The Pick-Up Bustle

added April 2010

I just discovered your website and it’s wonderful. I’m doing a bustle for a wedding dress; it is a Maggie Sottero, Addie Lynn style.

http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?keywordText=addie&keywordType=any&page=0&pageSize=100&style=J1183LU

Although I’ve sewn my whole life, made wedding dresses before and am comfortable with alterations, this will be my first bustle. I’ve just ordered your bustle dvd, so I feel confident I can manage the execution, but would like your opinion of what kind would work best with this slim a-line. My bride is a size 6, and open to suggestions.

Thanks you for your time, Laurie

Hi Laurie,

I took a look at the link you sent. This gown is a good candidate for a pick-up bustle. 

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added June 2009

Dear Leanna,

Thank you so much for your sharing your wisdom and experience! You have given a wonderful gift to so many, and I really appreciate it. I just bought your bustle video and it is very useful. The level of detail for sewing on the rigging is very helpful.

I have sewn garments since a child, and I worked for about 2 years part time as a seamstress in an independent bridal/formal shop while in grad. School, 15 years ago. That owner/shop pretty much did only ballroom bustles, and that is basically all I knew about til now in bustling. I have continued to sew garments and do alterations for family and friends but have not worked on bridal gowns since that time.

I have a bridal hemming/bustle question. I have been asked to do Alterations for the July wedding of a daughter of acquaintances through my church.

The dress is Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner Voyage/Destination 6144. Based on measurements, the bride was told to purchase a sz 4. In reality, the Bodice was large and I had to take it in 3" total on sides and taper to lower bodice, in the beaded area. The bride loves the fit now, and I am now to the hem.

The skirt train consists of two separate layers: chiffon over satin with horsehair braid in hem of satin. The dress front needs to be hemmed 6 inches. The bride wants it just about "on the floor", she thought 1" off the floor was too high. I pinned satin at 1/2" off floor and she liked it. She wants chiffon just slightly longer than the satin. With the dress on her, I marked the chiffon with pencil where the bride wanted the hem. The bride said she does not want the side seams hemmed at all, so our agreement is to taper the 6" hem over to the side seams. I have not hemmed this type of bridal dress before, and am concerned about it. I used a rolled hemmer in the distant past on dresses, but have upgraded machines in the past year, and to be honest, at this point I am not confident enough in using the one I have now to do this exact of a hem with so little room for error on this, where the plain drapey chiffon is really the interest at the front hem.

How would you advise doing this--by hand--with a tiny rolled hem? As the dress came, the chiffon is about 1 1/4" longer than the satin all the way around, and is anchored to fall this way at side seams. Should I taper the 6" front hem [with chiffon about 1/4" longer than satin], slowly til it's about 1 1/4", like it came?

The second question is on the bustle. This dress has covered buttons all the way down the train, and it seems very much like one of your examples where you used a pickup bustle. The bride loves the look of the Pickup bustle (outer) with the one point. [She did not like the inverted pickup bustle.] In reality, when the bustle is rigged, the sides drag the ground since the side seams are not being hemmed. She indicated it was fine with her to have the sides drag ground. Given that she did not want the sides hemmed, I was not sure anything else to suggest if she _had no_t wanted it to drag--there is no waist point or decoration to attach any other outer bustle anchor points to. Could you suggest what to try here if the bride in fact did not want the sides to drag?

Again, thank you so very much for sharing your time and wisdom. I really, really appreciate it.

Sincerely, Becky 

Hi Becky,

You have a lot of issues here. Let me try to hit them one by one.

Your bride might have been "advised" to purchase a size 4 because that was the smallest size the manufacturer makes. 

The length of the hem is a bride's wish. I start at 1" because that's a comfortable length that many brides like. I do my best to teach the brides all the reasons why this is a good length, but in the end it's her choice that counts and if she says she can walk comfortable and gratefully in a hem that touches the floor, I do it that way.

I try to set the layers at 1/2 drop from satin to chiffon. I like that look better, but if the bride wants the original drop ratio I do that.

Chiffon is a nasty fabric that does not cooperate with seamstresses. I have found ways of dealing with it's character that work for me. To do a rolled hem I machine sew a folded line 1/8" lower than the hem pins, trim the fabric 1/16" from this line, turn the folded edge up 1/16" and sew another line right on the fold. 

