Most gowns come to us needing to be taken in, and we do it as a matter of course — two to four sizes without thinking twice. Letting out is the harder direction, which is why we tell every bride the same thing: if you have to choose, buy the dress too big.
Where we take a gown in from
It depends on the dress, on how it needs to fit, and on the body underneath it. There is no single answer, and we work it out with the gown on you.
Most of the time we take a dress in from the side seams, because that is what keeps the balance right through the gown. When we are taking it in by several sizes, we use the side seams and the back zip together so the reduction is spread evenly the whole way around. When the shaping is really about the bust, we go to the princess seams.
At your fitting we hold the dress on you and feel where it needs to go, and we look at what that will do to the gown before we commit to it. Taking in at the wrong place brings the panels too close together, drags the bust around towards the side or the underarm, and changes the shape of the dress you chose. We talk you through exactly where we are taking it in, and why.
How much can come in
Two to four sizes is our normal, and most brides land somewhere in that range. It usually is not a problem at all.
We have taken gowns in by eight to ten sizes, but that is not really taking in — that is unpicking the whole dress and starting again, and we would call it a rework or a remake rather than an alteration. It is possible on some gowns and not on others.
Whatever the number, what we are watching is the panel shapes, the cup sizes, and how much is coming in or up at each seam — and whether the dress still looks like itself once all of it has happened.
Letting out, and why we would rather you bought big
Do not be alarmed if your dress is too big when you buy it. Too big is far more important than too small, and it is the single most useful thing a bride can know before she orders.
We can usually let a dress out by one to two sizes. Side seams normally hold about half a size to a full size. Gowns made in satin often have a size or two sitting in the seams. Mesh and embroidery are the difficult ones — there is rarely anything spare left in those seams — although we can add mesh panels or cover the join with embroidery so it does not read as an alteration.
The reason we steer brides away from it is what letting out can leave behind: pinhole marks where the original stitching sat, discolouration along the old seam line, or a fit that never quite goes around the body. We would far rather be handed a gown that is too big and simply make it fit.
What limits it, and what we do when there is nothing left
Seam allowance is the main limit. After that it is whatever sits on top of the seam: appliqué and beading do not come with spares, so a seam that moves outward has nothing to cover the new ground.
Fabric marks are the other limit, and they usually come with second-hand gowns. We ask that you have the dress dry cleaned before you bring it in — if there is discolouration that will not come out, at least we all know what we are working with before we start.
Boning never worries us. We replace it, move it and change it every day of the week.
When there genuinely is no fabric left, we replace a whole panel using the train or another part of the gown. We have added what we call pizza slices under the arms, and we have replaced both back panels so the zip does up all the way to the top. Done properly it does not look like we have touched the dress, and those brides have been some of our happiest. Where a lace-up back or replaced panels really is the honest answer, we will tell you that rather than force a seam that was never going to give.
The gowns that are hardest
Beaded and sequinned dresses, without question. The rule when you sew beaded fabric is that the beads sitting in the stitch line have to be crushed or unpicked. That is manageable when a dress is coming in, because the seam swallows it. Letting one out is the problem: you expose fabric that has no beading and no detailing on it, and you are left with an obvious bald patch under the arm, on the shoulder or across the back. It is the most complicated and the most time-consuming work we do.
Boning does not worry us — we work with it every single day. Corset backs are not our preference; we would rather rebuild the panels than default to a lace-up, though they do seem to be coming back into fashion, and we will fit one where it is genuinely the right answer for a gown.
Losing or gaining weight between fittings
This is the whole reason for the eight-week rule. Two things here do not change: we do not see you for your first fitting until eight weeks out, and we do not cut any fabric until after your second appointment, once we are certain the fit is right.
We also leave the fabric in wherever we can, so that the dress can be let out again if you ever want to resell it. Most of the time you cannot see it, and brides are happy for it to stay.
Brides lose and gain weight, and it is genuinely not a problem, because we are making the dress fit you. If it feels tight we let it out a little. If it is loose we keep taking it in. By the second fitting we are usually confident about the fit and everything after that is slight tweaks.
We have had brides fall pregnant during their fittings, and brides on weight-loss medication who lost a great deal very quickly. There are all sorts of factors and none of them are a problem. All we ask is that you are honest and open with us about what is happening, so that we stay ahead of it rather than discovering it in the last fortnight.
Questions brides ask us.
Most of the time from the side seams, because that keeps the balance right through the gown. When we are taking a dress in by several sizes we use the side seams and the back zip together, and when the shaping is really about the bust we go to the princess seams. It depends on the dress and on the body underneath it.
Two to four sizes is our normal, and most brides sit somewhere in that range. We have taken gowns in by eight to ten sizes, but that means unpicking the whole dress and starting again — a rework rather than an alteration, and possible on some gowns and not others.
Usually one to two sizes. Side seams normally hold about half a size to a full size, and satin gowns often have a size or two sitting in the seams. Mesh and embroidery are hardest, because there is rarely anything spare left, though we can add mesh panels or cover the join with embroidery.
Too big, every time. Taking a gown in is straightforward and we do it as a matter of course. Letting out is limited by the seam allowance and can leave pinhole marks or discolouration along the old seam line. Do not be alarmed if your dress is too big when you buy it.
We replace a whole panel using the train or another part of the gown. We have added pizza slices under the arms and replaced both back panels so the zip does up all the way to the top. Done properly it does not look like the dress has been touched.
Taking one in is fine — the beads in the stitch line are crushed or unpicked and the seam swallows it. Letting one out is the difficulty, because you expose fabric with no beading on it and are left with an obvious bald patch under the arm, on the shoulder or across the back.
It is not a problem, and it is the reason we do not see you until eight weeks out. If the gown feels tight we let it out a little; if it is loose we keep taking it in. We only ask that you are open with us about what is happening, so we stay ahead of it rather than find out in the last fortnight.
Not until after your second appointment, once we are certain the fit is right. Even then we leave the fabric in wherever we can, so the dress can be let out again if you ever want to resell it. Most of the time you cannot see it and brides are happy for it to stay.
Yes, please. Second-hand gowns often carry marks or discolouration that will not come out, and it is far better that we all know what we are working with before any alteration starts.
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.