I have been working with Margaret’s for a few years and found them online. We met, and I showed them my collections, and I have been continually impressed by their cleaning, restoration, and preservation services.
— Norman Tipton
ABOUT US
Margaret Clutter founded Margaret’s Knit Blocking in La Jolla in 1953. For 34 years, her business earned the best reputation in the prestigious community because of her extensive skill at hand washing, stain removal, alterations, pressing, knit blocking, and knit repair. In 1987, at the age of 80, Margaret sold her company to John and Barbara Horst.
Continuing the heritage of owning cleaning businesses that started with his grandfather in the late 1800’s; John’s first goal was to develop a first-rate dry-cleaning facility on the premises.
Over the years, six additional family members joined the business. Margaret’s developed a reputation as a premier dry cleaner, offering pickup and delivery, then expanded to add stores to service Del Mar and
Newport Beach. In 2008 we built a new state-of-the-art Award-winning processing plant in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego. In 2013, we added a store and delivery route in West Los Angeles.
With over four generations of dry cleaning experience and numerous specialty services, you can trust Margaret’s with your most delicate garments and most challenging cleaning needs, including all types of household items, window treatments, area rugs, handbags, furniture, and vintage collectibles.
As the nation’s first Five Star Certified Cleaner, our guiding principle is one of providing unparalleled quality dry cleaning with an uncompromising commitment to offering the highest standards of outstanding service, as well as experience quality and value .
Our Mission Since 1953
To be the nation’s most successful couture dry cleaner and to live up to our goals of providing true excellence through craftsmanship and Five Star Customer Service.
VINTAGE COSTUMES
From The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex 1939
Starring Bette Davis
Note the trim shape of the actress...over the intervening years someone had added inches to the size using trims to enlarge the garment. Our primary goal was to repair rips and restore the costume’s original size.
VINTAGE COSTUMES
From New York, New York 1977
Starring Liza Minnelli & Robert De Niro, Director Martin Scorsese
Liza’s Emerald Green Evening Dress with Draped Skirt. Badly Stained with Damaged Sequined Embroidery
VINTAGE COSTUMES
From New York, New York 1977
Starring Liza Minnelli & Robert De Niro, Director Martin Scorsese
VINTAGE COSTUMES
From The Crusades 1935
Starring Loretta Young, Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Before 2020 – Hundreds of seed pearls in several places on the gown were missing. In addition, the fur trim of the cape had been lost.
VINTAGE COSTUMES
From The Crusades 1935
Starring Loretta Young, Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
After Restoration
The seed pearls were meticulously replaced and fur trim was partially recreated due to lack of materials. The restored gown approaches the design intended by Travis Banton, one of the most sought-after Hollywood costume designers of the era.
OTHER VINTAGE GARMENTS AND UNIFORMS
Margaret’s “Split Gown” Restoration
Whether it is an heirloom that has been in the family for generations or the archival collection of a fashion designer, Margaret’s has the expertise, sensitivity and confidence to tackle these most delicate and critical projects. We have been trusted with museum collections over decades of service to the community of curators. Dealing with these extraordinarily fragile, vintage fabrics and knits is a skill we have learned over many years of experience.
Before After 45 Years Later
Here is our “split gown” restoration. A 1965 wedding gown was donated by a customer. Prior to restoration, the entire garment was dark yellow. We cut it in half, restored one half, then stitched it together to demonstrate what restoration can accomplish. The customer also allowed us to use a photo from her wedding album to show what the dress looked like at the 1965 weddi ng.
“It turned out better than I could ever imagine — so beautiful!” — Stacy Miller
“While cleaning out my parent’s home of 54 years, I found my mother’s wedding dress and was so bummed because it was so stained and yellow. I brought it to Margaret’s to see if we could have it preserved and it turned out better than I could ever imagine – so beautiful. And it’s so nice that they included an inspection report with before and after photos so my sister who lives out of town could see it.”
Stacy parents were married in 1962 and traveled the world as missionaries. Stacy wanted to preserve those memories and her mother’s wedding dress in the event her 8 year old daughter decided she may want to wear this gorgeous dress for her wedding some day. What a beautiful tribute to her mom and dad.
ABOUT “INVISIBLE” STAINS
Invisible stains can be the result of sugars from champagne and desserts, oil from a salad dressing, spray from a grapefruit, hairspray or even perfume.
Innocuous or unseen at the time, after a few weeks at room temperature in your closet or drawer, these stains begin to oxidize or caramelize. Reversing this process is more difficult than removing the original stain. Be sure to have items cleaned as soon as possible before storing.
Below are a couple of excellent examples...
Befores...
Afters...
