Noelle's Dress

(All client names have been changed for privacy reasons.)

I'm always in awe whenever I see a picture of Noelle.  I swear she could be on the cover of a magazine.  The camera LOVES her!  I mean really, really loves her.  She is so photogenic, and I have yet to see a picture of her that is unflattering.  Believe me, I see a lot of pics of her on FB and haven't seen a bad one yet.  All beautiful, and you'd swear she could be America's Next Top Model.

Her mom approached me one day and asked if I could alter her dress.  Of course!  Nicole had two issues that needed to be addressed, one major and one minor.  The first one was a gaping front edge.  Home sewists dub this gaposis.  It is not attractive on dresses or tops, and lends itself to a "wardrobe malfunction" in the form of overexposure.

Her mom told me the shop where the dress was purchased would not fix the gaposis problem.  I don't know why.  It is a very easy fix with a simple small seam and camouflaged with crystals if one wants.  To do this correctly, it really should be fixed on the flat pattern.  These dresses, however, are manufactured to fit the masses.  I'm guessing that most manufacturers are now producing dresses for C-cup girls.  That is okay unless one is really small or very well endowed.  Dresses can be padded to fill in the cup or altered to fit.  Sometimes gaposis in the chest area rears it's ugly head and must be dealt with to provide a pleasing look to the dress and personal comfort for the wearer.

What I did was stand behind Noelle and create a dart seam at the back neck on the strap.  The dart can't be created on the front for the obvious reason that it would just look darn weird.  The back neck area is an ideal place to create dart seam.  It is not noticeable, and does not affect the overall appearance of the dress.  The trick is to dart it just enough that it prevents gaposis, but still provides comfort to the wearer.  I keep asking, "Is this okay?  Is it too tight?  Is it comfortable?"  I need to know.  There is a very fine balance going on here.  I felt we struck a good balance and proceeded with the dart seam.  Nicole opted out of crystals to hide the seam which was fine.  She was wearing her hair partially down which would hide the seam.  The alteration did create more of an angular strap at the back neck, but it the grand scheme of things, it worked.  I still wonder to this day why the shop didn't want to tackle the gaposis issue, but oh well.  First fitting problem solved.

The next fitting issue was secondary.  Noelle is an athlete.  A VERY good, natural athlete.  Athletes tend to have asymetry issues.  Noelle was no exception.  One side of the dress was collapsing in toward the hip on one side of the body, the other was filled out by the fuller hip.  It was not a case of extreme asymetry by any means, but it's an issue she needs to be aware of when purchasing clothes.  The problem presented itself in the form of a slight dragline as well.  We weren't going to reinvent the wheel here.  The goal was to minimize the issue as much as possible with a simple, inexpensive fix.  I tweaked the seaming to do just that. Not a complete solution, but one that had less drag without a noticeable collapse of fabric.   

Once those two alterations were completed, it was time to step back and looking at the big picture, the overall silhouette.  Yes, Noelle looked beautiful as ever in a dress that had a beautiful fit for her figure.  The most pressing issue of gaposis was solved, and she was picture-perfect ready for the prom.    

Mia's Dress

(Client names have been changed for privacy reasons.)

The genetic anomaly.  It's what I think of when I look at Mia in this dress.  I think you know what I'm talking about too.  The genetic anomaly is the girl who is perfectly proportioned.  There is nothing physically imperfect about the girl with this figure.  It makes one sigh and wish, "Why can't this be me?" lol.  And another thing which makes me envious.  She has no identifiable asymetry on her perfectly proportioned figure.  I know, I know, life is unfair to the rest of us mere mortals ;) .  Here is Mia in her very fine dress:

Everything about her dress was absolutely perfect except for one issue--the hemline.  Mia is petite.  While her boyfriend is over 6' tall, Mia is about 5'4" or perhaps slightly shorter.  The dress fit her like a glove.  The straps were perfect, the bodice was fitted beautifully through the bust waist and hips, and there were no draglines or pull lines indicating an ill-fitted dress.  The only change to be made was to shorten the skirt portion of the dress.

Easy enough, right?  Not so easy in this dress.  This skirt is lined and the hemline seam is sandwiched on the INSIDE of the lining and dress fabrics and is interfaced (presumably with horse hair for crispness).  There are two ways to go about this fix:  the traditional, more expensive method of seam ripping an opening at the seam that joins the dress bodice to the skirt to access the hemline, thus working to make the changes from the inside, and the less expensive method of turning up the hemline and stitching the new hemline to the lining.  The first is much more time consuming and costly, the latter is quick and less expensive.
 
Obviously, if this was a wedding dress, I would opt for the first method.  It is the correct way to do the alteration and worth the investment on a pricy gown.  The goal is perfection for that one (hopefully one ;) ) perfect day in a woman's lifetime.  A prom gown, on the other hand, can be fudged with a similar, effective result that looks great.  The issue here is money.  Prom gowns for the girls I'm working with generally run in the $200-$450 range.  I try to keep their alterations at $100 or less and give them options.    Most alterations will run between $35 and $65 because I opt for the most economical fix which is the route virtually all girls (and moms) opt to do. 

