Anyone here ever had a dress made?

[NiceWineDow]

Hi

Am going to a wedding in just over a month.

I have been searching for a dress for months and have found nothing. I am starting to panic. Its the wedding of someone very important to me. I have lost a load of weight. I will be seeing people I haven't seen in yonks. I have just come out of a long term relationship. I want to wear something really special.

Do I have enough time to get one made? How does it work? Is it massively expensive (don't want to spend more than £100 but would consider it). I googled tailors in my area but I am lost as I just don't know what I am supposed to be looking for.

I really don't know what style I want. I have some ideas but..oh I don't know. I need help.

I have had a thread on here in the past, and so many lovely MNers suggested lovely dresses but I still couldn't find anything I like.

How do I find a good tailor who I can trust? This is all so new to me.

Any help gratefully received

bump

anyone?

Its usually a two month time scale where I work. The labour alone is more than £100 obviously the more complicated the dress the more it costs and don't forget fabric cost's have to go on top of labour cost.

I think you will be limited by your budget. Have you seen anything you really like that just doesn't fit - there are still a lot of sales on with some really cheap lovely dresses about & getting a dress altered to fit you well costs loads less than having one made from scratch. Good quality fabric alone is expensive. Time scale is also difficult now due to school holidays.
I am curvy and smallish & get lots of things altered - I use a couple of dressmakers regularly & am checking out others as mine are so busy. The cheapest tend to advertise by a card in a newsagent, post office or in a fabric shop; also ask around generally for recommendations - my best one came from the receptionist at the local leisure centre; otherwise google dressmakers, Hockley - or wherever you live - although people who have a website or advertise via the internet tend to charge quite a lot more than those who advertise with just a handwritten card. I would try out a dressmaker with an alteration first, unless it was a personal recommendation.

Thanks for replying

Gah. So I can't afford it. Never mind.

You know it never occurred to me to get something altered . Thats a great idea.

Agree with having something altered, it makes all the difference and they can work wonders! Google clothing alterations for your area and you will get a few. Buy a dress in a slightly bigger size and have it altered to fit, they can also add / remove sleeves, straps, shorten etc.

I haven't but I did buy a dress and get it altered significantly. Alterations were 50 quid and made the dress fot beautifully. Why not buy something on asos and get it altered? Order loads of styles and try on.

Are there any art schools near you? I asked a fashion student at St Martins to make a dress for me a few years ago. I bought the fabric and she charged me £100.

Make my own. Good fun and cheap.

If you can to Brighton then Dig for Victory might be able to do something in your timeframe made to measure? Can't link but Google 'dig for victory clothing' - nice woman, a friend did it and it looked very good. Really worth it - maybe £120 to £150 though? Or you can take your own measurements and they'll send them.

Ooooh dig for victory are making my wedding dress! Hopefully it will be lovely!

I have. I went to an upmarket fabric store, chose some stretch silk, told them what I wanted it for and then they recommended a dressmaker in my area. The result was stunning but was 500 odd pounds, took three months and at least 3 fittings.

have also had a horrible experience, getting a dress made when I was a teenager. It was hideous and nothing like what I wanted.

Only by my mum who was very good .Lots of long Laura Ashkey type frocks when I went to Uni ..Friend used to have evening dresses made (husband was in TA and she went to lots of ' dos' ) And she bought a length of silk in Hong Kong which was made up into a dress when she was my matron of honour .this was in
the eighties and I think made to measure has got more expensive and off the peg much cheaper.DD1(went to posh Uni) has had evening and cocktail dresses altered ;she is short in the body (as am I ) and it makes a huge difference to fit .Our local evening dress shop had an in -house tailor.And some dry cleaners have them .We do have a shop local to us which makes wedding dresses but I don't know if they do anything else