Expert: Jenna McAuliffe - 9/30/2009

Question
Hello,

I recently bought a wedding dress online...the dress was my size and since it was cheap, i just went for it and bought it. The main reason i bought it is because it was altered to have NO train, and I'll be wearing the dress to a military ball instead of a wedding.
Well the dress fits perfectly and its just gorgeous.....with one little problem...
Its like 2 inches too short. Ideally I'd like to lengthen the dress rather then go buy shorter shoes and a less full 2 hoop crinoline. (if I wear shoes with NO heels and don't wear the crinoline, the bottom of the dress rests on the floor as its supposed to, but its shape doesn't look how its supposed to...)
So what I'm asking is for any tips on how I should go about lengthening the dress.
Below is a link to what the dress looks like.

http://www.sophiatolli.com/CollectionProductDetail.aspx?cname=SophiaTolli%26did=...

I was thinking I could somehow incorporate a white sheer fabric with lace details along the edge to just give the dress that 2 inches I need.
Here is a link to kinda show what I'm talking about...

http://www.sophiatolli.com/CollectionProductDetail.aspx?cname=SophiaTolli%26did=...

you can see the solid white fabric of the dress and then there is an inch or so of sheer fabric over it to make the dress meet the floor....
Think this will work, or any other ideas?

Answer
Hi Sami!

The links you gave me didn't show the images on the website, but I had a good look and got a pretty good idea of what you mean.

I wouldn't recommend adding any length to the dress itself, as it can very easily tend to look like a fix for the wrong fit (which of course it is, but you don't want it to LOOK like that ;# )

What I would suggest is to shorten the lining of the dress #by around 10") and add a ruffle of fine bridal tulle to it, at the length you want the finished dress to be.  This way it will look more like a design feature than a "fix".   

I'd also avoid using a lace edged fabric, as the lace can interfere with the design aesthetic of the original dress - i.e. it can change the look dramatically.  Keep it simple and you can't go wrong! :)

Hope this helps, and please ask if I can help further.

Jenna
:)