Couture Bridal? Why, when there is so much choice with Ready to Wear?
I’ve recently undertaken a wedding dress commission from a young bride. The bride had visited several bridal shops – both outlets and boutiques – but hadn’t quite found what she was looking for. In this instance, the bride is in the midst of dramatic weight loss (diet and exercise regime) but 10 months before the wedding, when looking at dresses, she was still much larger than she is now, with a couple of months to go.
The bride had tried three slightly different dresses at different venues. Each dress had a key feature she liked. The neckline on one, the fitted waistband on another, and the floaty skirt on the third which made her feel like a princess (her words not mine). In each case the dresses she tried were nowhere near close to her correct size. Either too big and pulled in with big clips, so the bust isn’t in the right place, or too tight with a panel and lacing to hold it in place and the bust still isn’t in the right place. It can be difficult to envisage how you’re going to look on the day.
But at least it gives you an idea. Whereas having a dress made to measure is a journey into the unknown. You may have an idea of what you’d like (after trying a few dresses) and have a montage of ideas you’d like, something along the lines of a photofit from a 1980s cop drama!
But still…
Will it look good on me?
What if I change my mind?
What if I don’t like it?
The answer is simple - that’s why we construct a toile!
Still not convinced…
But I thought I had enough time
You give the assistant the date, it’s in 18 months’ time and she sucks the air (like the car mechanic before delivering bad news) and tells you’ve left it a bit late so you’ll have to make a quick decision.
Most (not all) ready to wear manufacture takes place abroad, the lead times can be lengthy because it’s made and shipped half way round the world. Coupled with the fact that the majority of brides (even the tiny ones) are generally in the process of losing weight / toning up for the big day, chances are you’ll end up buying a dress that’s way too big.
Whilst there is a bit of pre-prep to having a custom-made dress, the dress will be designed and made in-house so the manufacture can be much nearer to the deadline (times vary depending on the style). You will need to make a decision on the style when you commit to having a dress made (obviously) and it is best to book your bridal manufacture a year or so in advance – but you don’t need to actually start the measurements / toile stage until much closer to the day. Meaning you’ll end up with a perfectly fitting dress.
You’re ordering what size?
A bridal boutique will order the size for your biggest area – for example your bust is a size 18 but hips a 14 means you’ll get a size 18 dress, which will then need to be drastically altered. A ready to wear dress isn’t made to measure your figure, they’re standard sizing. They may be "made to order", but it's still a standard size. If you struggle to buy dresses on the high street, it’s not going to be much different in a bridal boutique.
Over the years I’ve come across some shocking sizing / resizing requests from brides who have been sold a dress by a boutique but do not have an in-house alterations team or a recommendation for alterations. I’ve had dresses where the bride has been advised she wouldn’t need to wear a bra but there is insufficient support in the dress for her bust. I’ve come across dresses where I’ve had to remove the entire bodice, reshape and put it back together again. I've been doing this a lot of years and the list is endless.
Consequently, customers are often surprised about how much bridal alterations cost (there is a lot of chatter about this online). Carefully unpicking a garment so as not to damage the delicate fabric is a painstaking task (I had a bride who said she’d do it herself to save some cash with disastrous consequences) it requires a lot of time and knowledge of construction, and I’ve not even started on the alteration before reassembling the dress. Time, patience, knowledge and skill.
But a custom-made dress takes time and effort, I hear you cry. That’s true usually around two to three toile fittings and around another four fittings depending on the style and how much the bride’s shape changes – but the changes are gradual. It’s not made up from the first fitting and then altered three weeks before the big day. If there are changes to be made at each fitting, they’re made at that stage.
I’m making the design my own
There is such a buzz right now for buying something off-the-peg and customising it to make it your own. Brilliant idea… if you’re handy with a needle and thread! If you’re looking for someone else to do the hard graft for you, then be prepared to pay.
The sales assistant may tell you a good dressmaker will have no problem making and inserting sleeves into your sleeveless dress and it won’t cost much. But chances are she can’t even thread a needle. They may suggest putting sleeves in the dress... we can, however, it’s not always straightforward and it's certainly not "easily done".
More importantly, we can’t always source the same fabric. Some brands, despite asking (begging) to buy additional fabric for minor alterations steadfastly refuse to sell or share their supplier. Any idea how many shades of ivory there are?
I can see why brides want to make changes, creating a unique dress, especially if you’ve got a good deal on the dress. However, consider a contrast fabric for any additions because chances are you won’t be able to match up the exact fabric.
And I’ve not even started on the cost of additional fabric!
If you want to make so many changes, why not have it made to measure in the first place?
And whilst we're talking changes
I once had an enquiry from a customer who wanted me to make the sleeve in her dress a removalable sleeve by putting a zip into the arm socket around the sleeve. Apparently, the sales assistant said this happened all the time. I said I’ve never come across it in over 25 years in the business and didn’t think it would be possible. She wasn't convinced when I refused.
Seriously, if it was a common occurrence that happened all the time why hadn’t the designer made the sleeves with a zip so they could be removed… perhaps because it’s rather impossible and if it were possible I suspect uncomfortable! (do feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!)
Need I say that the custom-made bride can have what she wants. Except, perhaps, detachable sleeves!
Whilst I’ll always fall down on the side of custom-made (obviously), I do receive a lot of enquiries for bridal alterations and try to help if I can. I appreciate budget constraints and that a wedding outfit is a one-off, one-day wear. However, sometimes the cheapest wedding dress doesn’t always work out to be the most cost-effective bridal option.
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