Sleeves, straps and necklines.
Adding sleeves is the most common request that comes through the studio — most gowns do not come with them, and plenty of brides do not want their arms out on the day. Straps are straightforward. Necklines are usually a rebuild.
What brides ask for most
Sleeves, by a long way. A lot of wedding dresses simply do not come with them, and a lot of brides would rather not have their arms out on the day — whether that is modesty or personal preference. So we add them.
More often than not we make them detachable, so you can change your look as the day goes on: sleeves for the ceremony and the photographs, off for dancing, back on when the evening cools down.
Adding or removing straps, and raising or lowering a neckline, come up about as often as each other. But it is sleeves we are adding most.
Which is straightforward, and which is a rebuild
Straps are pretty straightforward.
Necklines are usually a rebuild in some capacity, depending on the dress, because you are dealing with the cups, the stay stitching, the horsehair, the boning and the general shaping underneath. Once you cut into that, you cannot put it back. It is one of the more intense alterations we do, and we will talk you through exactly what it involves before you decide.
Sleeves are the more complicated of the two, because a sleeve is genuinely bespoke to your dress, your arm and what you have in mind. We keep 10 to 12 sample sleeves in the studio, so you can try them on, look in the mirror and see whether that is actually the look you came in for. Then we make a mock sleeve — an example in a substitute fabric — so you can check the drape, the width, the length and the puff. Nothing is cut in your real fabric until you have seen it on you and you are happy.
Where the fabric comes from
Brides are often surprised by how much fabric a sleeve takes. A short sleeve needs roughly half a metre. A standard train does not hold that much without cutting off essentially all of the train, and even then the grain lines can end up wrong.
For a straight, draped off-the-shoulder sleeve we can usually use whatever fabric comes off the hem. Where we can see there will not be enough, we match it ourselves — we hold an array of fabrics in the studio, and most bridal fabrics are fairly standard, so a match that reads as original is often possible.
Where the gown has appliqué or detailing, we can lift pieces off the dress and place them onto the new sleeve so that it looks as though the sleeve was always there.
When the fabric cannot be matched
It cannot always be matched, and we will say so straight away rather than pretend otherwise.
The first thing to try is the bridal store you bought the dress from — they can often order matching fabric directly from the designer.
If that is not possible, we pivot: we change the sleeve to a deliberately different fabric, so it reads as an intentional design choice rather than a repair. A bridal satin with a chiffon sleeve. A mikado with a tulle puff sleeve. Done that way it becomes part of the dress rather than an apology for it — and we will be upfront that sometimes it is the only option we have.
Changes we would steer you away from
Be deliberate. That is the advice we give every bride. Add a sleeve you genuinely want, for a reason — not because you think something soft and fluffy might be nice on the day. Afterthoughts show.
We also look hard at proportion, and we will tell you what we see. Wider straps where there is a bigger bust. A neckline sitting lower to show a little more skin. We will point you in the direction that keeps the ratio and the proportion harmonious between you and the gown, rather than simply making what was asked for.
Detachable sleeves, overskirts and capes
Yes, and we make a lot of them. Most of our sleeves are detachable, because an off-the-shoulder sleeve is not much fun to dance in and the option to take it off later is worth having.
We have also made straps that go on rather than come off, so a bride can add them for the party and stop thinking about whether the dress is moving. It should not move — brides just like to really go for it.
Beyond that: overskirts, capes, removable appliqué pieces and detachable trains. If you want your dress to be two looks in one day, it is almost always possible.
Questions brides ask us.
Yes, and it is the most common request we get — most gowns do not come with sleeves and plenty of brides would rather not have their arms out. A sleeve is bespoke to your dress and your arm, so we make a mock sleeve in a substitute fabric first and only cut your real fabric once you have seen it on you.
Most of the sleeves we make are. An off-the-shoulder sleeve is not much fun to dance in, so being able to take it off for the reception and put it back on when the evening cools is worth having. We also make detachable overskirts, capes, appliqué pieces and trains.
Usually yes, but it is a rebuild in some capacity rather than a simple alteration. Changing a neckline means dealing with the cups, the stay stitching, the horsehair, the boning and the shaping underneath — and once that is cut, it cannot be put back. We talk you through what it involves before you decide.
A short sleeve needs about half a metre, which a standard train will not give you without cutting off essentially all of it. For a straight, draped off-the-shoulder sleeve we can often use fabric from the hem. Otherwise we match it from the range we hold in the studio.
The first option is to ask the bridal store you bought the dress from, as they can often order matching fabric from the designer. If not, we pivot to a deliberately different fabric so it reads as an intentional choice — a bridal satin with a chiffon sleeve, or a mikado with a tulle puff sleeve.
Yes, and straps are one of the more straightforward alterations. We will look at proportion with you first — wider straps often sit better where there is a bigger bust — so the change works with the gown rather than against it.
We keep 10 to 12 sample sleeves in the studio for you to try on and see in the mirror, then we make a mock sleeve in a substitute fabric so you can check the drape, width, length and puff. Nothing is cut in your real fabric until you are happy with it.
Yes. We have made many overskirts and capes, along with removable appliqué pieces and detachable trains, for brides who want their dress to be two different looks across one day.
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.