As you have discovered, the bride can make poor choices in her hemming wishes that cause problems for you once you get to doing the bustle. Not hemming the gown across the whole front is a major one. If a bride wishes to make this decision, she needs to be informed that the sides will drag when bustled before the hem is sewn. If she says this is ok, then you do what she wishes but protect yourself by making a big deal of it so she can't blame you for guests stepping on her dragging sides at her reception. 

I have one example of a bride who wanted this in my bustle pictures. I set the whole train so it gave the same drag as the sides did. It's the second set of pictures on this page: http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/MorePickup.htm

The only other thing I do to solve dragging sides is set more bustle points to bring up the sides. This is usually undesirable for it often creates funny pulling effects in the sides area of the skirt. Generally, I spend a lot of time educating the bride at the hem stage to convince her that dragging sides is not a good idea.

Good Luck with your bride,

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added March 2008

Hi,

I found your page on google and have a question for you. My wedding dress is very straight in front and the seamstress who did my alterations made it so that I would do a pick up bustle and hang it on the last button on the back. This however makes my hips look like the flying nuns habit. The dress is covered in lace and beading, so it needs to be up for the reception so guests don't tear or break it. Is there another way I can bustle it without looking like I have huge hips? Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!

Allison

Yes, I am familiar with this problem. The trick to avoiding the nun wings is to set the bustle points lower in the back. 

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added March 2008

Thanks, Leanna, for sending the follow-up e-mail. The DVD arrived today. I have watched it and found your instructions and video very clear and easy to follow. I'm delighted I found your video on the Internet.

I am making my daughter's wedding gown. It is the slim, A-line style described in your video that utilizes a single pick up point. The bottom of the gown and train are covered with lace embedded with pearls and sequins. The lace is beautiful but adds quite a bit of weight to the gown. Will the hook and loop of a single pick up point still work? Might you have any other pointers to distribute the weight?

Thanks! Carol

You can do 2 points close together, like about 3" apart. That will give more stability. You can also use a tiny button on the underside of the Anchor point. I forgot to say that in the video. 

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added December 2007

hi leanna,

thank you so much for your valuable information on the web. i had a bustle question for you--i bought this dress recently (please click on the dress for specific vews) and was thinking about bustles. i had initially thought of a pick-up bustle but my seamstress worried that it would break the line of the dress and recommended a low french bustle instead. do you have thoughts about this? 

Stunning Elizabeth Fillmore Wedding Gown 

thanks so much in advance. happy holidays!

take care, nhi-ha

Both the French and Ballroom style Pick-up Bustles will break the line of the dress. It matters which you like the best, not what your seamstress thinks.

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added December 2007

My daughter picked more of a soft mermaid (not quite so dramatic, but still the same effect) style wedding gown……..I’m not sure how to bustle it. The dress is very fitted to below the hips and then it flares out and with a train. Joli Bridal 3911 is the numbers on the order form……………..any suggestions on this style of a wedding dress?

Debbie

Usually I use a Pick-up style bustle for this mermaid style of gown. Here are some links to pictures:

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/Bustles.htm#ballroompickup

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/Bustles.htm#frenchpickup 

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/MorePickup.htm

The bustle has to be set low on the backseam because of the mermaid style. 

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added May 2007

Dear Leanna,

I have read your entire website and I want to thank you for sharing such a wealth of information! If only I lived closer to you so I could hire you to work on my dress.

I have an Allure style 8308, which features an elaborate cut lace overlay (I think it's stitched onto organza?) with a long train. Here are some pictures, but they don't really do justice to the lace:

A close up of the lace on the train:

http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0432.jpg

And the bodice:

http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0435.jpg (Note: the real dress doesn't wrinkle like that in the middle. I'm clipped into a bigger size.)

When the dress arrived, the bodice fit me PERFECTLY. The bottom, however, was very big, which confuses me because I'm usually a two on top and a six or eight on the bottom in street sizes, and this is a size eight in "bridal dress" size. On the model, the dress seems to be more form-fitting around her hips and bottom, and only flare out mid thigh. My dress lies in folds around my hips. Could they have made a mistake?

