"Chicken Wings" and Other Things: The Strapless Dress

Girls, listen up.

We're going to have a talk about strapless dresses today!  I love them.  They're so elegant IF they fit right.  The problem is I see a lot of strapless dresses that just don't fit all that well on girls going to the prom.  The single most irritating issue is that of CHICKEN WINGS!   What are "chicken wings" you ask?   I'll tell you, but you have to promise me that you are going to look for them!  It's a virtual guarantee you will see several cases of chicken wings during prom dress season that range from mild to severe.  In this photo from the Burdastyle.com website, I give you your daily visual serving of "chicken wings" for the day.

Source: http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/invisible-details-of-a-couture-garment-the-waist-stay

Chicken Wings:  (my definition)  The constant pulling up of the top, front edge of a strapless dress with one's hands with the elbows pointing outward and up.

Look around at girls shopping for strapless prom dress or girls wearing them at the prom.  You will see it.  I can handle occasional chicken wings.  However, when it happens every minute or two (or even less), it drives me insane.  There is something wrong with the dress and/or fit.

There are two things I want to tell you about strapless dresses that most people who don't sew or alter probably aren't aware of:

1.  The entire dress should be anchored with something called a waist stay which is, you guessed it, located at the waist!   Strapless dresses are NOT held up on the body via the top edge of the dress.   It probably seems strange that this is so, but the structure of a strapless garment includes a waist stay to anchor the dress at the waist.  Think of it as the foundation for the garment.  The waist stay supports what's above and what's below that point.

Here is a pic of a waist stay.  It can be made in a wide variety of colors.  Source:  http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/invisible-details-of-a-couture-garment-the-waist-stay

2.  Boning (plastic in casing, Rigilene, or spiral steel) is typically inserted at several vertical areas in the lining from the waist to the top edge of the dress to provide support for the bodice of the dress.  I'm sure you know what boning is or at least what it feels like.  Most females will be familiar with it especially with bustiers being very popular lately.  You can feel boning in the bodice of a strapless dress or bustier on or near the vertical stitching lines in the lining of the garment.  It's a long, somewhat hard piece of plastic (or steel) with a bit of flexibility. 

Here is the problem I saw last season with the two strapless prom dresses I altered and didn't realize it until prom season was long over.  The strapless gowns did NOT have a waist stay.   I wouldn't make a strapless dress without one, so for some reason I wasn't thinking about it because it *should* have the stay. The waist stay has to be made to measure so it fits a particular body snugly and securely.  When dresses are being manufactured for the masses, perhaps it is just not practical nor cost effective.  It is going to be the first thing I check for in strapless gowns from here on out, and the first alteration to perform.  I like to use the top-down approach, but a strapless gown doesn't have neck and shoulder issues because of the obvious--it's strapless.  Therefore, before any other changes or alterations, that waist stay must be installed first.  IMO, it's not a maybe but rather a must-have alteration.

A waist stay is located inside the dress where it hides unseen from the rest of the world while it performs it's very important job as the dress anchor.  It can be made out of grosgrain ribbon or petersham, fits snugly to the waist, and has a hook closure at the center back waist.  It is anchored to the dress at the seams and/or important areas the dressmaker or alterations specialist feels is important for a proper anchoring system.  It does not interfere with the zipper closure.  The creation and insertion of a waist stay is a simple, cost-friendly alteration on most dresses.

Once the waist stay is been inserted into a gown or if it was there to begin with, the top edge of the dress needs to be examined.  Is there any gaposis on the top edge and where does it occur?  My preference is to examine the bodice back first then move on to the front.  I find that gaposis usually occurs in two places--at the side seams and/or in the vicinity of the armhole crease.  For prom dresses, I opt for the cheater's method and consult the parent and teen on the why's and how's of the alteration.  The cheater's method is often very effective at removing gaposis and is wallet friendly.  Any jogs in fabric from the cheater's method can be remedied with my seamstress "patch" which camouflages the jog.  It is not the correct method, and I'm quick to tell my clients about this.  The correct method would be to open up seams, remove the excess width on the interior seam allowances and close everything back up with hand and machine stitching.  This takes a bit  more time, and an alterations specialist's time is your money!  I have yet to find a parent or teen that opts for the more expensive, correct method for prom dresses.  (Note:  Cheater methods are not my first-choice alteration for wedding dresses!)

