Dress Developments pt. III: The Decision to Customize Tuesday, August 4, 2009

So after seeing all these dresses, and having a reality check about the size I am, and another humiliating bridal salon experience, I've decided to go custom with my dress. Why? Well, I just can't find exactly what I want in my size at a reasonable price.

Most mass-market plus sized dresses are cheaply made and variations on the same three silhouettes. (I wear a size 26 which means a 28/30 in bridal sizes, and most lines stop at 24). The dresses I love, beautiful silk things by designers like Priscilla of Boston, Melissa Sweet, or Anne Barge, aren't available. There are very few high-end plus size lines I can think of, and the only one off the top of my head, Kirstie Kelly Couture (for Disney), are between $3,000 and $5,000. Not to mention there are only five dresses to choose from. FIVE!

So here we are. Some other pros & cons:

Pros:
- I'll have the exact design I want and the assurance my dress isn't like a million others
- No upcharges for a larger size and/or extensive fittings
- Higher quality, personally made (as opposed to a mass-produced plus sized thing)

Cons:
- Not knowing *exactly* what the finished product will look like
- Not being able to try it on beforehand
- It might be difficult to find a good dressmaker

I'm not going to spend much less on my custom dress than on a mass-produced dress. However, considering that the dress will be of a high quality fabric and handmade, I will be spending much less than if I got a high quality, handmade dress from a top tier designer (Vera, Priscilla, et. al.).

There are many "custom" dressmakers overseas that will make a dress, but I haven't seen too much good luck with this unless you're willing to (a) spend as much on alterations as on your dress and (b) speak Chinese.

If you're interested in custom dressmaking, these resources helped with my decision.
Offbeat Bride: Dress Advice for Plus Sized Brides; and Everything You Need to Know About Having Your Dress Custom Made.

From the Best Destination Weddings forum: Custom Made Dress in Progress. This one is particularly significant because I haven't often seen the dress making process so nicely chronicled, plus sized person or not. Lisa is going to be a very beautiful bride!

I had an awful time finding custom dressmakers in the Dallas area, so here's what I found, all in one spot:

- Fabrique Fabrics (Richardson): They have an in-house sketch artist who will design your dress, then they'll set you up with a dressmaker to have it made. I'll just add that their website is one of the most informative I've seen, and got me excited about picking out my own wedding dress fabric!
- Richard Brooks Fabrics (Dallas). Also houses famous designer Michael Faircloth, but you can call them to set up an interview with any of their in house dress designers who are markedly less expensive. You need to call the store; all the numbers listed on their website for "dressmakers" are invalid or no longer working.
- Bea Harper at The Fitting Room (Dallas).
- Nicolas Villalba of Nicolas Designs.
- Shemara Couture; does interesting designs; I would call them Eastern Fusion designs but I'm not sure if that's the proper term.

Wish me luck! This week, I start interviewing dressmakers in the area. I'm very nervous: this process can be more trouble than it's worth if I end up with the wrong person!