It's also several inches too long -- even in really high heels (which I really wouldn't want to wear to my wedding -- I'm not a super-high heel kind of gal) I'm going to need hemming. This concerns me because the scalloped hem makes me think this is going to be a major undertaking -- that I will have to take apart the dress at the horizontal hip seam/band and lift it from there. And since the skirt already seems too full, will that make it even fuller? How can you "take in" such ornate lace? I'm also concerned that this will double the cost of the dress. (I was quoted $500 for shortening alone).

Finally, if all this works out, how would you recommend bustling a dress like this? I bought it because I was so in love with the lace, so I would want to show it as much as possible, but I'm worried that an "outside" bustle might tear the delicate fabric?

I would be so grateful for any advice you have to offer. Thank you so much for your website. It's been a real education.

~Diana

It's not a good idea to go by the model pictures. You don't know how they pinned her into the dress or touched them up after the photo session. It shouldn't be difficult to take in the hip area if that's what you need.

In the http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0432.jpg picture you can see a band that separates the scalloping bottom lace from the skirt lace pattern. I would do the ham by moving the scalloping lace up by this band. I suspect that when the gown is the correct length, the folding at the hips will smooth out because the whole skirt can drop down. 

The Bustling I do has stays under each point to support the fabric. I've never had a bride report that her delicate lace tore in one of my bustles. I can't say how your people will bustle the gown, but I'm sure they have some understanding of the situation with the lace. Polyester Organza is a rather strong fabric though it is shear. You will probably need what I call a Pick-up bustle with the shape of the train. Though this is usually done with one point, it can be done with 2 close together points to support he lace better.

~Lea

-----------------------------------------------

added July 2005

Hi Leanna,

I am working on the bustle of a gown which has just one bustle point picked up to the bottom of the zipper. Can I use a thread loop at the base of the zipper and put the hook in the train's lace? there are no buttons on the back, no waist line, and no beading or appliques on the dress except for the he, do no hiding spots. Will it be strong enough? It also seems backwards...usually putting the hooks at waist. There is no place to hide the hook, button, etc., so I thought I could switch and put the thread chain at the zipper and hide the hook in the lace. Will this work, or do you have a better idea? Thanks in advance for the help.

This is a great example where inverting the hook and eye placement makes sense. It should work fine. 

I normally don't worry much about hiding things. Wedding guest aren't looking for bustle riggings and they just don't notice stuff like that. I teach the brides that it's not worth worrying about.

~Lea

added June 2009

Dear Leanna,

Thank you so much for your sharing your wisdom and experience! You have given a wonderful gift to so many, and I really appreciate it. I just bought your bustle video and it is very useful. The level of detail for sewing on the rigging is very helpful.

I have sewn garments since a child, and I worked for about 2 years part time as a seamstress in an independent bridal/formal shop while in grad. School, 15 years ago. That owner/shop pretty much did only ballroom bustles, and that is basically all I knew about til now in bustling. I have continued to sew garments and do alterations for family and friends but have not worked on bridal gowns since that time.

I have a bridal hemming/bustle question. I have been asked to do Alterations for the July wedding of a daughter of acquaintances through my church.

The dress is Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner Voyage/Destination 6144. Based on measurements, the bride was told to purchase a sz 4. In reality, the Bodice was large and I had to take it in 3" total on sides and taper to lower bodice, in the beaded area. The bride loves the fit now, and I am now to the hem.

The skirt train consists of two separate layers: chiffon over satin with horsehair braid in hem of satin. The dress front needs to be hemmed 6 inches. The bride wants it just about "on the floor", she thought 1" off the floor was too high. I pinned satin at 1/2" off floor and she liked it. She wants chiffon just slightly longer than the satin. With the dress on her, I marked the chiffon with pencil where the bride wanted the hem. The bride said she does not want the side seams hemmed at all, so our agreement is to taper the 6" hem over to the side seams. I have not hemmed this type of bridal dress before, and am concerned about it. I used a rolled hemmer in the distant past on dresses, but have upgraded machines in the past year, and to be honest, at this point I am not confident enough in using the one I have now to do this exact of a hem with so little room for error on this, where the plain drapey chiffon is really the interest at the front hem.

How would you advise doing this--by hand--with a tiny rolled hem? As the dress came, the chiffon is about 1 1/4" longer than the satin all the way around, and is anchored to fall this way at side seams. Should I taper the 6" front hem [with chiffon about 1/4" longer than satin], slowly til it's about 1 1/4", like it came?