I've talked a lot about the waist stay and gaposis.  Now I want to discuss style.  People, not everyone can carry off the strapless look.  It's like everything else regarding fashion.  We need to be honest about our bodies, our overall shape, what areas we would like to highlight, and which areas we prefer to cover up.  Strapless dresses have different edge treatments that can enhance or detract from one's shape.  Let me give you examples.

Some girls are large-sized and curvy.  I once saw a girl large-sized girl with broad shoulders and thick arms, and she was wearing a strapless dress with an almost perfectly horizontal top edge.  It took a wide silhouette and made it even wider.   Not only that, the gown had a Cinderella style skirt--very large, poufy, and again...wide.  It was a beautiful dress.  The girl was large and beautiful.  However, the dress simply did nothing for her.  The horizontal strapless edge gave her the appearance of having linebacker shoulders.  The voluminous skirt added many visual pounds she didn't need.  The two just didn't match.

I don't want anyone to think I'm picking on curvy girls wearing strapless dresses, because, let me tell you, their thinner counterparts have issues going on as well.  For example, one of my pet peeves is when a strapless dress falls too low on the torso.  Some girls have long torsos and the dresses just aren't made to accommodate their extra body length.  You'd think they would look great in a strapless dress, but it doesn't always happen like that.  (Remember, prom dresses are typically made for the masses with an average torso length.)    Therefore, the top edge of the dress falls too low on their bodies and makes it look like it's pulling everything south.  The right type of strapless dress should make the twins look perky and round, not long-ish and stricken by the forces of gravity.  That eventually happens on its own lol.  These girls often feel overexposed and will resort to "chicken wings" to cover themselves back up.  Long torso girls have to pay attention to where that top edge falls on their bodies.  The dress might not be working for them.  It's best to have a parent along to give them a better perspective and an honest opinion about the fit of the dress.

Another thinner counterpart may have the issue of broad shoulders, broad chest, and/or thicker upper arms but overall be relatively thin.  In this case, if the girl is dead set on having a strapless dress, I would recommend one with a curvy top edge.  See Julia's Dress.  Her cups curve in and down at center and are very flattering.  A straight, horizontal edge is visual width (think added visual pounds), and curvy edges of a strapless dress will soften the silhouette in the shoulder/chest areas.

In conclusion, I'm trying to impart a few points I feel are really important:

1.  Think about your figure.  Is a strapless style right for you?   Take along mom or dad and ask them for their honest opinion if you are having trouble formulating your own opinion on the matter.

2.  Does the strapless dress have a waist stay?  If not, consider having one installed on the dress.  It anchors everything above and below the waist.  If you want your strapless dress to stay up comfortably, it's NOT done at the top edge--it's done at the WAIST!

3.  Examine the top edge of the dress.  Is it a perfectly horizontal line?  Does it have curvy cups?  Is it working for your overall silhouette?  Is it flattering your neck, shoulders, and arms?

4.  Look for gaposis on the top edge, those gaps where the dress edge stands out from the body instead of hugging it.  Gaposis is annoying, not very pretty, and the dress will need to be altered to fit your upper chest.

I hope this post has empowered you with some basic knowledge on the structure of strapless dresses as well as an awareness of fit issues regarding strapless dresses.  Now get out and start trying on some prom dresses!  Pay attention to what is going on in the mirror and drag along at least one of your helpful parents for an honest assessment of styles appropriate for your figure.

Happy Prom Dress Shopping!

--Kat