Troublesome Wedding Gowns

added March 2010

Hi Leanna,

Thanks for your helpful site!  I bought your bustling video and it was helpful. I have a gown I am altering for a bride that she bought "previously loved". The dress is a size 10 and she wears a size 4.  It has spaghetti straps and no internal structure.  She wants it to be strapless.  It is overlaid with a stretchy net with lace and sequins worked in patterns, mostly over the bodice.  The foundation is a light silky satin and it has a very lightweight lining material attached only at the sweetheart neckline and along the zipper.  The overlay is tacked at the neckline, but otherwise unattached.

Question:  The boutique salewoman assured the bride that the alterationist (me) could "sew a corset into it".  wow.  At first I said, "what?".  But as I realized that she wanted the straps removed and that the dress needed to be able to stand up by itself, I knew I would have to add bones to hold it up. It is a "shift" dress, no waist seams of any kind.  The princess darts and rear darts end just below the waistline in only the satin and lining, but not in the lace overlay.  There is no stiffener in any layer to add body to it. I have slept on this and want to know your opinion.  After altering it from a 10 to a 4 (by pinning it on the bride to fit - remove up to 5" at top), I could add boning to the lining layer attaching it to the dart seams, front and back, and to the side seams.  I might also add horsehair braid along the top edge from the princess dart through the underarm seam and ending at the back dart to add body to the top edge.  Should I also iron in some interfacing on the lining?  Do you have any other suggestions? What do you think?

Thanks for your time.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Connie

Hi Connie,

Wow, this is a big job. I like your idea of ironing in some interfacing. It might not be easy to get the iron in there to get a good seal. Have you done this before?

If the princess darts aren't full seams, than you need to extend the boning to the neckline as if the seam was there. You sometimes need to use 2 strips of boning for good support.

I have occasionally sewn in a corset type bra to give support for this type of gown. Its hard to find a bra designed right for the situation but if you can it's a good solution and saves you a lot of fuss. 

~Lea

added November 2009

First, Thanks very much for all the helpful information on your website.  I refer to it quite often.  It’s been a great sounding board and I am always pleased to find someone else thinks like me.  Your policies read very close to mine.

Looks like you are located in Cincinnati?  I am 50 miles south in Carrollton, Kentucky.

I have a bride that’s asking me to alter a straight across neckline into a sweetheart neckline.  I’ve not been asked to do that before so I’m just not sure I want to commit.  See picture.

Can it be changed into sweet heart neckline? The beading is a concern.  What do you think?  She’s a small gal – if I remember right from her prom dresses about a size 4.

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

I have done many sweetheart conversions and this dress is not a good candidate for one. The collar can not be converted into the dip so she will either loose it in the conversion or the dip will have to be done through it. I doubt that will look very pretty. I can not see under the collar so I can't tell you what kind of work will be necessary if the collar is removed to create the dip. If she insists that she wants to retain the collar along the new line of the sweetheart neck, a new collar will have to be cut and beaded and sewn into the new neckline.

I will be a lot of work to get this dress looking good with a sweetheart neckline. I would advise her to choose a dress that already has a sweetheart neckline.

She wants the collar removed too so that should make it more doable, shouldn’t it?

Getting the collar totally off and reconstructing the sides and back of the neckline will be a job in itself, and then you have to deal with what's under the collar. If it's nothing, than you'll have to add beading to finish the edge nicely. If there is some beading under there, you'll have to adjust it to the new neckline. Either way, I think you're in for a good amount of hand beading work. It's not hard, just really tedious. I charge $30 an hour for this. I give the client a guess at how long I think it may take to do this AND I explain that my guess is NOT an estimate. The actual work may take much longer once I get to actually doing the work. And, she might change her mind on the beading pattern once I am half way through it and I will have to spend time changing it. She will have to agree to accept the final charge whatever it may end up being before I agree to take on the project.

In my state, Ohio, estimates have a rule. A laborer can not charge a final billing that is more than 10% above a written estimate. So, for hand work such as this, I don't give estimates. My guesses are good ones for I know how I work and can pretty closely calculate how long it will take me to do a certain job. Another alterationist may take more or less time than I do. Your client will want some kind of cost from you before she agrees to have the work done. What you give her can depend on your skill level, your desire to take on this job if you just happen to think you will like doing it, your schedule of other dresses you have already contracted to have done (i.e. The time you have available for this project), and what your store owner or manager wants you to do. If you are your own boss than it's you decision.

"Doable" is a measure of what kind of work you like to do or have the experience to do. I used to HATE hand work of any kind. Over the years I have developed a liking for the creative element in hand beading. So, after looking under the collar and discussing what "look" the bride is wanting, I may do this project even if it's tricky because I am in the mood for a challenge. If you have never done a sweetheart conversion than you might be concerned that you won't do a good job. This is great. It means you are a conscientious professional. Experience doesn't mean you have to have done the exact job before, just that you have enough alteration hours under your belt that you can think your way through a new experience.

