There’s a lot of talk about how obese America has become. But not all of that size is just lard. America has emerged from its ups and downs well-nourished, generation after generation. And when that happens, each generation tends to gradually become a little larger–not just weight-wise, but frame-wise. Taller; sturdier. And THEN you add on anything from a little more weight to a lot . . . .
Thus, it’s not uncommon that a cherished wedding dress which a mother or grandmother has protected for decades in the hope that her daughter or granddaughter might wear it, is often too small. (In many cases, of course, this is to the great relief of the new bride.) Now, too big isn’t a problem–but too small is a deal-breaker. Even if the bride is slim, the dress will likely be too short. For a sentimental bride who would love nothing more than to wear her favorite aunt’s ravishing retro gown–if it doesn’t fit, does it simply go back in the box and that’s the end of the story?
Not necessarily! There is a solution - but it’s not for the faint of heart.
If you are fairly comfortable with a sewing machine and have some experience sewing clothing, you can do this yourself–otherwise, you will need a dressmaker or experienced seamstress to help you implement this modification. It’s an idea that’s radical in its simplicity. The plan is to remove the sleeves and open the front of the vintage dress so that it "floats" over a simple under-dress as an elegant, full-length, open vest, retaining all of the charm and detail of the original gown. (Unfortunately, this won’t work well with an original that has a bouffant skirt.)
The idea is to buy or sew a simple, long-sleeved gown in a dressy fabric such as satin or crepe, which matches the shade of your vintage dress–usually they have discolored somewhat with time, so it might now be a bit on the yellow, gray or tan side. It would be best to do any hand-washing (or dry-cleaning, if the dress will stand up to it) to the older dress first, before selecting fabric or a purchased under-dress, in case cleaning lightens it or changes the shade in any way.The shade doesn’t have to match exactly, but mustn’t clash in tone with the original. A scoop neckline would work well for the under-dress (so you can wear her vintage pearls, as well); or, if sewing it yourself, an old-fashioned stand-up collar would be beautiful, trimmed in a similar style to the trim on the older gown (lace, embroidery, etc.).The style of the original will probably suggest the type of neckline to choose.
Using a seam ripper to cut each stitch in the seams, carefully remove the sleeves from the vintage gown, and cut the armholes larger than they presently are. You want the armholes not only more generous, but cut deeper down on the sides of the dress. To do this, use a clean white sheet of printer/copier paper; lay it over the now-open sleeve seam, and trace (from beneath) the line of the existing underarm cut and several inches of the side seam of the dress below the armhole; then move to where the original sleeve hole begins to taper back toward the side of the dress, and sketch the new opening straight down about 2”, and stay about 2” away from the underarm seam all the way to the side seam (this area shown in red on the drawing).
Cut out this piece of paper, and it becomes a mini-pattern so that you can mark both underarms of the original gown to be cut exactly the same (just trace the shape in pencil on the gown).
Next comes the part where you will have to ratchet up your nerve and take a deep breath: begin measuring the front of the dress every 2-3 inches from neckline to hem: measure from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, and moving down the dress, from side seam to side seam, putting marking pins down the exact front center. If the dress has more than one layer of fabric, that can be cut at the same time, pin the layers together so that they are smooth and nothing is “pulling” before you measure and cut. (If it has multiple layers of fabric, such as something with a gathered overskirt that has much more fabric than the underskirt, that piece will need to be measured for its true center and cut separately.) You should now have the exact center front of the dress marked every 2-3 inches as a guide for cutting the dress open. No mistakes can be made here; if any of the pins don’t seem to line up, remeasure. Be sure your scissors are sharp, not dull–for a clean cut. Cut through the original dress from the bottom to the top, removing one pin at a time; do not rush.
The vintage dress is now open for you to slip on over your under-dress to check how the long “vest” settles in to your figure; if you find that you need more room at the sleeve openings, make that adjustment now.
Now it’s time to put the sewing skills to use: decide how you want to “finish” the raw seams where the sleeves used to be, and down both sides of the front. Depending on the skill level at the sewing machine–and whether you can find exactly the right shade of satin binding–you can either bind these edges so that the binding looks like a bit of satin piping; or if the fabric is not too thick, you can roll the edge into a double, narrow machine-stitched edge. If the fabric is too thick, go over the raw edges with a tight zigzag stitch to contain any raveling, then give it a single-turned, machine-stitched edge. You may then want to hand-stitch a ½-inch-wide length of flat lace over any of these edgings, to cover any irregularities. If the original dress is of rather plain fabric, with little in the way of trim, you may wish to trim the top side of the garment all the way around the neckline, down both sides of the open front, and around the hemline all with the same type of rich, heavier lace, to make everything look pulled-together.
This revamping of an older dress not only makes if possible for a larger-than-mom bride to get into her heirloom gown, but configures it in a way that is actually very flattering, with a long vertical line. And if, as is common, the original gown is also a bit short, having the under-dress peaking out a few more inches at the hemline will only serve to make the long, vested style look that much more like a layered-looking one-piece ensemble.
So consider taking your vintage gown to an experienced seamstress to discuss what could be done to convert the dress to a “new” wearable garment–and give Grandma something extra to shed a sentimental tear about on your big day.
