How can my friend get the dress of her dreams?
October 13, 2022 1:08 PM Subscribe
A friend saw a dress in a vintage store and has fallen in love with is. But to fit her it needs to be about 2 inches bigger around the chest. Is it possible to get something altered to be bigger? Is it possible to get someone to make a copy of an existing dress? How do you do these things? Is it expensive? (My friend, the dress, and I, are all in Toronto)
I assume a lot depends on the dress. I don't know much about it.
I assume a lot depends on the dress. I don't know much about it.
You can absolutely get someone to make a slightly bigger version. But it will cost the hours and the material. Get an offer before going with it. As someone who has had tailor-made clothes when I could afford it, I have never regretted any piece, and most of my life, I have been dirt poor. Those items last forever, are always beautiful, and I could sell them for good money with no loss if I was so broke it would make sense.
posted by mumimor at 1:17 PM on October 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 1:17 PM on October 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
For a wedding I was in, the bride chose a pattern and fabric rather than completed dresses. Since I don't sew well, I hired an older woman to make mine. She said she didn't need the pattern, and she made a perfect copy of the dress just based on the picture. So yes, these miracle workers exist.
posted by FencingGal at 1:21 PM on October 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 1:21 PM on October 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
It will depend, among other things, how vintage the dress is.
Garments made more than 40 years ago often are very well made, and might even have seams that can be let out. She should look at the inside seams, of the top part (turning the dress inside out if possible). If you look at a contemporary mass produced dress often the seam margin is less than one centimeter (1/2 Inch), and sewn in a way that can't be opened. But older dresses often have margins of 2-3 centimeters (1 Inch or more) and are sewn in a way so a seamstress can let them out. Take photos of the inside, and show them to a seamstress.
posted by 15L06 at 1:21 PM on October 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
Garments made more than 40 years ago often are very well made, and might even have seams that can be let out. She should look at the inside seams, of the top part (turning the dress inside out if possible). If you look at a contemporary mass produced dress often the seam margin is less than one centimeter (1/2 Inch), and sewn in a way that can't be opened. But older dresses often have margins of 2-3 centimeters (1 Inch or more) and are sewn in a way so a seamstress can let them out. Take photos of the inside, and show them to a seamstress.
posted by 15L06 at 1:21 PM on October 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
I wonder if someone might be able to add a couple small panels to the existing dress? Maybe when you ask about pricing for a reproduction you could ask about that.
posted by Glinn at 1:24 PM on October 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by Glinn at 1:24 PM on October 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
15L06 is right on. Another possibility is to alter the dress by carefully splitting the side seam and sewing in an underarm gusset to give more room at the bust. It's not that hard and can even be sewn by hand by a beginner if need be. Here's a good video tutorial that gives an idea of the options. The very first example she shows is of a dress that needed just a bit more room in the bust.
posted by ourobouros at 2:00 PM on October 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ourobouros at 2:00 PM on October 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
You can certainly get dresses copied. It is made much easier if she actually buys the dress but good dressmakers can copy from photos.
Whether you can make the bust bigger in a dress depends on a lot of things. Whether there is fabric to be let out (maybe, if it is vintage) or just exactly where the extra fabric is needed and what the dress looks like. I often add little gussets in the underarms of shirts to make them fit me better, for example, but I wouldn't do that if I was going to be waving my arms a lot in the dress because they aren't invisible. It is a very common alteration in wedding gowns to take out the back zipper and put in a corset back to give some room -- depending on the dress, that might be possible.
I usually do this sort of thing myself (badly) but I have a Toronto friend who swears by Kim's.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:05 PM on October 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Whether you can make the bust bigger in a dress depends on a lot of things. Whether there is fabric to be let out (maybe, if it is vintage) or just exactly where the extra fabric is needed and what the dress looks like. I often add little gussets in the underarms of shirts to make them fit me better, for example, but I wouldn't do that if I was going to be waving my arms a lot in the dress because they aren't invisible. It is a very common alteration in wedding gowns to take out the back zipper and put in a corset back to give some room -- depending on the dress, that might be possible.
I usually do this sort of thing myself (badly) but I have a Toronto friend who swears by Kim's.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:05 PM on October 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
If the dress has a lowish back, it might also be really easy to get it altered to just be a bit lower, again, depending on the dress! basically shortening the back zipper and making a lower V-shape. Photos would be extremely helpful here (even just "it looked like this one" photos)
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 2:28 PM on October 13, 2022
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 2:28 PM on October 13, 2022
Only an experienced tailor/seamstress will be able to answer this definitively. Good vintage shops know someone, and will often contract out work to that someone. For the right piece, it is not expensive to have something altered; the garment itself may even lend itself to being 'let out' and sized up.
Copies are more expensive, but honestly, something that is hand made by a professional, with good fabrics, can last several lifetimes over (which is why vintage clothing is even a thing...). amortized over the life of a garment, having them made from scratch is only marginally more expensive than finding similar quality goods (produced in similarly ethical ways).
posted by furnace.heart at 4:30 PM on October 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Copies are more expensive, but honestly, something that is hand made by a professional, with good fabrics, can last several lifetimes over (which is why vintage clothing is even a thing...). amortized over the life of a garment, having them made from scratch is only marginally more expensive than finding similar quality goods (produced in similarly ethical ways).
posted by furnace.heart at 4:30 PM on October 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was happy with some stuff I had altered at Shoppe and Tailor in Toronto, which has since become a maker space, but I would trust their recommendations.
posted by cranberrymonger at 4:37 PM on October 13, 2022
posted by cranberrymonger at 4:37 PM on October 13, 2022
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