Altering dress backline? Has anyone else done this?

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

So, my dress is Land by Pronovias. It has a beautiful v-neckline with lace applique straps. I am so in love with it!

When I found my dress, I wasn’t expecting to find anything that would top another dress that I had found which was 2605 by Mori Lee. Although I love my dress and have no regrets, I still drool over the Mori Lee! The back of the dress especially. It comes to a deep V which is stunning. I have attached a photo of myself in the dress from the back. I am wondering if it’s possible to alter the back of my Pronovias Land to come to a V? Has anyone done this? If so, could I see some photos. Before/afters would be great if you got ‘em!

atlastmrsg · October 2014

I had a scoop back evening gown that ended just below waist. The second time I wore it was about 8 years later, my body had changed since I was swimming a lot. More bulk in my shoulders/high ribs was putting more strain on the dress and it wasn't going to zip the last two inches. I had it dropped to a low scoop back and it zipped just fine. The seamstress basically rolled over the top and put darts inside to hold it.

A good tailor can accomplish anything, just be prepared to pay for it. If you have a tailor you trust, send the pics and let him/her weigh in. If you don't, check your local board or call high end shops to ask who they trust.

Maggie0829 · October 2014

This is really a question to ask your seamstress.

I am guessing that the straps in the back could be built out to make a V but you would need to order extra lace fabric so that it matches your dress.

But, IMO, I think making a big change to a dress because you liked one portion of another dress is just silly and makes it seem like the dress you picked really isn't the one for your. But you love your dress, right? If so, leave it alone, stop looking at the Mori Lee and start drooling over the pictures of your dress.

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

Wow, that last reply seemed a bit rude.

I don't believe it would really be a drastic change to my dress and I was just asking for input from ladies who have done this as I know it can be done. What's the difference between doing this and giving a dress a sweetheart neckline (which is pretty common)? I understand they are two totally different jobs and one might entail more money/work, but it's still altering a dress to make it UNIQUE TO THE BRIDE. That's all I want to do, make it different and unique to me. Yes, I love my dress. I bawled tears of joy when I found it. That doesn't mean I can't admire a v-back gown and that doesn't mean I can't think that a v-back would make MY dress even more perfect. Perhaps you weren't trying to be rude, but the words you used to try to make your point come across as pretty damn insulting.

Maggie0829 · October 2014

TheKimmer86 said:

Wow, that last reply seemed a bit rude.

I don't believe it would really be a drastic change to my dress and I was just asking for input from ladies who have done this as I know it can be done. What's the difference between doing this and giving a dress a sweetheart neckline (which is pretty common)? I understand they are two totally different jobs and one might entail more money/work, but it's still altering a dress to make it UNIQUE TO THE BRIDE. That's all I want to do, make it different and unique to me. Yes, I love my dress. I bawled tears of joy when I found it. That doesn't mean I can't admire a v-back gown and that doesn't mean I can't think that a v-back would make MY dress even more perfect. Perhaps you weren't trying to be rude, but the words you used to try to make your point come across as pretty damn insulting.

My reply was not rude, it was my opinion. I do find that altering a dress a lot (and changing the straps on your dress to resemble those on the Mori Lee is, IMO, a big change) is silly. If you don't like something about a dress then why buy the dress in the first place? If a v-back dress was something that you really wanted and loved then why not buy a dress with that type of back to begin with?

And yes, you can admire a v-back dress. I have and continue to admire many wedding dresses but that doesn't mean that I regret my dress. I loved my dress just how it came. If I hated the flowers on it or I hated the one shoulder I would have kept looking instead of altering it to look like another dress when I could have just bought the other dress to begin with.

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

I never said I wanted to alter or change the straps. Please go back and read my post. The straps are a huge part of what I love about my dress! I was asking for examples of alterations of backlines, meaning removing a small bit of fabric between the straps to form a v-shape rather than come straight across. I have seen several examples of this on strapless dresses and wanted to know if it would work on a dress with straps that come straight down and was hoping to see examples. If I end out determining that it would look silly, then my dress is perfect as is! There is nothing about my dress that I regret and just an FYI - I stare at a photo of me in it just about every single day.

I understand your opinion is your opinion. That's great, but I'm sorry for getting defensive about a post that came across as a bit judgy and suggesting that I'm "silly" for asking a question. On how many occasions have you heard of a consultant saying "I have this dress in mind, it doesn't meet all of your requirements but if you do XX, it could". It happens more often than you think (a few tried it on me) and I think there are a lot of brides out there that find a dress that they feel beautiful in, but wish it had that one thing they were hoping for.

