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Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?

32 replies

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 09:00

I've found a dress for a formal night on a cruise and fallen in love with it, only issue is my bust.
Since having my baby last year, my boobs are big and show no signs of shrinking back down lol. I love this dress I've bought but my boobs are literally flattened in this dress that it quite painful.

Is it possible to have a dress altered just at the bust to accommodate such large boobs?

OP posts:
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DrMarciaFieldstone · 10/02/2023 09:02

I had a few cms added to my wedding dress at the bust (unexpectedly pregnant!) as the seamstress was able to open up the side seams slightly. There wasn’t loads in it, but made the difference

parietal · 10/02/2023 09:02

That is hard to alter- often there is not enough fabric to make things bigger.

Can you buy a bigger size and make the waist smaller?

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 09:05

@parietal I should have added that the dress only comes in S, M and L. L stops at a 12/14 so no option to size up :(

OP posts:
Notjusta · 10/02/2023 09:07

I think it will really depend on the style of the dress. Can you share a link/picture? Its harder to make things bigger, but some styles might lend themselves to adding an extra panel somehow.

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 09:10

Picture of dress

Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?
Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?
Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?
OP posts:
SBAM · 10/02/2023 09:10

Wedding dresses are typically designed with wide seam allowances to allow for adjustments. Most mass produced clothing has very small seam allowances so there’s usually not much to work with unless you can add in a panel.

How much extra room do you think you need?

fellrunner85 · 10/02/2023 09:12

Would you do a photo of you in it? It probably doesnt look as bad as you think.

Talipesmum · 10/02/2023 09:15

I’m in no way a seamstress, but it feels like it might be possible since there’s a lot of extra material at the bottom of the dress. If you were willing to pay enough for alterations, you could ask for it to be let out under the arms and a bit of extra fabric from the skirt section could be used?

Geneticsbunny · 10/02/2023 09:19

You could slit the front and put a new price of net in which is a bit bigger? It will be much more booby but would give you a bit more space.

FrangipaniBlue · 10/02/2023 09:21

Geneticsbunny · 10/02/2023 09:19

You could slit the front and put a new price of net in which is a bit bigger? It will be much more booby but would give you a bit more space.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest!

CrotchetyQuaver · 10/02/2023 09:26

I think you need to see a good local seamstress and see what she advises and how much it will cost. Then decide if you go ahead with the alterations or rethink your outfit.

I do think she might be able to do something with that style to make it work.

Generally my experience with tit squasher dresses is walkaway and find something that does fit. The decent seamstresses round me are not that cheap and have a lot of work in so I have to wait weeks before they can do mine.

pawz · 10/02/2023 09:27

Geneticsbunny · 10/02/2023 09:19

You could slit the front and put a new price of net in which is a bit bigger? It will be much more booby but would give you a bit more space.

This should work!! This is what my seamstress did on my wedding dress, made the gap wider (but added a modesty panel for the bottom parts) and it gave me an extra 2 inches on the bust which made all the difference.

Notjusta · 10/02/2023 09:27

Ah it's lovely! I think you might be able to get an extra panel/elasticated panel under the arms? Or as PP have said increase the net panel at the front - although this could become quite revealing!

WeCome1 · 10/02/2023 09:33

Could you get them to add similar fabric under the arms as extra sections?
Are you ok with no bra though?

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 10/02/2023 09:48

Honestly, I would walk away.

Very few retailers include a decent seam allowance to enable you to deconstruct and remake an item without making it smaller. Often they are constructed on an overlocker and when you unpick them there is very little fabric and it frays.

Even if you can reconstruct the dress to fit it will change the look and fit significantly, and not necessarily as you envisage.

If you have big boobs generally you need to size up to fit your boobs and then take the waist and hips in.

Netcam · 10/02/2023 09:59

I would find something that fits. I have had a couple of dresses I bought in the past that squashed my boobs, which are bigger than average for my petite frame. I only wore them once or twice because they were just uncomfortable and in the end I donated them. I find stretchy fabric works best for dresses for me, can still have a fitted feel and not be too gapey at the waist/hips, but my boobs still have space to move.

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 10:01

Thanks for all the suggestions. Cruise isn't until summer so plenty of time to rethink dress if needed. I have contacted a local seamstress and will see what she says. If it's too difficult or going to cost double the amount of the dress for alterations, then it's back to the drawing board.

OP posts:
LoveMAFS · 10/02/2023 10:04

seamstress here, luckily due to the design you chose, I could easily upsize the bust.

