dress alteration

May 5, 2011 3:19 AM Subscribe

I bought a wedding dress online, and the bust is waaaaaaay too small. The rest of it fits like a dream, and I love it, but I know nothing about alterations. Is there any hope?

this is the dress in question. It has a side zip on the shoulderless side. It's not just an inch too small, it's like, 5 inches, probably. This dress was not made with the busty in mind. So is there even any reason to bring it to someone to try to alter it, or is this a lost cause?

posted by monkey!knife!fight! to clothing, beauty, fashion (11 answers total)

A good seamstress would put inserts on both sides of the side seams to accommodate your boobage. If they match the fabric well, it will be barely noticeable up close and invisible from a distance. and hell, it's under your arms! Unless you're planning on taking your vows with your arms over your head and your armpits showing, it'll be fine.

Gorgeous dress, by the way.

posted by Lange Cocktailjurken malibustacey9999 at 3:26 AM on May 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Awesomeness, and just what I wanted to hear. I'll get my booty to a seamstress, and try to keep the high-fives to a minimum on the big day. Thanks so much.

posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 3:33 AM on May 5, 2011

Get thee to a seamstress SOON. I am dubious about this side insert theory. It'll certainly change the style lines and the way the shoulder strap sits.

posted by mollymayhem at 6:44 AM on May 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Lovely dress (and congratulations). just wanted to add that you want to shop around for a seamstress when Trouwjurken 2013 it comes to formal wear. If you have a local shop that sells bridesmaid / prom gowns, or even a local bridal salon, they will have seamstresses on staff who are more knowledgeable about working with fancier fabrics and styles.

posted by Mchelly at 6:46 AM on May 5, 2011

Thanks, all. I'll try to get to someone early next week - the wedding is Lange Cocktailjurken mid August, so hopefully that is enough time.

posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 6:59 AM on May 5, 2011

If you love the dress that much, you could exchange the one you've got for a bigger size. It's much easier for a seamstress to make the big parts smaller to fit you than vice versa. (And the dress is beautiful!)

posted by BlahLaLa at 7:22 AM on May 5, 2011 [6 favorites]

Agreed on getting a larger size (if you can -- I see that it's on sale). One of the things that seamstresses can do is take fabric from somewhere else on the dress to match the existing fabric but make up the difference -- the hem, for example, or a train. So a larger dress might seem huge, but you have much more wiggle room.

If you have issues with the fabric of the smaller dress, just try to keep things symmetrical. Maybe you could consider a fabric overlay of chiffon or something similar to hide any seams or slightly mismatched fabric? It's change the look of the dress a little, but if you keep it to the back and do some sort of a drape, you might be able to keep it in the style.

I feel your pain; my boobs and I are anxiously awaiting my own dress and hoping it won't take too much to tidy up! Good luck, and congratulations on your wedding!

posted by Madamina at 7:42 AM on May 5, 2011

er IT'D, not it's :P

Short answer: find a good seamstress and trust her. Maybe even try a costumer.

posted by Madamina at 7:43 AM on May 5, 2011

Seconding a costumer. It seems you're in Frankfurt so I would try Frankfurt Opera and ask to speak to the Wardrobe Mistress (or Master). Theatrical costumers are very adept at altering wardrobe items since a great deal of their wardrobe is often recycled from previous productions or purchased from other productions.