The second question is on the bustle. This dress has covered buttons all the way down the train, and it seems very much like one of your examples where you used a pickup bustle. The bride loves the look of the Pickup bustle (outer) with the one point. [She did not like the inverted pickup bustle.] In reality, when the bustle is rigged, the sides drag the ground since the side seams are not being hemmed. She indicated it was fine with her to have the sides drag ground. Given that she did not want the sides hemmed, I was not sure anything else to suggest if she _had not wanted it to drag--there is no waist point or decoration to attach any other outer bustle anchor points to. Could you suggest what to try here if the bride in fact did not want the sides to drag?

Again, thank you so very much for sharing your time and wisdom. I really, really appreciate it.

Sincerely, Becky 

Hi Becky,

You have a lot of issues here. Let me try to hit them one by one.

Your bride might have been "advised" to purchase a size 4 because that was the smallest size the manufacturer makes. 

The length of the hem is a bride's wish. I start at 1" because that's a comfortable length that many brides like. I do my best to teach the brides all the reasons why this is a good length, but in the end it's her choice that counts and if she says she can walk comfortable and gratefully in a hem that touches the floor, I do it that way.

I try to set the layers at 1/2 drop from satin to chiffon. I like that look better, but if the bride wants the original drop ratio I do that.

Chiffon is a beautiful fabric, but nasty to work with. It does not cooperate with seamstresses. I have found ways of dealing with it's character that work for me. To do a rolled hem I machine sew a folded line 1/8" lower than the hem pins, trim the fabric 1/16" from this line, turn the folded edge up 1/16" and sew another line right on the fold. 

As you have discovered, the bride can make poor choices in her hemming wishes that cause problems for you once you get to doing the bustle. Not hemming the gown across the whole front is a major one. If a bride wishes to make this decision, she needs to be informed that the sides will drag when bustled before the hem is sewn. If she says this is ok, then you do what she wishes but protect yourself by making a big deal of it so she can't blame you for guests stepping on her dragging sides at her reception. 

I have one example of a bride who wanted this in my bustle pictures. I set the whole train so it gave the same drag as the sides did. It's the second set of pictures on this page: http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/MorePickup.htm

The only other thing I do to solve dragging sides is set more bustle points to bring up the sides. This is usually undesirable for it often creates funny pulling effects in the sides area of the skirt. Generally, I spend a lot of time educating the bride at the hem stage to convince her that dragging sides is not a good idea.

Good Luck with your bride,

~Lea

added March 2008

Hi,

I found your page on google and have a question for you. My wedding dress is very straight in front and the seamstress who did my alterations made it so that I would do a pick up bustle and hang it on the last button on the back. This however makes my hips look like the flying nuns habit. The dress is covered in lace and beading, so it needs to be up for the reception so guests don't tear or break it. Is there another way I can bustle it without looking like I have huge hips? Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!

Allison

Yes, I am familiar with this problem. The trick to avoiding the nun wings is to set the bustle points lower in the back or do a French Pick-up. 

~Lea

added March 2008

Thanks, Leanna, for sending the follow-up e-mail. The DVD arrived today. I have watched it and found your instructions and video very clear and easy to follow. I'm delighted I found your video on the Internet.

I am making my daughter's wedding gown. It is the slim, A-line style described in your video that utilizes a single pick up point. The bottom of the gown and train are covered with lace embedded with pearls and sequins. The lace is beautiful but adds quite a bit of weight to the gown. Will the hook and loop of a single pick up point still work? Might you have any other pointers to distribute the weight?

Thanks! Carol

You can do 2 points close together, like about 3" apart. That will give more stability. You can also use a tiny button on the underside of the Anchor point. I forgot to say that in the video. 

~Lea

added December 2007

hi leanna,

thank you so much for your valuable information on the web. i had a bustle question for you--i bought this dress recently (please click on the dress for specific vews) and was thinking about bustles. i had initially thought of a pick-up bustle but my seamstress worried that it would break the line of the dress and recommended a low french bustle instead. do you have thoughts about this? 