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 10:14

LoveMAFS · 10/02/2023 10:04

seamstress here, luckily due to the design you chose, I could easily upsize the bust.

Oh amazing! Could you tell me what you would do?

OP posts:
UnattendedPotato · 10/02/2023 10:37

As its sleeveless it is possible. You would need to take fabric from the skirt and have an inverted triangle put into the side seams. Expensive though if a delicate fabric because you would need to have all the armhole facings and linings reworked as well. Alternatively two godets could be put in at the shoulder blades. As pp say a larger illusion panel could be simplest but much more daring. All in all a lot of work either way first pic under arm insert, 2nd pic shoulder blade insert.

Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?
Can you make a dress bigger at the bust?
Sunshineparasol · 10/02/2023 10:50

Increasing the width panel in the middle might be an option, although it would depend on how much cleavage you were happy to show doing that. If you didn't want to show too much cleavage then doubling or tripling up the tulle panel so it is hardly see-through might work. However, widening the central panel might then distort the line of the dress, as it currently sits in a neat "V" from the shoulders to the waist. If you widen the sheer panel there, it forces the "V" wider which could spoil the line of the dress above to the shoulders. As it's the main focal point it would be very obvious.

The other option is taking some of the fabric from another part of the dress (eg hem, width) and creating an extra panel under each arm each side of the side seams.

Either way, whatever you might do depends on how your chest sits in the dress and where any extra allowance would be best placed. You'd need to try it on for a dressmaker to establish that. Some dresses won't fit some busts no matter what, as the design won't allow for it without ruining the line of the dress.

Presuming the dress is lined, the dress bodice (top section) will need opening up for both options and extra panels added from the inside, then it will need closing professionally again. This is where the expense would come in as it's time consuming and difficult to do. People imagine you can just cut the central panel off and sew a new wider panel on behind (and maybe you could) but this won't necessarily look great (nor would it be something a professional seamstress would be happy to do).

I'm not a seamstress but I did once have a dress made bigger at the bust. It was a strapless prom dress I'd fallen in love with, originally expensive but in the sale and a size too small at the bust. In that case, adding a stretchy elastic panel under the arms (my idea! Grin) was quickly discounted as a very amateur way of going about things and instead the seamstress added an extra tiny panel either side of the central back zip, a slim triangle either side running down to meet at a point at the waist. I don't think that would work on your dress though, as it's already a "V" shape (mine was straight across, being a bandeau bodice).

My seamstress was very very talented and couture trained, so my alteration looked great, like part of the shaping/design. I learned a lot from her re what goes into altering a dress. She wasn't cheap though!

Looking back I'd probably have chosen another dress instead of all the expense and hassle, but I was happy with it on the night.

KirstenBlest · 10/02/2023 11:53

I'd have the panel in the front replaced with a bigger one that matches the waistband.

LoveMAFS · 10/02/2023 14:37

What I would do would depend on the construction of the dress and your particular body shape in it. My prefered choice would be side-seam inserts which would be some variation of a tall triangle standing on it's point. Costs could be cut if you're not too fussy about making the interior lining perfect. As the fabric lace pattern is very specific, I would look to use a solid nude stretch fabric with a lace overlay that matches the background small pattern of your dress. Does that make sense? It'd be near impossible probably to exactly match the lace unless you bought a 2nd dress in size small to butcher for its' fabric. If we had loads of time we could experiment with seeing how you feel about different side treatments, like a fine 'criss cross' lattice of tiny ribbon over the nude fabric etc. Or even something very bespoke like an applique bird on a jagged branch in fine work. Hope that gives you some ideas OP

RicciardoPerez · 10/02/2023 15:33

LoveMAFS · 10/02/2023 14:37

What I would do would depend on the construction of the dress and your particular body shape in it. My prefered choice would be side-seam inserts which would be some variation of a tall triangle standing on it's point. Costs could be cut if you're not too fussy about making the interior lining perfect. As the fabric lace pattern is very specific, I would look to use a solid nude stretch fabric with a lace overlay that matches the background small pattern of your dress. Does that make sense? It'd be near impossible probably to exactly match the lace unless you bought a 2nd dress in size small to butcher for its' fabric. If we had loads of time we could experiment with seeing how you feel about different side treatments, like a fine 'criss cross' lattice of tiny ribbon over the nude fabric etc. Or even something very bespoke like an applique bird on a jagged branch in fine work. Hope that gives you some ideas OP

That really helps!! Now the major question.... are you based in Scotland? 🤣

OP posts:
LoveMAFS · 10/02/2023 20:42

I'm not in the UK sadly