BE OPEN TO THE THINGS YOU CAN EASILY CHANGE
Find yourself looking in the mirror thinking ‘I absolutely love this dress, I just wish that…..’? Well, that change you were wishing for may be really easy to make to achieve the perfect dress for you, not to mention something that is totally unique! The list of what you could do is long, but here are some of the changes that we make for our customers all the time:
STRAPLESS DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY STRAPLESS
Strapless dresses are nowhere near as popular as they used to be with straps and sleeves increasingly being asked for. But there are some fabulous, well-made, flattering and budget friendly strapless dresses out there. So have straps/sleeves added. It's literally that easy. Over the (many) years we have been helping brides, we’ve added everything from a simple beaded spaghetti straps to a full lace sleeve to a strapless dress.
Lace cap sleeves? Keyhole back straps? Off-the-shoulder? Diamante? Having a custom-made strap or sleeve means you get exactly the shape and fabric that works best for you.
Your other option is to add a bardot or bolero top to the dress.
Off-the-peg, or have our seamstress make one for you – lace, chiffon, satin, whatever works best for you. Then you get the best of both worlds – some cover when you want it, and a strapless dress for the evening or for when you are happy to show a bit more skin!
TO BLING OR NOT TO BLING?
My blingometer is set to 100 so it would be hard to find a dress that was just too sparkly for me. Some of you agree, some of you prefer a dress to be more simple. So what if your ‘I just wish that…’ is ‘this dress had less / more sparkle (or detail)’?
No problem. Adding sparkle can be done in a number of ways – beading and/or sequins can be added to any dress, or lace appliques. Or both. Love the dresses that have a subtle sparkly layer under the top layer of lace or tulle? Have one added to your dress. Sparkly (or simple) buttons all the way down the dress to the end of the train? Easy.
Taking sparkle away is not always quite as easy but can still be done in many cases. Some lace dresses have sparkle sewn on the top that’s very easy to take off. Or some sparkle can be removed to make it a more subtle look. Just as you can add a shimmer underlayer, you can also easily take one away.
SEE THROUGH OR COVER UP?
Over the past few wedding dress seasons, there’s been a trend for plunge necklines and see through panels at the back and sides of dresses. Fabulous if you want a sexy look that shows lots of flesh, but not always appropriate for most of us normal humans! But it can still be the dress for you without too much effort.
If you like the idea of showing off a little, you can have extra lace added to give a barely-there hint of what may be underneath. Or you can choose to have matching lining added to completely remove the see through areas.
Those are the changes that we regularly make to our customers’ dresses, but there are many other ways to customise your dress – the limit is only your imagination! And keep following us for next week's blog on wedding dress petticoats....