Heirloom gowns and restyling.
We take on any gown — a mother's, a grandmother's, even a great-grandmother's — and we love them. Restyling one is not a standard alteration, though: gowns from those decades were built differently, and what is possible has to be assessed with the dress in front of us.
The gowns we take on
We are not picky. We enjoy working on all kinds of things.
Recently we have had grandmothers' gowns, mothers' gowns and even a great-grandmother's come through the studio. They arrive with some lovely stories, and we learn an enormous amount from them about how much bridal fashion has changed. Making one fit a whole new generation is one of the best parts of this job.
We have also had a run of dresses coming back in for second events, which we think is a great idea — why not wear your wedding dress again? We can shorten it, take the train off, remove some of the detailing and take layers out, so that it becomes a summer dress or an everyday dress rather than a wedding dress.
What is realistic, and what usually is not
Old gowns were made differently, and that shapes what we can do with them.
- Rust marks from the original buttons. If the gown still has its original metal-backed buttons, expect rust staining.
- No internal structure. Many gowns from those decades have no lining, no boning and no fusing, so there is very little support built in. Brides often ask us to take the straps off and pop some stability in so the bodice stands on its own — but the straps are what is holding it up. Those gowns were never made to stand without them. We can add that structure, and we frequently do, but doing so is essentially remaking an entire garment and it is priced accordingly.
- Damage in the fabric. Holes, or rot in the cloth, have to be dealt with before anything else starts, or the dress can tear the moment it is worn.
- No zip, and no allowance for one. A lot of these gowns were never made with a zip. If you need one put in, the dress needs to be on the slightly bigger side so there is enough fabric there to take it.
Assessing an heirloom before we quote
We start with a check fitting. You come in with the dress, you try it on, and we go through every change you are thinking about.
We then keep the gown, look properly over it, and email you a quote based on those changes. Once the quote is accepted we get started like any other alteration, and we work closely with you and your body until the dress is what you want it to be.
Before you bring it in, have it dry cleaned — or at the very least gently hand washed. That is partly so the detailing survives a full day of wearing as well as a lot of sewing, and partly so we can see what we are actually working with.
How long restyling takes
Far longer than a standard alteration, for two reasons.
The original threads are usually rotten, so unpicking takes about twice as long as it would on a modern gown. And the original sewing tends to be quite basic — the shaping is basic — which means that getting the dress to the standard brides expect today involves a great deal of adding and rebuilding that a modern gown simply does not need.
That is worth knowing when you are planning. An heirloom is not a job to bring us at eight weeks.
The leftover fabric
It comes back to you — all of it. We do not like having waste in the studio, but more than that, that fabric might matter to you later on.
Brides have used theirs for a keepsake bag, for detailing on a veil, or for something for a child one day. Whatever it ends up being, we would rather it was in your hands.
One we are especially proud of
A bride came to us recently with her mother's wedding dress. It fitted her beautifully to the waist, but from the waist down it was both too short for her and not sitting well around the hips. She had been to several bridal boutiques and tried gowns on, and had decided that a fit-and-flare trumpet was the shape she was after — but she really wanted it to be her mum's dress.
So we cut the dress at the waist and built a completely new skirt in a matching fabric. What came out was a beautiful vintage cowl bodice with its original pearl detailing, sitting on a genuinely modern skirt — a creamy taupe rather than a white — that read like any gown you could buy today, only more elevated and quite unlike anything else. She was thrilled with it, and so were we.
Questions brides ask us.
Yes, and we love this work. We have restyled grandmothers' gowns, mothers' gowns and even a great-grandmother's, making them fit a whole new generation. There are no restrictions on the gowns we take on.
Yes. We start with a check fitting: you come in with the dress, try it on, and we go through every change you are thinking about. We then keep the gown, look properly over it, and email you a quote. Nothing starts until you have accepted it.
Please do — dry cleaned, or at the very least gently hand washed. It is partly so the detailing survives a full day of wearing as well as a lot of sewing, and partly so that we can see what we are actually working with before we start.
Usually not without rebuilding it. Many gowns from those decades have no lining, no boning and no fusing, so the straps are what is holding the bodice up — they were never made to stand without them. We can add that structure, but it amounts to remaking the garment and is priced accordingly.
Often, but the dress needs to be on the slightly bigger side. A lot of gowns from those decades were never made with a zip and have no allowance for one, so there has to be enough fabric there to take it.
Far longer than a standard alteration. The original threads are usually rotten, so unpicking takes about twice as long, and the original sewing and shaping is quite basic — so bringing the gown up to the standard brides expect today means a lot of rebuilding. An heirloom is not a job to bring us at eight weeks.
Yes, and we are seeing more of it. We can shorten the gown, take the train off, remove some of the detailing and take layers out, so it becomes a summer dress or an everyday dress rather than a wedding dress.
It all comes back to you. Brides have used theirs for a keepsake bag, detailing on a veil, or something for a child one day. We keep our waste low, but mostly we would rather that fabric was in your hands.
Your dress. Your fit. Your day.
Book your alterations consultation at the Sydenham studio — and see why brides travel from across the South Island to have their gowns finished here.