Can I cut-and-paste the top of this dress to a different skirt?

March 22, 2019 5:33 PM

I've found (in online-image form) the platonic ideal of my wedding dress... but only from the waist up, I kind of hate the giant skirt that's attached. Is "ball gown to A line" possible through alterations? How can I find other dresses in this bodice style?

So I've fallen in love with this dress.

Specifically:
- illusion lace neckline
- asymmetric lace detailing on the bust which obscures the standard strapless-bra-style horizontal neckline
- NOT a deep v-neck in front
- sleeveless but more cap-sleeve / off the shoulder, not just straight up and down armholes
- low back (which is easy to find)

What I DON'T like about the dress:
- back train is so, so long
- overall ball-gown skirt silhouette; I'd much prefer A-line

If only I could attach this bodice, with trailing lace details, to the skirt of any number of BHLDN's A-line wedding gowns...

Is it possible to alter down the skirt of a wedding gown as dramatically as changing the silhouette? If not, or if this dress turns out to be a complete mess on me when I try it on in person, where can I find other dresses with my desired characteristics? Price is, for now, not a deal-breaker.

posted by serelliya to Shopping (10 answers total)

Have you thought of getting your dress made? When I designed my dress basically I took in lots of pictures "I like this top" and "I think this skirt is better" and sketched how I thought they might go together, spoke with the dressmaker about it, and ended up with a bespoke dress that I love. It even has a pocket.

Yeah, trying on different styles also helped, but making major changes to a dress is kind of painful, better to start from scratch.
posted by freethefeet at 5:43 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

What you want is Anomalie.
posted by babelfish at 8:40 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

I had my dress made as well and had a great experience but the seamstress was super experienced with pageant and wedding gowns. I took in a dresss I had I like the bodice of and she built from there. If you can find someone like that I highly recommend

As far as altering, depending on how much fluff you want to lose you might be able to remove some of the structure from underneath the skirt
Of the dress you like to get a lot closer to what you want. I can’t open the link so I don’t know how big a skirt you are talking about but we have done that a couple of times in prom dresses.
posted by domino at 9:03 PM on March 22, 2019

Does Nordstrom also provide the tailoring for wedding dresses in addition to other purchases? Ask to have the seamstress there and consult on that
posted by raccoon409 at 10:04 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

racoon409 makes a good point, Nordstrom makes a big deal about their customer service, including alterations. If there is a store near you where you can try it on and consult with the alterations staff, give it a try! If the bodice fits you well, reducing the sweep of the skirt and shortening the train may not be too complicated.
posted by doift at 10:59 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

The manufacturer may offer it with different skirt types. When I was looking at gowns I was surprised to learn that I could swap out the tulle ball gown bottom with a more A-line satin bottom on one of the dresses I liked. It may not be possible for this particular design given the cascading lace detail, but it’s worth looking into. A bridal boutique that carries this brand may be able to assist.
posted by smokyjoe at 7:05 AM on March 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Taking in is always easier than letting out. Skirts are easier than bodices. Generally, you can devolumize a ballgown skirt, but not that one. I would not even try because that's all one piece, shoulders to hem, looks like.

If that lace bodice, overskirt and train is a single piece with no seams, you'll end up with pleats or unsightly seams or something else that's clearly awkward. I don't think you could alter that overskirt and be happy with the result. The under-skirt, sure, but then the lace would be droopy.

Smokyjoe's suggestion of talking to the bridal boutique sales staff about other options with that bodice.
posted by crush at 7:55 AM on March 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The lace in continuous, no demarcation at the waist, so it would require skill to swap in a different skirt and would depend on the construction. altering a 2K dress is going to add a lot of expense, and the lace is designed and made for that shape, but it might be possible. I think the good hting is that you have begun to define what you want in terms of shape and style and can focus your search.
posted by theora55 at 11:24 AM on March 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

I 3rd getting your dress custom made. I had mine created to exactly my specifications, and it cost way less than a traditional dress. If you are near Vancouver, send me a message and I’ll send a referral!
posted by Valancy Rachel at 3:30 PM on March 23, 2019

Best answer: I second the sentiment that you may be able to alter it, but it would cost looots of money. I would caution with custom dress designers like Anomalie - some turn out beautiful but other people find their expectations aren't met (especially since you're considering 2k+ gowns, it's likely that anomalie's fabric and construction may not be up to your standards). To find an a-line gown with similar bodices, I like dressfinder.ca - you can add as many kind of filters as you want to search among various dress designers. Here's one I built just now for a-line silhouette with illusion necklines/various types of sleeves. The one downside is that many designers may call that kind of sleeve something slightly different, so I included cap sleeve/sleeveless/short sleeves/fitted sleeves all in the search criteria. Hope something here catches your eye!

https://dressfinder.ca/dresses/index.cfm?GownTypeID=1&gSilhouetteID=9,6&gBodiceID=15,22&gStrapID=6,3&gSleeveID=1,3,6,2&&proact=1
posted by jouir at 11:42 AM on March 24, 2019