Stunning Elizabeth Fillmore Wedding Gown 

thanks so much in advance. happy holidays!

take care, nhi-ha

Both the French and Ballroom style Pick-up Bustles will break the line of the dress. It matters which you like the best, not what your seamstress thinks.

~Lea

added December 2007

I've found your website to be SSOOO helpful for info and pictures on bustles. I have a dress that's particularly challenging because there is a ton of beautiful beading on the bottom half of the train, assymetrical beading on the waistline, and it's sheer satin organza. I'm not too thrilled with how it looks with just a simple one-point ballroom pick-up bustle. Here's are some pictures of my dress. 

http://www.matthewchristopher.com/popup/trellis_f.html

Can you offer any advice?

Sorry for the short notice but I just found your site. My wedding is in February and my next fitting is in about a month so any help you could provide would be great.

Thank you so much!!!

~cami

There is no way you can bustle this dress with only one point. In my system it will take 4 to 6. You can do a French or Ballroom. I think either would be good.

~Lea

Thank you so much for your quick response! I'm curious... are you anywhere near the Chicago area? I'm wondering if there is any feasible way to get your help with my bustle.

Are there any other suggestions you could give me or a general idea of how the bustle could be done with 4-6 points?

I can't thank you enough! I can really tell that you're an expert in this field!

All the best,

~cami

I am in Cincinnati OH. 

My YouTube Videos teach both the French and Ballroom basics of bustle creation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCkhWvI0y_4&t=2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXQdXxVQow&t=644s

Again, I really appreciate your quick responses! Oh, it's too bad you're in OH. Unfortunately, I'm a bride and my seamstress is doing all the alterations. Do you have any particular pointers, or even just the right vocabulary, to explain to her what could be done?

It seems like the DVD would be helpful for people who are doing the actual sewing of the bustle. I'd be happy to pay you for the price of a DVD for whatever advice you can help with that I can pass along to my seamstress. If that's not possible, just let me know and I can stop bothering you.

You've already been really, really helpful! I can't thank you enough!!!!

Best,

~cami

Is it the seamstress who wants to do it with one point? You didn't say where that idea came from. 

It's often hard to communicate with a bridal store alteration lady. They are often set in their ways and have policies they or the store are rather strict in following. I have worked in bridal stores where I was very frustrated that the store policies didn't allow me to do what a bride wanted or even give her the type of good service I thought I should give.

There is also the factor of what the alterations lady knows how to do. They are sometimes limited in their experience. It's hard for a bride to get a specific thing done if the seamstress has never done it before and isn't able or have the time to learn how. In this case it's not a good idea to insist in having your way because she just might hurt the gown trying to do as you request. 

So, what can you do? You can print out pictures from my site or others to show the lady you are working with now how you want your bustle to look. There are several gowns on my site close to yours. If she doesn't seem to understand or is not willing to try, you can tell her you don't want a bustle and go find a different lady who is independent of store rules and has lots of experience. Chicago is a really big place. I'm sure there are many skilled ladies out there who can do what you are wishing. If you wish, I can post your name and email address on a professional list I belong to and see if someone can take you on.

thank you so much leanna! yes, it was the seamstress who suggested the one point. it was that, or a french bustle that was pinned under (also a one point). that didn't look as good because it didn't show off all the beading.

i think they will do what the bride requests because she was telling me a story about how a bride insisted on something and she did it for her even though she didn't agree that it was the best style. i'll take some pictures in and i'll ask if she can do something with multi points and if not, i'll see if i need to look for someone else in chicago.

which pictures would you recommend from your website? i really liked the bustles i saw under the "more french bustles" link. do you think those would look okay?

thank you once again! hopefully my alterations lady will know what to do! :)

many, many thanks!

~cami

It's not very clear in the pictures you sent where the decoration is on the back so I can't say exactly which bustle is best. I normally don't make such a judgement call any way. I give brides options and tell them the benefits and drawbacks of each and they decide. Creating bustles is a lot of experimenting with the train fabric to see how it drapes and folds. It's such a hands-on thing that I just can't do it through email. A seamstress who knows what she is doing can control the folding of the fabric to have the bustle hang anyway that is needed to display the decoration the most attractive way. I have often "played" with a gown for days before I find just the right combination of placements for the riggings to make the prettiest bustle.

