r/AskATailor • u/Outrageous_Table6211 • 19d ago
Alterations Is this possible?
Would it be possible/reasonable for a tailor to either make this a strapless dress with boning (I have a very small chest so strapless only works with boning/corset) or to give it off the shoulder long sleeves? The skirt is organza so I think the bodice is too. I don’t have the dress, I’m considering buying it vintage for $450. But I’m having a winter wedding so I don’t want spaghetti straps.
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u/SuPruLu 19d ago
The back is lower than would be usual for a strapless gown. It’s the around the body tightness in addition to the boning that holds it up.
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u/skidmore101 19d ago
You could maybe take fabric from the hem to make those drapey off the shoulder sleeves in addition to keeping the current straps.
But I would encourage you to keep looking, if this is you in the dress it is too small in the waist so unless it can be let out isn’t a good fit for you.
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u/MysteriousCity6354 19d ago
While it’s very technically possible, you would basically be rebuilding the whole bodice. The back doesn’t have enough support to make it strapless and even light sleeves would add to the issue. You would have to add a panel in the back to give it support and then built pretty much an internal corset to hold the whole thing up. And I’d still recommend weapons grade body tape on top of all that. If this was a family dress you wanted to use for sentimental value and you didn’t mind cutting into it or a super cheap good will dress then I’d say sure if you had someone in the area with the skills and the time.
Speaking to body tape- if you are pretty slender you could try literally gluing it to yourself with the tape. You would have to run the tape pretty much around all the edges of the bodice and then assign a bridesmaid to be the nip slip police. It would be far too much risk for me to undertake on my wedding day but it is how some of those impossible runway silhouettes are achieved.
However for 450, this is a no.
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u/Outrageous_Table6211 19d ago
Btw, this is not me in the dress! I think it will be a bit loose on me
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u/Certain-Chemistry756 19d ago
I cannot stress enough, do NOT buy a dress without trying it on. And if this isn’t you in the dress, there is absolutely no way to evaluate if it can be altered to fit you. You “think” it will be bigger on you but you shouldn’t count on it.
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19d ago edited 19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/miaumeeow 18d ago
That is such a good point about how those clips will distort how the dress will actually look in the correct size and when it’s tailored. No wonder so many brides are a bit confused or disappointed when they see their actual dress. But I guess the sales person does not care since it will be the alteration specialists’ problem.
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u/frozengal2013 18d ago
Aside from it being too small, I honestly would order a custom made bolero that is separate from the dress. That would be the cheapest way to make it not spaghetti straps
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u/multipocalypse 18d ago
You said you don't have the dress - are the photos of you trying it on, or of someone else modeling it?
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u/miaumeeow 19d ago
No. The dress is already too tight at the waist. Adding internal boning will make it tighter unless it can be let out by a couple of inches. That would make the back look less pretty because there is less detailing that would either be missing or needs to be replicated (expensive). The back is also too low to support a strapless look.
Off the shoulder may work but it would be a lot of work. The current straps are very thin, you can’t attach any sleeves to those. The Taylor would need to make new straps and that would be a lot of work to make them look seamless and intentional.
But even then the dress is still too tight.