The first sweetheart neckline I ever did was for a friend so it wasn't as nerve racking as for a client. But - just one week later - I had a bride ask for the same thing. Both jobs had differing elements but the process is mainly the same as in all alteration jobs = take apart the existing area, make the change and put things back securely.

I can't tell you step-by-step how to do this but you have a great picture to guide the design and good communication from the bride and if you have a few years experience, I think I can safely say you can do this.

~Lea

added August 2003

Hello Leanna;

I wrote to you a few weeks ago asking for advice. I have a wedding that I am making bridesmaid dresses for 6 ladies, and two of them are pregnant. Well.... make that three... I got another phone call from one girl who had just had her final fitting two days before finding out that she was expecting.

The reason I am emailing you today is that I had a bride bring me a gown this weekend. She only had the dress on for a few minutes when I lifted the train to see what I was in for when it came to bustling it... to both of our horrifying surprise, the entire underside of the train was absolutely filthy. Not just dusty, or "tried on"... it looked like it had been drug across a parking lot after the rain. UGH!!!

I asked her if she had purchased the dress as new, and she assured me that it was. Upon further inspection, I found that this was not the only "soiled" area on the gown. The more I looked the more I found... everything from make-up on the inside of the bodice to black greasy smears on the ends of the satin ties that lace up the back. I have never seen such a mess.

Of course the bride and her mother were devastated. So was I. I have altered many gowns from second hand shops, yard sales, bargain basements, and never have I seen such filth.

The dress was purchased new at a so called Bridal Shop which boasts of their three floors of immaculate Bridal Gowns and the most excellent customer service, blah blah blah...

First thing monday morning the bride called the shop to see what the deal was. She thought she was purchasing a new gown, what was the deal? She drove nearly three hours to this shop, and when she found the dress it was perfect... she never dreamed it would become such a nightmare.

She was told that because she paid cash for the dress the day of the sale... cash and carry... that the store wasn't responsible for having the dress cleaned. Had she put a deposit on the dress and came back later, they would have cleaned and pressed it for her for free.

All they would offer her is a voucher for her gas to drive the dress back down there and they would clean it.

To me, this is ridiculous. We are talking a lot of time, driving three hours one way... and then having to go back to get it when it was clean. They told me, that this is common. They have no control over how dirty the dresses get from patrons trying them on, and that it was "Normal".

To me, this much filth is NOT normal... I have seen gowns looking better AFTER the reception, than this dress looks coming straight from the store. I would be embarrassed to allow anyone to try such a thing on... let alone actually let them walk out the door with it, cash and carry or not.

She called a few different cleaners in the area, no one will touch it. I have offered to do what I can to get it clean, but I cant make any promises... I don't even want to touch it in the condition it is in. The bridal shop says it will come clean by handwashing and spot cleaning with Tide.

My point is... how can they call this a new dress... NO WAY.

The bride is so upset, and having medical problems(stress induced) and cant take time off work to take the dress all the way back to them for cleaning.

What do you think... Have you ever ran into this?

Thanks again...

Robin.

No, I have had dirty gowns but the bride knew what she was buying and had the cleaning in the plans already. My first question is, Didn't she look at the dress before she took it from the store? If it was as filthy as you say she should have noticed something when she picked it up. And if the store had it wrapped for her "easy pick-up" she should have smelled something rotten going on. Sorry to say, but stores do this kind of thing. It is also possible that your bride is not being totally honest to you. I find it odd that she drove 3 hours to pick up her special gown, paid for it, did not inspect it and drove home.

Bottom line is this is her problem, not yours. You do care for your customers in a professional way, but you can't let it get to you. Sure you want to be more than a robot sewing on their gowns, but you need to keep perspective too. Professionalism is often a fine line that is very hard to define. The gown has obviously been used. Whether the store let it be used and then sold it as new is probably never going to be admitted and they don't have to either. Your bride was either too trusting or just naive about bridal store policies. Unfortunately, they win. Since she paid cash she doesn't have the option of issuing a chargeback through her credit card company. She can report them to the Better Business Bureau, or sue them, but neither is going to help her get ready for her special day.

The only option I see for you is to wash the dress by hand. It's not easy because it's nerve racking, but if you can't find a cleaners who will take on the job there's not much else you can do. Simply put it in the bath tub and soak it in a mild cleaner like Orvis. Many Antique companies us this brand to clean vintage items that are very fragile. I am attaching a discussion I saved from my professional message board some time ago. It's about home cleaning products you can mix yourself. It may be of some help. You should be able to get most of the grime off this way. I would not rub the gown with any vigor. Maybe a little gentile swishing at the most stained areas, but not anything harder. The hardest part will be the drying. I would just hag it to drip dry for a day or 2.

