question before my 1st fitting tomorrow...

[AceP]

hi all - hoping you guys can help. i have my first fitting tomorrow. my dress is marisa #726 (the one that''s very similar to MS lia, tho i had no idea about lia when i bought it). anyway - i''m not a big fan of strapless. i''m just not super comfortable in strapless - never have been. so, i''m wondering about adding straps of some kind. but, i''d want them to look integrated and appropriate, not like i just tacked on some spaghettis as an afterthought. and, i''m little on top - little chest, itty-bitty shoulders, so i don''t want or need too much coverage. does anyone have strap-adding experience, or have any suggestions?

and... a separate question... does anyone have any idea how this dress would be bustled, since it has the fit-and-flare shape?

thanks!

 

[Independent Gal]

I asked the seamstress to add straps to my Yearick dress, and it''s ready, whenever I can go pick it up (saturday?) so I''ll let you know. I just asked her to put on the thinnest, least apparent straps she could.

 

[Independent Gal]

BTW, she should be able to tack the straps on so you see what it looks like before she sews them on.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

It would help a lot if you could post pics.
Are you having the dress shortened? you can use the leftover fabric if you are which will make the look more cohesive.
The style of strap and its positioning can make a big differefence in how intergrated the strap looks, but it all depends on the dress for the specifics.

 

[AceP]

Date: 2/7/2008 2:18:07 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
It would help a lot if you could post pics.
Are you having the dress shortened? you can use the leftover fabric if you are which will make the look more cohesive.
The style of strap and its positioning can make a big differefence in how intergrated the strap looks, but it all depends on the dress for the specifics.

thanks for the feedback. here are two (pretty bad) photos of the dress... hopefully, after tomorrow i can add some of me in it! and yes, i''m 5''4", so there should be plenty of extra fabric to work with from the bottom...

 

[AceP]

the back

 

[Sabine]

I think a halter strap would look really nice. I love the line of the back, and I think a halter wouldn''t mess with it. Also, for the bustle...I think these are a lot harder to do, but one seamstress told me they could add a whole bunch of strings to just basically fold the bottom of the dress under so that it retains the shape of the bottom of the dress but just touches the bottom of the ground. Would that be a good option for you if you don''t want a french or traditional bustle?

 

[Independent Gal]

I can definitely picture spaghetti straps on that dress, but just make sure they are spaghetti thin!

 

[zoebartlett]

I really like your dress Ace! I think I''m with Sabine on the halter strap suggestion. I think that would look great with the back line of the dress.

Would you consider some sort of wrap or shawl to wear? I just ordered a shawl that can easily be attached to my dress (or so I''ve been told -- I haven''t had my dress altered yet, so I''m not sure). I had originally ordered a wrap but while it was pretty, it didn''t do anything to hide my upper arms (my dress is strapless also and I''m just not a strapless kind of gal). I exchanged the wrap for the shawl and I''m so glad I did! It will provide more coverage and hopefully not make as self-conscious. I actually tried to find one online to post here but I couldn''t find it. I''ll keep looking and post a pic if I find a good one and/or the one I got.

 

[zoebartlett]

Oops. After all that, I just noticed that you said you''re not looking for more coverage. Hmmm, back to the drawing board for me...

 

[scarlet16]

I feel like really thin straps would be pretty on your dress...I found this one of gingerbcookie''s and thought something similar would be pretty.

 

[gtn]

Date: 2/7/2008 4:02:53 PM
Author: Sabine
I think a halter strap would look really nice. I love the line of the back, and I think a halter wouldn''t mess with it. Also, for the bustle...I think these are a lot harder to do, but one seamstress told me they could add a whole bunch of strings to just basically fold the bottom of the dress under so that it retains the shape of the bottom of the dress but just touches the bottom of the ground. Would that be a good option for you if you don''t want a french or traditional bustle?

I agree, you don''t want to mess with the back, it''s really lovely. I love the v.

Also, when I was trying on a dress with a side sweep, I was told that there was a way to bustle the dress to make the length look shorter. I would definitely ask about that.

 

[gtn]

Date: 2/7/2008 5:41:58 PM
Author: scarlet16
I feel like really thin straps would be pretty on your dress...I found this one of gingerbcookie''s and thought something similar would be pretty.

I like this look better. I like how it goes under the arm so it doesn''t change the way the back looks.

 

[gtn]

You might also like an illusion strap like the one in this thread

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mon-cherie-wedding-dress.78213/

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I second the halter strap Idea. I find that spagetti straps always look to me like an add on and don't really serve much purpose since they are too thin to give any supp ort or visual impact.
I am not sure an illusion strap would match your dress, but the one posted above does have a great shape where it goes from thicker at the bottom to the top.