Maggie0829 · October 2014

TheKimmer86 said:

I never said I wanted to alter or change the straps. Please go back and read my post. The straps are a huge part of what I love about my dress! I was asking for examples of alterations of backlines, meaning removing a small bit of fabric between the straps to form a v-shape rather than come straight across. I have seen several examples of this on strapless dresses and wanted to know if it would work on a dress with straps that come straight down and was hoping to see examples. If I end out determining that it would look silly, then my dress is perfect as is! There is nothing about my dress that I regret and just an FYI - I stare at a photo of me in it just about every single day.

I understand your opinion is your opinion. That's great, but I'm sorry for getting defensive about a post that came across as a bit judgy and suggesting that I'm "silly" for asking a question. On how many occasions have you heard of a consultant saying "I have this dress in mind, it doesn't meet all of your requirements but if you do XX, it could". It happens more often than you think (a few tried it on me) and I think there are a lot of brides out there that find a dress that they feel beautiful in, but wish it had that one thing they were hoping for.

I never said that you were silly. I did say that altering a dress in a drastic manner, in my eyes, is silly. So the act of altering the dress is silly, not you. And I am not sure how I am being judgy.

And I realize that, but with the thousands of dresses out there, I find it a bit ridiculous that one cannot find a dress that they love, as is, without having to make changes. I just think spending a lot of money on a dress and then altering it to look different is a waste in my eyes.

And how you want to alter your dress will in no way look like the Mori Lee. The straps are completely different and just making the back lower won't give you the same results as in the Mori Lee. it will just look like you cut a v in your dress, the actual straps will not give you that v-shape you love so much in the Mori Lee.

ETA: And of course bridal salons say they can change this and that and what not because they want you to not only buy the dress but spend a ton on alterations at their store. More money for them.

blabla89 · October 2014

I'm sure it could be done, but I think your best bet is to take it to a seamstress and ask her opinion. Like @atlastmrsg said, a good seamstress should be able to do it, but it may be costly. Just make sure you go to a seamstress who has experience doing major alterations to wedding dresses.

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

I feel like the point has been lost. I apologize for getting defensive, a lot of times inflection gets lost on the internet. Thank you for offering your opinion. Everyone's is different.

The Mori Lee is an example of a dress that I tried on that had an element that I happened to really like. My dress is different fabric, different designer - it's totally different. I realize my dress won't look like the Mori Lee and again, I am 100% happy with it as is. This was something that I was wondering about and wanted to know if anyone else on here had done before.

My dress is due in my size in December. I guess I was hoping to hear/see real-life experiences before venturing down that road with my seamstress because it's not something that I feel like HAS to be done to my dress.

badbnagdway · October 2014

TheKimmer86 said:

I feel like the point has been lost. I apologize for getting defensive, a lot of times inflection gets lost on the internet. Thank you for offering your opinion. Everyone's is different.

The Mori Lee is an example of a dress that I tried on that had an element that I happened to really like. My dress is different fabric, different designer - it's totally different. I realize my dress won't look like the Mori Lee and again, I am 100% happy with it as is. This was something that I was wondering about and wanted to know if anyone else on here had done before.

My dress is due in my size in December. I guess I was hoping to hear/see real-life experiences before venturing down that road with my seamstress because it's not something that I feel like HAS to be done to my dress.

Give it time, it's possible someone here does have experience with the type of alteration you're talking about. It might be helpful to post a picture of your dress here as some of the ladies do know more about construction or have experience with such major alterations.

When I was (only a week or two ago) trying to decide about a dress and whether I should alter it to make it more to my liking, I received similar responses -- it doesn't make a lot of sense to make big changes to a gown you love (or in my case, are on the fence about). I kept looking and found a dress that was just right. I'm really glad I got the advice I did here. It sounds like you're happy about your gown in general and I understand where you're coming from, but understand that the change your talking about is pretty huge depending on what the dress looks like now.

It would seem to me that taking out fabric from the back may lead to some structural issues if the dress is not designed to have that deep V shape. And, if the dress has internal boning that would need to be removed to accomplish what you are talking about that would be especially problematic. I would 100% talk to the seamstress, but also check the reviews of that seamstress. It is not unusual for them (and sales people) to tell you what you want to hear.

theartistformerlyknownas · October 2014

I agree with Maggie that if there's a certain aspect of a dress that you love, you should find a dress with that aspect already. Something like this is a much more major change than just altering something to a sweetheart neckline - that only takes a few stitches, while a change like this could completely change the architecture of a dress.

