Wednesday, April 28, 2010

S.O.S.! Prom Dress Alteration Advice Needed!

My daughter chose a darling dress for her first prom!  I was surprised she wanted a short dress, but by the looks of the catalogs and the shops, it looks like they are all the rage. 

The dress arrived today, you know ... just in time for the prom on Saturday!  Anyway, it was hard to get a good shot in the evening light with all the irredescence, but here it is.  The color looks great on her and everything fits, except for the bodice!  There must be a half-inch of padded cups built in, and the bodice practically stands up on its own. 

I don't think this is a case where stick-on "falsies" augmenting a strapless bra can work.  The bodice stands out from her body.  I really think I need to adjust the bodice somehow or add a bandeau of matching tulle inside. 
.
The dress came with a "shawl" of tulle, useless for that, but it might be handy with alterations.  I'm not a tailor, and I really need some advice if you have any. 

Below are some shots of the bodice and back of the dress.  Also, I put several pictures on my flickr gallery.  Can you take a look for me?  It is a well contructed dress, too.  The straps are covered in sequins, so if taking from the back is the answer, how do I do that with a professional look? 
.


6 comments:

Wendy said...

I have no tailoring skills, so I have nothing to offer there.... but the dress is SO CUTE! She made a great choice!

kristie said...

okay, i'm by NO means a tailor either. but going on what you are describing, if (and only if) you think 'tightening' the straps would help at all (and it sounds like it might), you would just go in at the back where they are sewn to the bodice and lining and using a seam ripper gently pull the stitches out, slide the strap further down between the bodice and lining and then resew. also, i've used this stuff called hollywood boob tape (i'm not making that up) that i got at joann fabrics. i use it all the time with dresses cut like this so i don't have any 'wardrobe malfunctions'. basically it is really sticky double sided tape that you apply to the dress and the it sticks to your skin and holds tight (it's not uncomfortable at all). good luck!

Needled Mom said...

What a gorgeous dress! I have done a lot of tailoring but am having a hard time figuring out where the "fit" is not working. I would alter it from the sides before the back if it is needed to make the top smaller around. If it is just needing pulled up a bit, I would alter the straps as kristie suggested. Saturday????? Good luck.

Mom said...

gosh michelle, I do plenty of garment sewing, and being of little to know bust, I have dealt with this plenty! It would havebeen helpful to see the dress with your dau in it though too, Is it oissible to shorten the straps where they attach to the dress back or take a tuck at the side seam of the bodice bust? Wish I could help you-

The Blonde Duck said...

It's a cute dress, but I have no idea how to fix it.

Chris Worthy said...

It's beautiful but it looks to have the same problem Caroline's bridesmaid dress did last summer. I swear the bodice and the skirt were cut from different size patterns. That was the only explanation. I looked at it to figure out how to alter it -- then I promptly took it to my neighbor who is a professional seamstress (bridal wear, no less). She had to remove the bodice and trim it down before reattaching it to the skirt.