Sounds like you have a great possibility of the lady you are working with now being able to do what you are wanting.

thank you so much for all your help! your advice and your website have been so incredibly helpful. i was nearly in tears the other night because i was so unhappy with my current bustle and i'm so glad i was able to talk to you.

i can't thank you enough!

all the best,

~cami

added December 2007

My daughter picked more of a soft mermaid (not quite so dramatic, but still the same effect) style wedding gown……..I’m not sure how to bustle it. The dress is very fitted to below the hips and then it flares out and with a train. Joli Bridal 3911 is the numbers on the order form……………..any suggestions on this style of a wedding dress?

Debbie

Usually I use a Pick-up style bustle for this mermaid style of gown. Here are some links to pictures:

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/Bustles.htm#ballroompickup

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/Bustles.htm#frenchpickup 

http://www.leanna.com/Bridal/MorePickup.htm

The bustle has to be set low on the backseam because of the mermaid style. 

~Lea

added May 2007

Dear Leanna,

I have read your entire website and I want to thank you for sharing such a wealth of information! If only I lived closer to you so I could hire you to work on my dress.

I have an Allure style 8308, which features an elaborate cut lace overlay (I think it's stitched onto organza?) with a long train. Here are some pictures, but they don't really do justice to the lace:

A close up of the lace on the train:

http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0432.jpg

And the bodice:

http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0435.jpg (Note: the real dress doesn't wrinkle like that in the middle. I'm clipped into a bigger size.)

When the dress arrived, the bodice fit me PERFECTLY. The bottom, however, was very big, which confuses me because I'm usually a two on top and a six or eight on the bottom in street sizes, and this is a size eight in "bridal dress" size. On the model, the dress seems to be more form-fitting around her hips and bottom, and only flare out mid thigh. My dress lies in folds around my hips. Could they have made a mistake?

It's also several inches too long -- even in really high heels (which I really wouldn't want to wear to my wedding -- I'm not a super-high heel kind of gal) I'm going to need hemming. This concerns me because the scalloped hem makes me think this is going to be a major undertaking -- that I will have to take apart the dress at the horizontal hip seam/band and lift it from there. And since the skirt already seems too full, will that make it even fuller? How can you "take in" such ornate lace? I'm also concerned that this will double the cost of the dress. (I was quoted $500 for shortening alone).

Finally, if all this works out, how would you recommend bustling a dress like this? I bought it because I was so in love with the lace, so I would want to show it as much as possible, but I'm worried that an "outside" bustle might tear the delicate fabric?

I would be so grateful for any advice you have to offer. Thank you so much for your website. It's been a real education.

~Diana

It's not a good idea to go by the model pictures. You don't know how they pinned her into the dress or touched them up after the photo session. It shouldn't be difficult to take in the hip area if that's what you need.

In the http://www.geocities.com/thebridaldress/DSCF0432.jpg picture you can see a band that separates the scalloping bottom lace from the skirt lace pattern. I would do the ham by moving the scalloping lace up by this band. I suspect that when the gown is the correct length, the folding at the hips will smooth out because the whole skirt can drop down. 

The Bustling I do has stays under each point to support the fabric. I've never had a bride report that her delicate lace tore in one of my bustles. I can't say how your people will bustle the gown, but I'm sure they have some understanding of the situation with the lace. Polyester Organza is a rather strong fabric though it is shear. You will probably need what I call a Pick-up bustle with the shape of the train. Though this is usually done with one point, it can be done with 2 close together points to support he lace better.

~Lea

added July 2005

Hi Leanna,

I am working on the bustle of a gown which has just one bustle point picked up to the bottom of the zipper. Can I use a thread loop at the base of the zipper and put the hook in the train's lace? there are no buttons on the back, no waist line, and no beading or appliques on the dress except for the he, do no hiding spots. Will it be strong enough? It also seems backwards...usually putting the hooks at waist. There is no place to hide the hook, button, etc., so I thought I could switch and put the thread chain at the zipper and hide the hook in the lace. Will this work, or do you have a better idea? Thanks in advance for the help.

This is a great example where inverting the hook and eye placement makes sense. It should work fine. 

I normally don't worry much about hiding things. Wedding guest aren't looking for bustle riggings and they just don't notice stuff like that. I teach the brides that it's not worth worrying about.

~Lea