Low back dresses need to be structured in a different way to support you up front - if your dress was designed with a straight back, the structure there may be necessary to maintain the integrity of the front of the dress. The straps may not lay right anymore, you may get a "pooch" in the stomach, the boobs could sag. The best person to answer this for you is your tailor. Even if someone here has done this exact thing to this exact dress before, your experience could be completely different depending on the skill level of your tailor. And once they start cutting, there's no turning back.

Anecdotal story... my SIL bought a dress with a hi-lo skirt for my wedding. But the tailor she took it to was apparently an idiot, and didn't know how to take in the hips while maintaining the asymmetry. He ended up chopping off the entire skirt and hemming it straight, just barely below her butt. For another tailor that likely would have been an easy job, but she didn't have time to find a new one. He ruined the primary thing she had loved about her dress.

weddingcactus · October 2014

I haven't yet purchased a dress, let alone modified one. That said, at several bridal salons, the consultants showed that the backs of dresses could be slightly modified to be lower, often in a V-shape. However, most could not go as low as the dress in your picture because the structure of the dress would not allow it. In many cases, there was boning or an inner corset that could not be modified to dip that low. So I think it really depends on the structure of your dress. I would definitely talk with a seamstress once you get your dress to see if the back can be modified into a V-shape if that's what you like. Just keep in mind that you might not be able to get it to dip that low (just so you don't get your hopes up too high).

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

Thanks ladies.

Again, it's not a must. I 100% love my dress as is. Just something I was curious about.

The sample that I tried on was two sizes too small, so I don't have a photo of the back as it was gaping open, but here is my dress from the front.

theartistformerlyknownas · October 2014

It's a gorgeous dress!

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

Thanks! I can't wait until it's in my size and my thighs and paunch belly aren't bulging like she-hulk

Maggie0829 · October 2014

TheKimmer86 said:

Thanks! I can't wait until it's in my size and my thighs and paunch belly aren't bulging like she-hulk

Oh shush! I see nothing bulging. All I see is a pretty dress highlighting a banging body. I love the shape of the skirt, like how it comes up to a point in the center and then softly fans out.

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

I love, love, love how delicate the bottom is. The straps, the appliques along the neckline and the delicate bottom are what made me melt in this dress. I felt like an actual mermaid--- I couldn't walk it was so tight! But if I loved how I felt in it two sizes too small, I can't imagine how I'll feel when it actually fits. I'll have to post updated photos in December!

TheKimmer86 · October 2014

Maggie0829 said:

TheKimmer86 said:

Thanks! I can't wait until it's in my size and my thighs and paunch belly aren't bulging like she-hulk

Oh shush! I see nothing bulging. All I see is a pretty dress highlighting a banging body. I love the shape of the skirt, like how it comes up to a point in the center and then softly fans out.

Maggie0829, I am truly sorry for overreacting to your post earlier. I was in a foul mood.

That said, I do appreciate your opinion. I didn't exactly communicate my point clearly either.

STARMOON44 · October 2014

I don't think it will work. The straps aren't designed to be angled like that. Even if a seamstress agrees to do it, I think it will look overworked and odd. Really pretty dress as is though.

Maggie0829 · October 2014

TheKimmer86 said:

Maggie0829 said:

TheKimmer86 said:

Thanks! I can't wait until it's in my size and my thighs and paunch belly aren't bulging like she-hulk

Oh shush! I see nothing bulging. All I see is a pretty dress highlighting a banging body. I love the shape of the skirt, like how it comes up to a point in the center and then softly fans out.

Maggie0829, I am truly sorry for overreacting to your post earlier. I was in a foul mood.

That said, I do appreciate your opinion. I didn't exactly communicate my point clearly either.

Absolutely no worries. Sometimes the overall tone that was meant in a post isn't always easy to convey through just words. I have been known to read a post or two in my time in a tone that probably wasn't there because I have been in a grumpy mood. We have all been there and done that.

badbnagdway · October 2014

TheKimmer86, what a beautiful dress, and you look great! I don't know that an altered back will work with those straps and shape, but you can certainly ask. You might also find that when you try it on and can see better what the back detail looks like you like the back how it is.

Altering dress backline? Has anyone else done this?

Re: Altering dress backline? Has anyone else done this?

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