How to stop dresses gapping open

[knackeredmu]

Any suggestions - I've three lovely dresses but they gape so much at the neck my bra shows

I don't really want to wear a vest / slip under and I am looking for ideas to either tape the dress together / tape it to me / sew it up?? Thanks

I bought a load of modesty pins from Amazon. You can then adjust the necklines to suit

Buy a bigger size. I've had to face this fact myself after two kids.

Sometimes by attaching the dress to the bra. Sometimes a little tuck at the back or under the arms out of sight. Sometimes quite brazenly as a feature.

There are modesty panels you can buy.

Take them to a seamstress / your local alterations service to be adjusted to fit as you want.

Thanks but they fit everywhere else / I just have big boobs! A biggger size would be more gappage - they are loose v / crossover style

Amazing thank you - have ordered some

Little popper. I can't sew and have managed to get these to stay on

amzn.eu/d/004wQErT

Poppers

I am flat chested and have this problem. I generally use a small safety pin (you can pin it through from the back so it's not too conspicuous. I have some tiny ones from Amazon powder coated in various different colours.

A couple of stitches also sometimes does the trick, depending on how you get into the dress.

I use bra tap along the gape, it holds well and better than a safety pin IMO.

I've got a style of bra that basically looks like a cami top underneath and is good for dresses like this.

I found that ordering magnets for holding gaps together worked much better than pins or panels. They're sold for things like hijabs etc but helpful for all sorts of wardrobe things, and come in many colours. No danger of them tearing the material as a result, and you can reuse them on other items. I sometimes use them to stop cardigans/jackets flapping in the wind if they aren't one that button up, etc., as well as for wrap tops.

The ones I got were metallic but you can get coloured ones as well. They are remarkably strong magnets for the size!

magnets

I got metal snap fasteners from Amazon. There’s a bit of a knack to fixing them but once you get the hang it takes less than a minute per snap.

ilauke 300 Hollow Solid Snap... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088FF5NJM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have a dress from Paige and it has a little hidden hook and eye at the v. It works really well. My mum puts a little stitch in her dresses.

When you say at the neck, do you mean at your shoulders? I once had a fancy top that had tiny strings in the should seam with a press fastener and you looped that around the bra strap. It went to the charity shop regretfully, I often wish id copied it. Where it gaps on my boobs I use a safety pin or the press fasteners

I thought of that, but don’t they make a hole in the material or are they actually a clip?

That's a really interesting suggestion - do they work in soft / lightweight fabric ?

Surely magnets make a hole in the fabric either by piercing or sewing? Rules them out on delicate fabric.

I use tit tape with a couple of my crossover dresses.

No, the magnets don't make a hole - there are two magnets, one on either side of the fabric that holds it together - you don't have to sew them in place or pierce the fabric.

And yes, they've worked on fairly lightweight fabrics like scarves and thin jersey etc. Not tried with silk or anything fancy but I don't see why they wouldn't work. They're small but powerful magnets.

I use tit tape - so did the couturier I used to work for.

These little bits of tape are incredible! Linda's Essentials Double Sided... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZZ5YDMF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Go for a pretty bra! People know you have a bra on. No big deal!

I also came on to suggest hijab magnets.

I got some really cheap ones from Shein and they’re perfect for a couple of wrap style tops I have that gape, plus they’re surprisingly strong!