Repair, Alterations & Re-Modelling
For those who have inherited an heirloom or who have bought or acquired a vintage or other wedding dress, we offer the following services:
Alterations
Dresses handed down can be a fantastic way to keep family traditions and vintage dresses are often very beautiful. There can be difficulties with sizes as they generally are small and not designed for today’s woman. Dresses that are larger than the bride should not be too much of a problem to alter, provided that the construction and condition allows. Small increases in size are possible, depending on the size of seams, but sometimes “camouflage” is necessary as changes to the seams usually leave stiching or other marks that would need to be covered up. If alteration is not feasable you could consider…..
Re-Modelling
This could range from minor changes, for instance, the addition of an overlay or sash to cover defects or for a different look, to more radical work such as reconstruction of part of the dress. If the material is very old, it can be difficult if not impossible to find an exact match and more radical solutions need to be considered, hopefully without altering the basic style and individuality of the garment.
Repairs
Hopefully your dress will only need minor repairs if at all and these can be tackled separately or as part of alterations or re-modelling. In each case, we would recommend the minimum amount of work to make the dress as perfect as possible. One should bear in mind that perfection might not be possible with a marked or very old dress, but this the nature of using a vintage or heirloom garment.
Re-cycling
If all else fails and you still wish to utilise your chosen dress, you might consider using all or part of the garment’s materials to construct a new dress, that could be a re-creation of the original, or a totally new design. This may only be practical for a high value or highly valued garment, as the project would involve bespoke fitting and design work. This service would be subject to an individual quotation.
Christening Gowns
Another possibility for an heirloom dress is to convert to something much smaller! There should be enough fabric to make a christening gown or dress for other special occasions such as confirmations or even for flower girls. What better way to “keep it in the family?”
Pricing
We offer a first free consultation that will identify works that are necessary or desirable. We then calculate the cost of materials and labour and give you an individual quotation which we would not normally exceed, unless extra work is specified. Should we encounter unforseen problems during a project that needed further work, we would always contact the client before proceeding and give a revised estimate.
Our terms are 50% of the estimated cost on acceptance of your order and the remainder on collection. Our prices are competitive and you can be assured that the level of workmanship will be high.
Please contact us if you would like to show us your dress, to see what we can do for you. You will find us friendly and helpful and of course you will be under no obligation to proceed.