Wedding Dress / Evening Gown / Business Suit / Jewellery / Accessories Design
Designer Showcase: Wedding Dress | Haute Couture | Business Suit & Men’s Casual Wear
(more portfolio will be provided upon request and booking)
1. Wedding dress
Tidbits when buying your wedding dress
When choosing a wedding dress, please keep in mind that most brides will be needing $150 – $400 of alterations. Be sure you budget that in when choosing a dress. We will provide our portfolio for you to have a preview.
Standard alterations include taking in side seams and/or princess seams in the bodice to achieve a perfect fit, taking up straps, hemming, and bustling. If you are wanting to keep costs down for your wedding, please note that hemming will most likely be your largest alteration cost. Materials like lace with a scalloped hem are very time consuming to alter and will need at least two fittings to ensure the perfect length. Dresses with multiple skirt layers will also show a higher cost. These include most ball gown varieties with a lining or two, a couple crinoline layers, a satin layer and then chiffon or organza overlay(s).
When to schedule an appointment
Rule of thumb is to schedule your appointment three months before your wedding. With that said, if your dress is more complicated, you are going to need extensive alterations, or you want to do some restyling like adding an illusion neckline, you will want to get in sooner. On the other hand, if you tend to keep the same body weight and get your dress in early, we can definitely get your alterations out of the way. For true restyling, at least eight months before the wedding date is recommended for the first consult (see Restyling for more information). You can call or email to set up an appointment.
What to bring to your appointment
To ensure a perfect fit, it is best to bring the shoes and undergarments you plan on wearing with the dress to every appointment. If your dress is low cut in the front or back, or you don’t want to wear a bra, bra cups are available and can be sewn into your dress. For sheer or tight fitting dresses, nude seamless briefs or thongs work best.
You can also bring the jewelry or veil you plan on wearing, to get a full image of what you will be looking like on your wedding day.
2. Evening Gowns and other custom designs
Custom designing is a truly special process. You get to work with the designer to come up with a perfect garment for you that fits you perfectly. How does this process work?
First of all, we have an initial design consult. For this bring ideas, including photos of design features, silhouettes, and materials. From here I will sketch up several designs, in which you will then critique and we will decide on a final design (this may be a combination of several designs). Now this is when it gets fun. From here I will take your measurements and make a block pattern for your body. This will be the basic building block for creating the pattern of your dress, pants or jacket. I will keep your block for future projects. From here we will do a muslin fitting to get the fit and style just right. I can source fabric for the garment or you can find the fabric yourself. Once we are satisfied with the fit and design, it will be made in the final fabric. For many designs we will need 3-8 fittings for the whole processes.
A custom dress can take upwards of 30 hours to make from beginning to end. It is a very personalized process and in the end no additional alterations are needed.
3. Alteration & Repair
There is nothing like a perfect fitting outfit to bring confidence and brighten your day.
And for most of us, buying ready-to-wear just doesn’t do the trick. If you are shorter, flatter, bustier, rounder, taller, curvier, or anything other than “average” we can help make your clothes fit you better,
Alteration Services include: hemming jeans, slacks, dresses, skirts, and sleeves.
Repair Services include: darning holes, mending torn seams, sewing on/ replacing buttons.
Below are estimates for alterations and repair costs. Every garment is made differently, so pricing is very dependent on the individual garment.