Thus, Mia's dress was measure the hemline, turn under, and stitch.  The original bottom hemline was catchstitched to the lining.  About every 8-10", I tacked down the hem at the sides and back with several additional stitches to prevent "heel catch".  You know when the heel of your shoe catches on a dress hem and rips the stitches?  That is what I'm talking about.  Tacking at regular intervals would prevent the entire hem from coming loose depending on how bad a heel gets caught in the hemline.

The end result was a dress with a beautiful fit and a hemline that worked given her height with heels.  Mia not only chose an exquisite dress that perfectly molded to her figure, but one in a style and color that was extremely flattering. 

Marly's Dresses

(All client names have been changed due to privacy.)

Marly is a fabulous girl.  She's a beautiful redhead with a bold, vivacious personality to match.  She thinks outside the box, and I've had the pleasure of altering three of her prom dresses.

Here is Marly's first and second prom dress from her Junior year in high school:

I wish I had a better pic of Marly's first dress!  It looked beautiful on her and flattered not only her figure, but also complemented her skin tone and haircolor.

Marly's dress had two main alterations.  She wanted more of a mermaid effect on the skirt portion requiring two long darts where a side seam would be located.  I assured her that darts would not be noticeable and that people would see the beautiful silhouette of the dress.

In addition, the back of the dress was altered to highlight (or rather emphasize) a nice booty curve.  It was an alteration similar to a bustle, yet not a true bustle due to the style of the dress.  The alteration was not conventional, but it was effective and the result was beautiful.  Her mother had a big beautiful earring we affixed to the back waist to highlight the alteration.  The first method I tried for the back did not work very well.  It didn't stay secure, so I opted for a secondary fix to be completed on prom day.  I met Marly and her mom at the library, headed to the bathroom, and completed the alteration in about 10 minutes, and she was good to go.  She looked spectacular!

I thought Marly was going to wear the same dress to a second prom that year, however, she picked out another dress off Ebay for $20!  What a steal.  She figured if it didn't fit, I could alter it for her.  She is a smart girl you know!  :)

The problem with the pink dress was that it didn't have much shape in the mid-section.  It was loose, kind of baggy.  So I pinched two vertical darts in the back to provide shaping in the mid-lower back.  I assured her that vertical darts were quite common and found in many types of garments.  Darts create shape, and these darts were no exception.  People don't notice darts, they notice gorgeous fit.  And that is exactly the goal we were trying to achieve.  Look at that fitted back and booty curve!  She is rocking the look.  Total cost?  $20 for the dress and approximately $20 for the alterations.  Can't beat that, huh!

Fast forward one year.  Now it's Marly's Senior prom and she has her dress picked out.  She asks if I can do her alterations, and they were very simple.  We nipped in the side seams a bit, and I shortened the straps.  The straps were beaded so it did require removal of beads and subsequently reattaching them,  Overall, an easy fix for a Grecian Goddess.

I told my younger daughter (who is friends with Marly) that Marly is the type of girl alteration specialists love to work with.  She is a girl that knows what she wants and is very specific.  When I pinch here and there, she is quick to offer her approval or refusal of specific alterations.  This is such a blessing.  A person who is specific and knows what they want and what effect they're trying to achieve is likely to get the look they want.  I'm dealing with yes or no's, no I don't know or maybe's.  In a way, it's kind of like the interaction between a beautician and a customer.  The more specific one can be about how their hair is to be cut, the more likely it is for a better outcome with a style they love.   Although my preference is to work with a girl and her mother at an initial consultation, she is one of the few where I feel comfortable working with in the absence of parental input.

Can you tell I loved working with Marly?  She's a beautiful girl, has a great sense of style, and knows what she wants.  It doesn't get much better than that!

Moms (and Dads), your daughters need you!

Today I was browsing over some prom dress websites since it's that time of year. I love looking at the current styles and have my own personal faves. 

Funny thing is, I really don't know how many parents help their daughters pick prom dresses.  Personally, I NEVER wanted my mother's input.  I felt for sure she would pick out a pink, frilly thing with lots of ruffles.  Blech!  That was not my idea of an ideal prom dress.  Actually, she didn't have any input because she didn't contribute one red penny to my dress fund.  It was tough for me financially, yet it gave me total freedom on whatever style I chose.  I was not bound by the, "I'm paying for this, and I do not approve of this style so it's not going to happen."

I was FREE!  Nowadays, I don't know if this was a good or bad thing ;) .  As a person who can alter dresses, I find that parental input is crucial on style choices.  More specifically, crucial if they're looking at the "big picture" so to speak.  Get beyond the mindset that, "This is my gorgeous daughter, and she will look good in anything she tries on!"

