Thinking of going custom.

[E B]

I love looking at wedding dresses. I could look at them all day. In fact, on a slow day at work, I have. I've found lots of wedding dresses that I kinda like. Even more that I kinda really like (and it doesn't help that they're all ridiculously expensive...Reem Acra, Amsale, and Romona Keveza). But none, so far, that have taken my breath away.

I DO have a *takemybreathaway* dress in my head. Different pieces of different gowns, simple, silk satin (or very nice satin), lovely. I'm thinking of going custom. Am I crazy? Thoughts, experiences, stories from friends or relatives would be a huge help. Oh, and to get your opinions, this is what I'm thinking....

Top: Ivory, strapless, empire-waist AND drop waist, both defined by ivory or champagne ribbon (see picture below, and keep in mind, the ribbon that defines the waist in the picture would be dropped for my dress)

 

[E B]

The skirt would look like this:

 

[E B]

That's it. Simple, ivory, silk satin semi-ballgown with ribbon defining empire AND drop waist, with buttons in the back that stop at the waist. Definitely a train, but not a long one. One that looks pretty when bustled.

What do you guys think? Your opinions mean much to me.

 

[selflove]

Oh I love that first picture you posted with the gathering on the bustline and then the ribbons at the empire-waist and at the dropped waist! It reminds me of a ballerina. I can''t envision it with the skirt you posted, meaning I can''t conjure up what the top and bottom would look like together, not implying that I don''t think they''d work together.

Do you know someone who could sew it for you? I''ve heard that if you want something custom, you should find a pattern for it at a fabric store to ensure that you and your seamstress are on the same page.

I used to do the same thing at work, spend hours looking at dresses online! But since I finalized mine I haven''t done as much. One of my girlfriends just got engaged so I have looked for her here and there.

You might find something to inspire you at the St. Pucchi store--I was sure drooling in there!

 

[sosst7]

EBree,

If you haven''t found what you are looking for and time permits, you should definitely see about getting a dress made to your exact specifications. With the pictures you posted and your descriptions, I can kinda envision what you are talking about and it''s going to look gorgeous!! Is there anyone you know that is a seamstress or have you gotten recommendations from friends and family regarding one? I looked online and only found one website for customized dresses, not sure where you are but if you are close to it, it might be worth checking out! Keep us updated

http://www.sharazi.com/customdesign/index.html

 

[E B]

Selflove- Thanks! I actually hadn''t thought of doing the gathering on the bustline, but it''s definitely something to think about. Also, with the skirt, I could do something with pleats, but I haven''t decided yet. Do you think a pleated skirt would look better with the top?

Sosst- I have no idea where I''d have it made. If I decide to go custom, though, I''m going to try to hunt for the best and get some quotes. I''m hoping to keep it pretty low, but with the fabric I want, who knows.

 

[nytemist]

I''m going custom... for not a ton of money either. Go to citysearch for your area, if possible, and look up dressmakers. Get a list of maybe ten, to make sure you have some options and then call them and clearly state what you want. They should give you an idea of the cost right off the bat.

If you can, make a sketch of what you want. I made a sketch to bring to the dressmaker I''m using and it helped a lot. I don''t have the time to make it myself, so I went this route. My first fitting should be next month.

 

[Skylah]

Go custom!

It won''t break your bank, you''ll get exactly what you want, and you will be the only person to ever wear that dress!

I love your dress idea, BTW. What will the back look like???

 

[daisyblue]

EBree,
If I recall you are in Los Angeles. I am not having my dress made, but I do have the worlds best seamstress who can make anything. I am 5 feet and weigh 90lbs and she has made many things for me. I have been using her for 15 years and she is the only person I will allow to alter my dress. She works out of her house so you she is not paying massive overhead for her rent. If you need her information let me know.

 

[LizzieC]

It sounds really beautiful EBree!

I think you should do it!

The topic of custom dresses came up here, if you''d like to hear what some others had to say!

 

[squarediamondlove]

My family and friends actually though I would make my own dress b/c I am artistic (I do a lot of painting, printmaking and etc on the side) - so they though I would want to create my own dress and that it would look great. But I was actually against it and I'll tell you what my reasons were.

First, once you start trying on gowns you realize that things that you like on the rack may not necessarily look good on you once its on you. So although you may have a certain design in mind, once its executed you may not look as good as you though or other gowns off the rack may look better on you - they are wedding dress designers for a reason. So I really didn't want to risk making a dress that would look no better on me than my favorite dress off the rack.

Second, private custom designers are not cheap and you may end up spending the same amount of money. The ones I went to wanted about $5,000

Third, the quality of cut and make may not be as good as wedding dresses comming form companies like Reme Arc, Kenneth Pool and etc. The few custom designer gowns I saw, they just didn't look as solidly made (stitching wasn't tight) and some of the detailing looked cheap to me. Also they had a poorer sense of style. I can't really explain it without overexagerating how the dress was put together but there was a clear difference in quality of make between a custom made gown and known designer gowns like Reme Arc, Kenneth Pool, Annie, Vera Wang and etc.

