<PAGE> 1
                                                                Exhibit 10.36


                             FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT
                                     TO
                             ANGELICA CORPORATION
                           RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN


      WHEREAS, Angelica Corporation, a corporation duly organized and existing
under the laws of the State of Missouri (hereinafter the "Company"),
established and continues to maintain the Angelica Corporation Retirement
Savings Plan (hereinafter the "Plan"); and

      WHEREAS, effective April 1, 1997, the Company desires to make certain
amendments to the Plan.

      NOW, THEREFORE, the Plan is hereby amended, effective April 1, 1997, in
the following respects:

                                      I.

      Section 1.31 of the Plan is hereby deleted in its entirety and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof:

      "1.31. `Valuation Date' shall mean any business day that the New York
             Stock Exchange is open for trading.  The Administrator, in its
             sole discretion, may declare a special valuation date as of any
             day within the Plan Year."

                                     II.

      Section 7.1 of the Plan is hereby deleted in its entirety and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof:

      "7.1.  The Funds shall be valued by the Trustee at their respective
             fair market values on each Valuation Date.  Participants'
             Accounts in each Fund shall be adjusted to reflect transactions
             for their accounts and, pro rata, the effect of income
             collected and accrued, realized and unrealized profits and
             losses, and expenses since the previous Valuation Date."

                                    III.

      The first two sentences of Section 9.3 are hereby deleted in their
entirety and the following are substituted in lieu thereof:

             "Subject to the provisions of Sections 9.5, 9.7, 9.8 and 9.9,
             every distribution shall be made as soon as is administratively
             feasible after, but as of, the end of the month which ends on
             or after the date on which the Administrator learns that an
             event


<PAGE> 2

             requiring distribution has occurred, and the identity or
             identities or location(s) of the party or parties entitled to
             such distribution; provided, however if such distribution to a
             Participant is greater than $3,500 and the date of distribution
             is prior to the Participant's Mandatory Benefit Distribution
             Date, the Participant must consent to the distribution.  In the
             event the Participant does not consent to such distribution
             prior to his Mandatory Benefit Distribution Date, distribution
             shall be made to such Participant and without his consent on
             the earlier of (i) as soon as is administratively feasible
             after, but as of, the end of the month which ends on or after
             the date such Participant consents in writing to the
             Administrator to such distribution, or (ii) his Mandatory
             Benefit Distribution Date."

                                     IV.

      Section 10.4 of the Plan is hereby deleted in its entirety and the
following shall be substituted in lieu thereof:

      "10.4. The Administrator shall prescribe rules and procedures for the
             administration of a loan program which shall be administered by
             the Administrator on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis."

                                      V.

      Section 11.2 of the Plan is hereby deleted in its entirety and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof:

      "11.2. Each Participant's Rollover Account shall be increased or
             decreased with its proportionate share of the balance of any
             changes in the value of the Trust Fund as of each Valuation
             Date.  Rollover Amounts transferred to the Plan shall be
             credited to a Participant's Rollover Account."

                                     VI.

      The following is hereby added to Section 15.7.B. of the Plan which
shall read as follows:

             "The provisions of paragraph A of this Section 15.7 shall not
             apply to the creation, assignment or recognition of a right to
             any benefit payable with respect to a Participant pursuant to a
             qualified domestic relations order as defined in Code Section
             414(p).  Payment of benefits to an alternate payee under a
             qualified domestic relations order meeting the requirements of
             Code Section 414(p) shall be made on the earliest date allowed

                                    - 2 -
<PAGE> 3

             under the domestic relations order, which date may be prior to
             the time the Participant would be eligible to receive a
             distribution under the terms of the Plan."

      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has executed this Fifteenth Amendment
and affixed its corporate seal hereto by it duly authorized officer on this
26th day of August, 1997.
----        ------

                                    ANGELICA CORPORATION


                                    By  /s/ Leslie F. Loewe
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                        Chairman of the Board,
                                        President and Chief Executive Officer

[SEAL]

WITNESSED BY:


/s/ Jill Witter
-------------------------------
Secretary

                                    - 3 -