Building up Necklines (part 2)

Today's blog post will feature a chiffon neckline build up.  The full breasted lady often struggles with keeping things in check.  Over the years we have helped to prevent numerous 'wardrobe malfunctions'.  We believe that on our wedding day is not the day to wear and over revealing dress.  We don't want the only thing that the guests to notice or remember is our breasts.

This is one of the most unforgettable fails I have ever seen in all my 42 years of working with brides!

 This poor gal probably had a nightmare of a time finding a gown that would fit.  Actually it would be an impossibility to find anything off the rack (which clearly is what she did) that would be proportioned properly to her.

Had she been our bride I would have created the perfect build up to embrace those breasts and yet keep the  original overall look true to conception.

This is one of our brides whose gown was custom made.  The original pictures she brought us had a very open neckline.  When we had our first fitting we asked about her comfort level when Grandma and Grandpa would be in the room.  She thought she would be fine and that the gown was not too revealing.  However!  Grandma came to share our joy on her 'final' fitting and she realized I was right:  She would be more comfortable with more coverage.  

So rather than picking up her gown we were allowed to spend a little more quality time with it and when our bride returned this was the result.  

Whew!  Yes, it does feel more 'bride like' to reveal less on our wedding day.

Revealing too much is a problem often faced by fuller breasted ladies. 

 It's a problem we frequently overcome!

Building Up Necklines.

We frequently have clients who need to have a certain modicum of modesty in their gowns.

Gowns of every variety fall in this category.  

Today's blog is about one project to build up the neckline.

The gown was purchased from our sale rack for $99.00 

With some modification it will be they had been looking for.  

One problem was  the neckline was far to open.  

This is a frequent problem we overcome.

The gown had long sleeves which she wanted shortened.  We removed the motifs from the old sleeves to build up the neckline.  Here they are removed and are being laid out to see how to best place them.           

Our girl is a very special girl with Cerebral Palsy and so it is important that the gown feel comfortable on her.  With that in mind we chose sheer nylon tricot for the foundation of the re-construction of the neckline. 

Then we placed the motifs on the foundation.

Of course they had to be moved around a little bit to create the frame.

Oh yes, be sure to leave seam allowance for attachment into the existing neckline.

Pinning the motifs down so we can begin sewing.

Pin it into the neckline for a 'test drive' to be sure we are placing things perfectly.

Still pinned and minor motif movement is nearly complete.

The piece is removed from the neckline to sew the lace to the foundation.  All hand sewn.

 Hundreds of tiny stitches that we do not want to be seen, but need to be secure are place around the edge of each motif and through the beads to assure none will fall off.

Motifs appliqued to the foundation and now the built up neckline is ready to be placed.

Carefully pining on the left side to sew in and snaps will be applied to the right side from the shoulder to the zipper. 

Detail photo of the new panel pinned into place.  This was also completely hand sewn into place. 

 We did not start taking pictures when we started this project.  Nor have we taken the finished photos.  We will take those tomorrow.  If you will note the time lapse on the photo:  the applique took about 3 hours to complete.  Total time on this gown is 35 hours.  Next week we will do a blog on an entirely different neckline build up.

Let's Talk Necklines - Popular Styles

The neckline of your gown will frame your face.  It can be extravagant or simple, sexy or modest, and anywhere in between.  Today we'll cover the six most popular necklines for the modern bride.  There are many more varieties, which we will cover in subsequent posts.  Also, each neckline style has several variations.  Below are simple illustrations to give you the idea of each style - Strapless, Sweetheart, Tank, Halter, Inverted Halter, and One-Shoulder.

Let's start with Strapless.  This is the simplest neckline, and the name says it all - there are no straps.  Many girls have concerns about a Strapless gown staying up, but if the dress is fit correctly at the waist, this will not be a problem.  The weight of the dress should sit on your hip shelf, so even if you have straps, they don't really to keep the dress up.  However, most strapless bridal gowns and bridesmaids or prom dresses do come with optional spaghetti straps.  A typical strapless gown is just straight across over the bust.

A variation on Strapless is Sweetheart, which dips in at the middle.  It can be anything from a slight scoop to a plunging V, and it can also come with straps.  The Sweetheart is generally a very flattering style on most body types.

A dress with two straps built in to the structure of the bodice is called a Tank style.  This is different from adding straps to a Strapless or Sweetheart gown, as those would be made from a separate piece of material and added after the gown is constructed.  With a Tank style, the straps are an extension of the dress itself.  For comfort reasons, many women choose to wear a regular bra with a Tank style dress, as the straps are generally wider than spaghetti straps.

A similar look to the Tank is the Halter style.  Again, straps are built in when the dress is made, but here they meet around the back of the neck to form one strap.

Another version of the Halter is the Inverted Halter.  Here, instead of the neckline being open, the area between the two straps is filled in, bringing the neckline up to just under the neck.

The One-Shoulder style is pretty self-explanatory.  One shoulder has a strap, and the other does not.  This style has been very popular, especially with asymmetrical gowns.  One-shoulder gowns tend to have more embellishment on that shoulder than you will typically find on a Tank.  Because there is only one strap, it can be larger and fancier without overwhelming the girl wearing it.  Or there can be two or three spaghetti straps coming from one point on the front and fanning out in the back, for added interest.

Stay tuned for more necklines!  There are many more than these first six, and endless variations thereof.


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