How close to "done" should a dress be at a first fitting?

[Kim N]

I had my first dress fitting today, and am feeling a bit bummed. I didn''t really know what I should be expecting, but there were many more problems with the dress than I anticipated. The dress is somewhat crooked (one side of the bodice is a little higher than the other), the bust is slightly different sizes on either side, I''m showing chest fat over the top of the dress, the neckline doesn''t seem quite symmetrical...

I''m most concerned about the fact that the dress is bunching a little, noticeably, in several places. When I told the tailor about it, she said she didn''t know what could be done about that, and that that was the way the dress was. Surely this is a common problem that can be fixed?

Are these problems typical of first fittings? I guess I''m just worried because I want it to turn out perfect.

 

[lliang_chi]

Kim I think we''ll need pictures.

But regarding the bunching, I''m surprised the seamstress said that. There should be some way to correct it. I''m assuming it''s bunching around the rouching. If that''s the case they can possibly take out some of the bottom layers or something? Again I think we''ll need pictures to say one thing or another.

 

[lovesparklies]

Are you really confident in your seamstress'' abilities? If she''s good she should be able to do wonders. It''s amazing what some seamstresses can do. I''m sure a lot of dresses have major problems before the first fitting. Have you ever watched Say Yes to the Dress? Some girls don''t even recognize their dress before it''s altered! I think what you''ll have to do is see how the dress looks at your second fitting and if you''re not happy with the work that''s been done then have some new seamstresses'' numbers in your back pocket ready to call.

 

[honey22]

I''m sorry but I hear alarm bells ringing here! We need pics I think!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 3/26/2009 4:20:36 AM
Author: honey22

I''m sorry but I hear alarm bells ringing here! We need pics I think!

Ditto. You may want to find a back up tailor just in case...

 

[Kim N]

lliang_chi, lovesparklies, honey, Hudson, thanks for your comments. My pictures are on my friend''s camera, and I can''t get to them right now, but I''ll try to get them soon. This seamstress came with rave reviews, so I thought she''d work out well. I do have a backup seamstress, just in case, but I''m already spending so much money on the first one that I don''t want to spend more if I don''t have to. lovesparklies, that''s a good point on waiting until the second fitting to see how the dress looks then.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

Is this first fitting after she''as done a few alterations or first fitting like it came out of the bag and she hasn''t sewed anything yet?


I would think that she should be able to come up with something about the bunching if it''s a fit problem.

 

[Kim N]

GP, this is a first fitting after several alterations already. It didn''t just come out of the bag.

I''ve attached some photos of what I mean. The flaws were more evident in person than in photos, though, because we didn''t get very good photos.

 

[LostSapphire]

It's a beautiful dress. But it's not fitted properly. It looks to me that at about 2" below your waistline, she's got it too tight. That makes the waistline bunch like that. Either that, or there's a lump of lining underneath. The bunching goes all the way around, which is usually a sign of poor fitting in the hip area.

It also looks to be taken in too tight between the waist and the bustline. This is also contributing to the bunching.

The top edge of the dress doesn't seem symmetrical. One side looks to have a different shape than the other.

You look gorgeous in it. But she's got some work to do yet.

LS

 

[Kim N]

LS, thank you, I''m glad you''re seeing the same things I do. I''m definitely going to talk to her about the bunching again and have her loosen those areas up a little. I just hope she''ll be able to fix it.

 

[honey22]

Date: 3/26/2009 7:40:00 PM
Author: LostSapphire
It''s a beautiful dress. But it''s not fitted properly. It looks to me that at about 2'' below your waistline, she''s got it too tight. That makes the waistline bunch like that. Either that, or there''s a lump of lining underneath. The bunching goes all the way around, which is usually a sign of poor fitting in the hip area.

It also looks to be taken in too tight between the waist and the bustline. This is also contributing to the bunching.

The top edge of the dress doesn''t seem symmetrical. One side looks to have a different shape than the other.

You look gorgeous in it. But she''s got some work to do yet.

LS

Ditto everything LS says

 

[Lanie]

What is the dimple right under your girls? That''s the thing I noticed first.

I was honestly thinking it would look a lot worse. I can see the bunching but I was envisioning something totally asymmetrical. It probably does show up more in person.