Sunday, August 22, 2010

Alterations: A|X Halter Dress

To continue with my newbie venture into alterations, here's a simple alteration on an Armani Exchange purple print halter dress.  This was a fully-lined, light and airy chiffon dress in size XS that I'd gotten on sale ages ago and thought I'd be able to "easily" take in the sides myself.  Of course I never got around to it, and it was included in the first batch of items taken to the tailor.

Before:

It actually doesn't look half bad as is when belted, but the main problem was that the armholes were low enough to show my bra.  So the tailor suggested that a simple seam down the each side would take care of both the armhole issue and the excessive fabric.

After:

And it did the trick!  Sorry I didn't get a good side-view pic, but the dress is now slim enough to wear alone if I'm feeling bloated or am planning to stuff my face.  And of course it can also worn belted:

Belt: Express Adjustable Skinny Belt, size S/M (similar)
Shoes: Ann Taylor Sofia in size 5.5

I can't recall how much the alteration cost, but I believe it was one of the less expensive pieces because the zipper was in the back and didn't need to be touched.  In retrospect, I think I probably could have done this alteration myself since it does seem relatively simple.  Maybe next time! :)

28 comments:

  1. I love when a simple side slimming solves more than one problem. =)

    It looks way better after alterations, and I love it belted. Was this Marina's doing by any chance?

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  2. This looks gorgeous belted. I love halters like that!

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  3. I love this halter on you! :) Especially when belted. It's so beautiful :)

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  4. Ohh soo classy! Looks GREAT on you!

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  5. AN - Yup it was Marina! She actually told me to leave it alone at first until I pointed out that the side of my bra was showing.

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  6. this is really sophisticated especially when belted! i love it :) yesss i hate it when armholes are too big and show my bra x_x so unclassy haha

    thank you :) i actually have very small, shapeless, incurably dry lips too - for some reason i can fake it in photos sometimes haha. shaping them and drawing outside natural lines helps.

    i watch too much tv too - i used to never watch tv before college. now i'm addicteddd xD i just realized how different cycle 13 was compared to 14 and any other episode simply because the focus was constantly on making "petites" taller. seems like all sorts of girls think they need to fake some extra length, not just us :P (though i barely even qualify as a petite)

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  7. The alteration wasn't very obvious to me but the belted effect was incredible. To be honest I wasn't a fan of the dress in the before pictures but I was sold when you wore it with the silver belt. How first impressions can be so misleading. :)

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  8. Wow, a subtle change it sounds like but it makes a huge difference. That looks really great belted.

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  9. Beautiful dress. Love it belted.

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  10. LOL your alteration lady told you to leave it at alone at first? It looked like a circus tent on you before alterations! Super cute dress, I love the delicate patterns.

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  11. I love the fabric and colors! I'm a huge fan of that color combo (and blues+grey+blk). Glad to hear the alterations worked out well for ya!

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  12. Elle - I don't know how I used to live without belts! They definitely make such a huge impact sometimes.

    Hanna - She said to leave it alone because it actually looked okay belted even before alterations... except for the armhole problem. The tailor that AN and I go to is well-known for turning down work when she thinks something is not worth the cost of alterations, even though it means she doesn't get paid!

    sophia - I love the color combo on this dress too! I'm usually pretty wishy-washy on prints but knew this was a keeper as soon as I saw it.

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  13. Definitely look great and more polished with a belt. I have the same exact problem that most tops and dresses have huge armholes!

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  14. What a big difference a belt and some alterations can do! I love it!! How do you get so lucky with belts? I never can find them!

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  15. Such a pretty dress! That alteration worked wonders. I like it best with the belt.

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  16. Wow! A simple change really improved the silhouette - I love both the belted and unbelted looks.

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  17. I definitely love the dress belted and on that same vein, I love your blog!

    http://twentyyork.blogspot.com

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  18. This dress looks so chic on you!...I love it.

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  19. Wow, what a roomy dress : ) I really like it belted after the alterations. And those pretty Ann Taylor peep toes! I know what you mean about the armholes, lol. For wearing unbelted, maybe it'd be better a little bit shorter since it still looks a tad tent-like post alterations.

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  20. yeah i will try to do a look sometime. probably draw some attention away from the lips with the eyes. i don't know. i think if i strutted to wustl med school campus like this people would literally think me insane. tone down the fashion for lab days xD

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  21. thank you :* ! it feels nice to claim my territorial corner of the interweb haha :D

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  22. I really like this with the belt, looks great!

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  23. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!

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  24. Couldnt agree more with that, very attractive article

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  25. Appreaciate for the work you have done into the post, this helps clear up some questions I had.

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