Wedding to strappy dress alteration

An alteration to convert an alternative wedding dress into a scrappy, summer frock.

The original dress was custom designed with asymmetric seams, a mix of gathers and angled panels, all made from a deadstock cotton material. The client needed the puff sleeves removing and the fit adjusting, whilst retaining the square necklines and overall design.

Hidden under the puff sleeves was a shoulder strap, though much wider than needed it could be altered to sit more comfortably.

With the side seams and shoulders being changed the dress needed a lot of unpicking to get under the lining and adjust the gathers where the dress was taken in. But with this, it gave some flexibility to also create a couple of hidden side pockets within the skirt (made from the volumes of fabric in the sleeves).

The overall design remains unaltered apart from the sleeves and shoulders, her ‘something blue’ (little embroidered heart) is to be stitched to the back and the dress is now a wearable summer staple.