VINTAGE HANDBAGS
Before
From Facebook: This bag was my grandmother’s. My mother kept it in her drawer and I loved looking at it growing up. When my mother passed away I kept it in my drawer. Even though it was already falling apart, I couldn’t bear to part with it. When I learned that Margaret’s did vintage handbag restoration, I brought it in not knowing what to expect. It’s thrilling to see something so precious in such a beautiful, brand new state and be able to keep the memory of my grandmother and mother alive. Thank you Margaret’s! – Sharon B
After
Thank you Sharon! We love being able to keep family legacies alive. Our restoration team was able to replace fragile beading, restitch seams, carefully reline the handbag and polish the jewel encrusted metal casing to its original patina. Love has many faces and hands at Margaret’s.
VINTAGE HANDBAGS
VINTAGE ROSENFELD
Before & After
VINTAGE VASSAR CLUTCH
Before & After
VINTAGE SHOES
VINTAGE SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
CHILDREN’S SHOES
TLEATHER CLEANING, REPAIR AND
VINTAGE RESTORATION
oday’s leather and suede garments and accessories are butter soft, delicate and costly. Margaret’s developed its Elegant Leather and Suede Care Service to cater to the special needs of your fine leather and suede garments. In addition, we can restore anything from travel bags to saddles.
Our Freshening Service maintains your items throughout the wearing season with delicate hand cleaning, conditioning and finishing. For a heavily soiled garment or at the end of the wearing season, use our Deep Cleaning Service. We clean, rejuvenate the dye, condition it and finish with a light sealant when needed. Leather or suede garments are returned to you in our unique breathable storage and travel bags— another Margaret’s exclusive.
A well-loved Hermés carry-on gets a new life.
OTHER VINTAGE ITEMS
VINTAGE DOLLS
Before
We pay attention to the details of those things we remember best!
After
SMOKE & ODOR RESTORATION
Smoke and odor restoration of couture garments and accessories is a Margaret’s specialty. Not all restoration jobs are the same. Garment damage that occurs during and after a fire, for example, requires a wide variety of expertise and a diverse range of technologies and equipment. The type of treatment best suited for any single item is influenced by many factors including the fire temperature, the presence of food, plastic, chemical odors and the amount of moisture exposure.
Margaret’s Restoration Service has the nation’s broadest spectrum of cleaning and remediation technologies. In addition specialized experts on staff understand what is needed to assure the best possible results for fine textiles of all types, including leather and suede, window treatments, handbags, shoes, vintage dolls and all fine clothing and accessories.
Smoke Damage to an Italian Casmere Sweater Before
Mold & Mildew on a Leather Jacket
1953
INSTITUTIONAL SERVICES TO MUSEUMS, COLLECTORS & FOUNDATIONS SINCE
Margaret’s is a family-run company spanning six decades. The Horst family has owned and operated dry cleaning establishments for four generations. Since it is privately-owned and financially independent, the company takes a long-term vision and strategy for its brands, with an ethos of attention to detail in all aspects of its business.
As the nation’s first Five Star Certified Couture Cleaner, our guiding principle is to provide unparalleled quality dry cleaning with an uncompromising commitment to offering every customer the highest standards of outstanding service, experience and value.
Margaret’s caters to garment retailers, museums and historical associations nationwide. We specialize in restoring damaged garments, leathers and handbags. We regularly remove stains, water damage, and mold, and even
repair moth holes when others do not have the techniques needed to achieve the desired results. In addition, we provide complimentary analysis and consultation nationwide regarding unusual issues that can occur and provide expert recommendations on the best solutions.
This enables us to offer additional services as well as providing a reliable cleaning and repair service for all types of high-end and specialty garments and accessories. We can often “rescue” garments that were accidentally damaged during a typical cleaning process. Margaret’s specialties include extensive repairs, refinishing and restoration of costumes and vintage garments.
Below is a link to an interview with Collector, Norman Tipton, that was published in Private Air Luxury Homes Magazine.
“A Collector’s Curiosity and Challenges”
SINCE 1953
Don’t trust your treasured articles to an unproven dry cleaner or shoe repair shop. Our worldwide CleanByMail® service cleans and/or repairs your handbags, ties, leathers, suedes, sweaters, knits, and even preserves wedding gowns, easily and safely no matter where you live.
We’ve developed custom shipping boxes and carefully package each garment properly for protection. In addition, you can submit an estimate request on our website (along with photos of your item) as well as obtain a CleanByMail® request form to accompany your order. Video consultations for advice are available with one of our expert technicians.
If your home or business is located outside our Southern California pickup and delivery areas, you can now ship items to our CleanByMail® service using UPS. This provides a convenient way to send cleaning or repairs to us. With over 4,900 UPS Store® locations, professional couture garment care has never been easier. It’s like having 4,900 Margaret’s drop off locations. Return shipments will come directly to you.