Maybe she does, and maybe she doesn't.  Therein lies part of the problem.  When girls go to prom dress shops or to the mall and try on dresses, they're picking by style and size.  Sometimes I'm not exactly sure what they see in the mirror.  It's almost as if they're just seeing the dress and not how their body fits into the dress.  One of the first sins of prom dress shopping is to go with their friends.  Friends typically are very positive.  Very few will say, "That's a great dress, but it looks awful on you!"  Really, I can't blame them because they want to keep their friend, right?  :)

My daughters always took me along for prom dress shopping.  I really didn't want to go as I loathe any type of RTW shopping, even for prom dresses.  I'm the mom that admittedly hates going to the mall and shopping for clothes.  I was not blessed with the shopping gene which is fortunate for my husband but unfortunate for my girls.  Therefore, when I finally get to the shop, I'm already grumpy.  I'm looking to pick a dress apart.  My girls tried on various prom dresses, and I'm the first to tell them, "I don't like that on you... your boobs are spilling out, your torso looks too short, it makes you look like you have tummy pooch, the dress is dragging your boobs south..." as I poke and look at seams, construction, and styling details.  I AM critical.  They are paying for a dress that should look divine on them.  Yes, I said "they" since I only fund $50 of the dress.  They are responsible for the balance.  When the dresses they're looking at run in the $300-$500 range, I expect a dress that will flatter them in every way.  Near perfection, so to speak.  They deserve to get a dress with the most bang for the buck.  Some girls may not appreciate brutal honesty, but I think my girls appreciate the fact that I have their best interests at heart.  They know I'm looking at the big picture

Now here's the part that really drives me insane!  The sales ladies excitedly say, "Oh!  That looks TERRIFIC on you!!!"  They tend to be all smiley and sugary sweet.  They are called sales people for a reason, and given my experiences they say every dress looks terrific.  I want to scream, "WHAT?!?!"  No, it does not!  The girl that you are talking about is my daughter, and she does NOT look terrific in that dress."  Experiences like this make me even grumpier.  I quickly point out every figure issue that is going on and move on to the next dress.  I hate sales clerks that that say what girls want to hear, rather than what they need to hear, to make the sale.  It's not fair to the girls.  However, when my girls put on *the* dress, I let them know it.  There's always that one dress that reigns supreme.  It stands out, it's beautiful, it flatters their figures, and it's a great color for them.  It's an exciting moment and what's interesting is that we both seem to know it at the same time.  I stand behind them while they look at themselves in the mirror.  I place my hands at their waist, their hips, their shoulders, etc., and point out that all is right in the world of prom dress shopping and fitting.  It's like a miracle lol.  And when it happens, we just know we've found the one.  That one right dress for the prom.  I'm happy, they're happy, and whatever fitting details that need to be taken care of to perfect the fit will happen in my careful, stitch-happy hands.

So moms (and dads), go prom dress shopping WITH your daughters.  Offer your input.  Really look at the dress.  Is it flattering?  Is the style working for their figure type?  Does it emphasize the positve and de-emphasize the negative?   Is it the right color for their skin tone?  Be honest.  Eliminate genetic bias and look at them as just another girl looking for a pretty dress in just the right style and color for their figures.  Be objective.  Assist your daughters in keeping their emotions in check when picking out a dress.  A gorgeous dress on the rack may not be gorgeous on their body.  Their second or third choice dress might be just the one that looks totally fabulous on them in every way.  Help them see the "big picture."

Once your daughter finds the right dress for her, do an alterations assessment.  Does your daughter want or need something nipped in, let out, hemmed?  What about the straps?  Are they too long and need to be shortened?  Bear in mind dresses with beads and sequins in alteration areas can get pricy.  Price out everything so you know the total cost.  Does the shop do alterations for free or do they charge.  How much for each specific alteration?  Do you know an independent seamstress that can do alterations? 

Now I'm going to address the next issue of prom dress shopping which is Internet shopping.  This is really tricky.  All those dresses you see look fabulous on the models, but they are just that!  36/24/36 models.  Their dresses probably have all sorts of things going on in the back or areas that you can't see.  Dresses are pinned, clipped, nipped in, and secured to make those models look just right.  Photoshopping helps make those dresses look perfectly smashing on the models too.  The question is, is a particular dress going to look great on the girl purchasing it?  Is it going to be the right size?  What does the manufacturer recommend as the appropriate size given a set of measurements and the fit of the dress?  Is it going to be the right length?  Is the color true?  Is it in stock?  If it's out of stock, when will it be available and will there be enough time for alterations if necessary.  If it doesn't fit, who can do the alterations?  Worst case scenario--can it be returned?  Internet shopping for a prom dress can be a crap shoot.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Please assist your daughters with dress choices on the Internet and be objective.  Don't let emotions take precedence over choosing a style that not only looks terrific on the model, but looks terrific on the girl purchasing it.

In conclusion, there are so many things to think about during prom season.  Having the perfect dress is very important for girls.  So please help your daughters pick out the dress that is perfect for them.   Tag along and have them keep their options open.  Be honest with them about styles that flatter their figures.   You are their best ally.  Have fun with your daughters during this special time.  Good luck and happy prom dress shopping!