the stain, work it in with your fingertip in a circular motion, then hand wash the entire garment in cool water as normal. Avoid any product containing bleach or alcohol, which will permanently damage the silk weave.
How do you store resortwear between holidays?
Wash every piece before storing, even if it has only been worn once. Fold silk and moss silk pieces in acid-free tissue paper and store flat in a cool, dark drawer or fabric storage box. Add cedar blocks or lavender sachets to deter moths. Never store luxury resortwear in plastic bags or vacuum seal bags, as both trap moisture and restrict the airflow silk needs to maintain its integrity.
How long should a quality silk resortwear piece last?
A well-made silk or moss silk piece, cared for consistently, can last a decade or longer. The investment in quality resortwear from collections like Bondi's Elite and Luxe ranges pays back many times over when each piece is washed gently, dried correctly, and stored with care between seasons. Quality garments do not wear out — they are worn out prematurely by improper care.
