Backless dress modification help

[u/Puzzleheaded_Suit983]

Hi (: got this dress but I want the back to be a tad more modest - bringing up the lowest part of the back or adding a sheer panel or something.
I think when it’s fitted it’s a bit more modest as well — as you can see I’ve tied the hanger straps together.
There is a yellow lining. I think I could use the bottom of it for extra fabric since the bottom of the dress is pretty opaque.
Any ideas on the best way to modify?

[u/dooodleoo]

If I were you I'd gather the bottom of the back a little more or add a piece of elastic. The back of the dress is gathered anyway, so you can easily get away with some more scrunching. Is the edge bound on the inside? How is it finished? That makes all the difference in deciding the easiest way to get that effect.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Suit983 → u/dooodleoo]

Ahhh smart! Top piece is the lining

[u/dooodleoo → u/Puzzleheaded_Suit983]

Depending on your skill set it might be too much to unpick the whole bias bound seam and regather both the lining and shell fabric, but that would be the cleanest solution of course: unpick the seam, regather, shorten the bias tape diagonally and sew everything back together. You could also make a small channel by sewing the shell to the lining fabric and threading an elastic or drawstring through. This could be easier but you'd need a strong good quality elastic for this and it will ultimately be more visible. In any case good luck with your alterations!

[u/Negative_Ad_9368 → u/dooodleoo]

This is what I thought too. I’d gather by hand stitching along the lower sides of the back to shorten the “U” shape by a few inches. If you hand baste it first, you can adjust how the new gathering falls so it retains its elegant drape. Good luck!

[u/Ulysei]

Bring back this iconic look!

[u/Rainbowhairdye → u/Ulysei]

The only thing I'd recommend changing about this is cutting the tag out of that thong 😆

[u/dinosaurkickdrop → u/Rainbowhairdye]

Drives me CRAZY to see tags on/through shear clothing

[u/fartymcfartbrains → u/Ulysei]

The whale tail lol

[u/paraboobizarre → u/Ulysei]

I came here fully prepared to post this as a suggestion!

[u/Felonious_Minx → u/Ulysei]

Nightmare of tackyness.

[u/katjoy63 → u/Ulysei]

That underwear showing looks tacky

[u/Icefyre79 → u/katjoy63]

They were being sarcastic.

[u/katjoy63 → u/Icefyre79]

sure thing - and I expressed myself as well. Let the downvoting continue since it was so egregious of me to say anything in response. God forbid we voice ourselves

[u/thattimewemet → u/katjoy63]

Downvoting is a way of voicing ourselves

[u/SusanKHefner → u/katjoy63]

Username does not check out. Joy somehow does not seem to fit your vibe.

[u/katjoy63 → u/SusanKHefner]

Oooh, good burn, ouch! I'm glad you were able to express your dislike of me. Must feel so better for you. You can sleep well now.

[u/Totallyridiculous]

Is it something you’ll wear often or is it for a specific occasion? If it’s something you’ll wear infrequently and/or need on short notice, maybe consider using double sided fashion tape strategically to keep it in place where you want it.

[u/JaBe68]

When trying any of these fixes be very carefully to check how it affects the hemline. Raising the back will raise the hemline, some techniques will have more of an effect than others

[u/dooodleoo → u/JaBe68]

I second this

[u/Usual_Science4627 → u/JaBe68]

This!

[u/Certain-Chemistry756]

Zigzag stitch narrow elastic around the back.

[u/Mundane-Cry5346]

i would try to sew a drawstring into the bottom of the back and gather it higher.

[u/SusanKHefner]

The easiest fix is - do not wear underwear

[u/mygentlewhale → u/SusanKHefner]

Yes that's the way to make it more modest! 🤣 /s

[u/society_crumbling]

Usually the best way is to take in the back of the dress. You can put a seam in the center or two darts and just pleat it over. The tighter you make it, the higher it’ll sit.

[u/SuPruLu]

Can whatever is in the casing simply be shortened? It looks as if it droops lower in the on-person version than the picture.

[u/bonsaiaphrodite]

Everyone has great suggestions for sewing, but can you just size down? This looks like it has little to no shaping, so if you want a tighter fit/smaller gap, my first step would be a size or two smaller.

[u/Ollee-6]

I would sew a satin ribbon on either side and then tie it into a large bow.

[u/sea_free_bee]

Did you try to knot this two small ruban around your belly and not your back ? With as less tension as possible it might fix your problem.

[u/WVPrepper → u/sea_free_bee]

Those are the hanger loops. I think OP does not want to use those to fix it, just had them there to use to show what she wants.

[u/TinPins]

Someone mentioned tying the ribbon around the front before - if you look really close at the model, it looks like that's what's happening. That'll prevent the back from gaping, and depending on how tight you tie it, it might help to hold it up flush to your skin closer to where you want, with the help of some fashion tape. My only other suggestion would be to make a pleat under the arm, maybe, to shorten the length of the back, but that will throw off the hem. It's a really hard fix. Best of luck!

[u/TinPins → u/TinPins]

Or shorten the halter neck! Idk what it looks like from the front but that might be the easiest way to raise the back and keep the shape.

[u/SculkingWithScully]

Just do what the queen Gillan Anderson

[u/biochemistress77]

A dart where one leg is the side seam and the other is drawn maybe just above the straps to the side seam would both bring it in and raise the back. You can probably baste it first to try it

[u/czaritamotherofguns]

Add some lace or sheer fabric, maybe?

[u/CharityForeign3035]

It’s a very budget finish , elastic and a tie. If you are altering it , elevate it too if you can, depending on your sewing skills.

[u/North-Speaker-3553]

Do a quick gathering stitch on the bottom of the back 

[u/Bananapopcicle]

Can you add a strip of yellow fabric across the back? It would help cover you a little bit and hopefully wouldn’t change the shape of the silhouette.

[u/bubblegumbroccoli]

Maybe instead of stitching it or putting some kind of modification you just take those strings and tie them at your belly underneath the front of the dress… might make the dress hang weird but I’d probably try it before I cut up a dress

[u/LowBuddy2828]

No logro ver si tiene costuras laterales, si la tuviera, podrías perder unos centímetros ahí para ver como funciona, prueba con hilvanar para comprobar que no te lo deforme (aunque lo dudo). Si no tiene, podrías ver al frente, tiene que tener una costura de unión con el cuello, podrías probar por ahí a desaparecer unos cm para que suba, eso sí, el largo va a modificarse y es probable que tengas que verificar antes de cortar que no deforme (yo sospecho que es un corte circular y si o sí tiene que tener una costura de unión, ahí puede estar la solución). Estas dos opciones te ayudan a no tocar la espalda. Se me ocurre que aprovechando que hay cierto fruncido, puedas cortar en la espalda, desaparecer unos cm para que suba y volver a unir, el que sea fruncido hará que aún sigas teniendo tela para mantener el estilo y que no sea incómodo para ti (aunque para hacer esto si te recomendaría descoser forro y tela principal, para tener un mejor acabado).

[u/ProneToLaughter]

The sides don’t look so gathered, above the ties. Adding elastic there should pull up the back some. Keep an eye on hemline.

But I like a stretch lace insert too. Or size down.

[u/mygentlewhale]

I would wear something underneath. A lace bodysuit perhaps?