It's hard to say any more without knowing the type of fabric and seeing the dress. I hope this helps.

~Lea

added November 2002

I'm wondering if you'd be able to point me in the right direction. I have a bridesmaid's gown that I need to alter, let out about 2 inches, in the hip area. There is no let out room (fabric) on the side seams but there is a small detachable train that I could possibly snatch some fabric from. Where/what is the best way to attack this? Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Thank you LaTonya

My, what a job you have to tackle!

Well, first you need to determine how much fabric you need to make the pieces to put into the side seams. Than figure out where you can get that size piece out of the train. In your figures, remember that you have to include seam allowances, consider grain. You can't just cut any piece any which way. For one thing, a bias piece would not make a good working side panel. A piece of satin going the opposite way from the grain of the bodice will look like a totally different color.

There's not much more specific advice I can offer not knowing what the dress looks like or how it and the train are constructed. I generally do my best to seek other alternatives to this solution. Putting small pieces into side seams always ends up looking awkward in my opinion. If the piece is 4" or wider it tends to look more like it was meant to be there, but 2" just plain looks bad. The only way around it is if you can put some type of decoration over the piecing, like lace on a wedding gown. Since this is a bride's maid, I doubt you have that option.

Good luck with however you decide to tackle it.

~Lea

added April 2006

Leanna

I need help! I am being asked to do the impossible in 4 weeks. This dress has designer finishes that are impossible to recreate without a large Pain in my neck. The girl has a fitted gown that if fully boned and lined And beaded AND is 3-6" too SMALL up top (She just gave birth to a lovely baby Girl). It has a zipper covered by a strip of covered buttons. The Bodice is strapless covered in beaded netting with cording in geometric Patterns but is not solid. There are two lines of material separating it Kinda like this: 

Top of breasts front Netting and beading

White Material same as The dress 6" gap

Center breast Netting and beading

White Material same as the dress

Upper stomach Netting and beading 3" gap End of bodice Skirt 1/2" too small

I thought of adding a panel at the side seams but I think it would mess up the lines of the dress (trim) and the boning will need to be moved (placement issues). I am afraid that I may have to replace the Whole bodice. The dress has been cleaned and needs some beading touch ups. Geez. it is hard to explain. Do you have any suggestions? I know you cannot see the dress. She got the dress second hand. Her mom does not Want to pay much either......She says she does not care what I do to it as long as it fits. Her wedding is in 4 weeks and I think she may have to be duct taped together and covered with a shawl (I told her mom that today) - LOL. Over my head in more ways than one-sorry about the rant. 

Leslieanne in Wa

Whatever you do to this dress is going to be expensive in using your brain power and your time and sewing skills. You need to be paid for all these things -YOU deserve it!

 The options: 

1. Piecing at the side seams. This always looks bad in my opinion but it's an option. Getting fabric that matches the dress is very hard. In telling them this option they must understand that you are not responsible for the fabric that is available in the stores in your area.

2. Piecing at the zipper. This has the same fabric difficulty as the sides, but you can be creative here and add something different because it will look like a design set into the back.

3. Replace the bodice. It is a viable option that can save you the other problems and I have actually done this a few times in restoring a gown. You still have the fabric to find that looks good with but doesn’t have to match the skirt. It can be a nice complimentary fabric like many bridal bodices. This will be much easier than the piecing options. If they want the original bodice recreated, it will be a huge job. You can offer to do a simple bodice without the layers for a lower price.

4. Buy a dress that fits. Many bridal stores have rack dresses for sale at very reasonable prices. She will lose the nostalgia of wearing the secondhand dress, but it is a viable option and much less stressful for you.

Have each option ready for them with the pros and cons. Have a very high price for each option. In fact, double your normal prices. This is rush and they need to pay you accordingly. Tell them the option and pricing for each and let them pick the option they like best. Do not haggle with them. The prices are not negotiable, just the choice of option. You do not have time for haggling and this job is going to be hard enough no matter what they choose. There is always option #4. 

This is the type of job I try to not accept at the first phone call. They are going to blame you for all their troubles, even the ones not tied to the dress. They are trying to pull together a wedding with no resources and rushed. Not good for anyone. Don't let their sense of urgency or lack of funds effect you. Be professional and stay calm no matter what they say - for they may say many things that will surprise you. 

I am very busy this week, but I also always have the computer on. If you feel frustrated or just have a question I will try to help. You do understand that my not being able to see the dress does make this really hard, but the options are usually the same no matter what the gown's design is. 

I hope I have helped a little. 

~Lea