Some of my friends however rave about the custom design route and either don't see or aren't bothered by the lower quality of make and actually like the style. So its really a personal preference. I just though you may want to hear one version of it.

 

[squarediamondlove]

Just wanted to add, since you don't want anything too elaborate as far as detailing and seem to prefer simplicity with a bit of interesting touches, it may not be a bad idea to go the custom design route if you are sure in what you want and really can't find it anywhere.

 

[LAJennifer]

Date: 4/14/2006 1:06:11 PM
Author: daisyblue
EBree,
If I recall you are in Los Angeles. I am not having my dress made, but I do have the worlds best seamstress who can make anything. I am 5 feet and weigh 90lbs and she has made many things for me. I have been using her for 15 years and she is the only person I will allow to alter my dress. She works out of her house so you she is not paying massive overhead for her rent. If you need her information let me know.

I would really like the contact info for your seamstress. My dress needs some serious alterations (I''m 5''2" and 92 lbs), and I don''t want to break my bank for it. I would appreciate the info.

 

[daisyblue]

Date: 4/14/2006 2:33:04 PM
Author: LAJennifer

Date: 4/14/2006 1:06:11 PM
Author: daisyblue
EBree,
If I recall you are in Los Angeles. I am not having my dress made, but I do have the worlds best seamstress who can make anything. I am 5 feet and weigh 90lbs and she has made many things for me. I have been using her for 15 years and she is the only person I will allow to alter my dress. She works out of her house so you she is not paying massive overhead for her rent. If you need her information let me know.

I would really like the contact info for your seamstress. My dress needs some serious alterations (I''m 5''2'' and 92 lbs), and I don''t want to break my bank for it. I would appreciate the info.

LAJennifer,
Email me at [email protected] just reference pricescope and I will send you her name and phone number. She is wonderful and very reasonable.

 

[Scintillating]

Hi Ebree,
I''m thinking about going custom too, there just isn''t much out there that I can afford that I really want to wear. (Lots of dresses I can appreciate and think are beautiful - but I can''t imagine wearing.)

I found this dress on Romona Keveza''s website - it kind of reminded me of what you''re thinking about creating. (I love the pleated/ruched top of the Justina McC dress.)

Scintillating...

My sister-in-law had her dress made. She went to NYC for some fabulous light green peau de soie and lace. The dress turned out beautifully - and she was the happiest bride you''ve ever seen.

 

[E B]

Scintillating,

That dress is gorgeous (have I mentioned that I''m in love with Romona Keveza''s designs?) and if it had waist definition (like under the bust does) and it was about $2,000 less than it actually is, I''d seriously consider it.

I think I''m going to ask around about seamstresses before making any final decisions. Daisyblue, I''d love your seamstress''s information, thanks!. Judging by her work, do you think that she could make a beautiful wedding dress? I hear silk satin isn''t easy to work with.

 

[E B]

Here's an example of what I'm talking about (kind of, this one has beading and I still don't know about the gathered chest area). It's a gorgeous $6k dress by Reem Acra called "The Winner". See how both the bust and the waist are defined? I'd want to define them with ribbon, though, not beads:

 

[griffitk]

If you like simple dresses, be sure to check out Richard Glasgow. I love his stuff!

 

[flopkins]

tachi had a dress *sorta* like what you''re describing but w/o the bunching at the bust:
here is the old thread

I was going to get the same dress but then I got the paloma blanca instead.

I only found it at a place in Sacramento though... but I bet you could call them, It''s an Allure Exclusives dress and it''s not advertised (amazingly enough!)

 

[San Diego Bride]

custom can be tricky, but well worth it if you have your dream dress in mind. luckily, i have an amazing seamstress in my family so i''m going the custom route. as kaleidoscopic said, you need to try on a lot of dresses (which it sounds like you may have) before you decide on the particular style so you know what looks great on you vs. great on the hanger. drawing a sketch like mytemist suggested is a great way to convey your ideas if you can draw. i can''t, so i cut out a bunch of pictures of dresses, cut them into pieces and then pieced together the dress i wanted. it was kind of like a first grade art project or something, but it worked. seamstresses should have samples of their work so you can see it and look at the details. if they only have pictures then ask for references and talk to them about the detail work. things like hems and seams are very important since they really affect the way a dress hangs and moves. luckily for me, when i tried on dresses from expensive bridal shops i thought the construction was worse than the dresses my seamstress makes (based on previous bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, etc. that were made for me). you should also ask if he/she makes samples. since their wasn''t an actual pattern for mine, my seamstress made a mock version with really inexpensive fabric. she used this for the fitting then altered it. after the alterations were done this became the pattern for my dress. i''m not sure how much it would cost if we weren''t related, but it''s great to know that you''re absolutely getting what you want.

good luck.