OT: Fixing a Cocktail Dress

curious what fabric you'd use. same colour to try and blend in or something bright and obvious. hmmm, pieced either way would work and look nice. would be a convo starter to anyone in the know. no reason it has to look like an addition, rather a planned design. who is gonna know otherwise unless you tell'em.

i cant even recall last time i wore a dress. i dont own one now that would even fit if was even vaguely inclined to wear one. trousers suit me just fine. j.

"Sherry" wrote ... Does anyone have any suggestions how to make a "modesty panel"? Velcro keeps coming to mind. Wonder if it would work.

The invitation came for the annual Christmas party at DH's work. Only this one said "Dressy/ Black Tie attire"......I haven't owned a cocktail dress since the

1980's. (I admit I did still have it in the closet and reluctantly decided the shoulder pads and high-low hem were just too bizarre to wear)

So I go out to find one. Why do they all have spaghetti straps??? It's freezing cold here. My arms would be purple if I wore that. And the ones in my size were above the knee. That would look more hideous than the purple arms.

I found one, lone, suitable dress that fit, that had sleeves and a longer skirt, but it has a V neck that's too low. Do people still wear scarves tucked in their necklines? I have no idea. I've been living in jeans and sweats since 2001, and wearing a denim jumper or skirt to church is about as dressed up as I can get.

On topic: I bought Eleanor Burns' Orions' Star book today with some yummy scrumptious batiks. I think it'll be a no-stress, really enjoyable quilt to put together. It's for a HUG quilt for a catlover friend; I plan to fussy cut some Laurel Burch cats into the middle of the stars. Laurel's colors look like they'll work well with the batiks.

Sherry

How much time do you have, Sherry? There are really quick ways to solve the problem or some that take more time. A knit cami would probably be the fastest and easiest. Two safety pins (we have those!) and a scarf will do. You simply fold the scarf on the diagonal and pin it across from bra strap to strap at whatever level is comfortable and tuck it down inside the dress. You can stitch a scarf into a circle, pull it over your head and then pin it down at the center front of your bra. For goodness sake, please DO something. Recently at a bridal shower, of all places, it seems like every young woman there was constantly struggling and shifting a neckline so her lungs wouldn't fall out. My sister has a cami that is just dead-on exactly the color of her skin to wear beneath those miserable Hootchie-Mama necklines. A dear friend has a necklace of about 18 gold chains; wow, don't you know that's cold? Please report back. We can make you comfortable. Polly

"J*" wrote in message news:hg1u96$v8r$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org...

A piece of pretty lace or some of that sparkly lycra comes to mind

-- especially if you can f> Does anyone have any suggestions how to make a "modesty panel"?

A complimentary cami is indeed probably the easiest solution. Look in both sleepwear and undergarments for best variety, and don't hesitate to stick on some fusible jewels, lace, or such other froo froo bits. Especially if you can match to the dress with it. If you find a sheer or semi-sheer cami in the booferwear section, that would be prime for a delicate scatter of jewels

Velcro would work to keep a panel in place, and it would move with the dress. Another option would be body glue or tape, but that would hold the panel in place independent of the dress.

NightMist booferwear = the sexy l> A piece of pretty lace or some of that sparkly lycra comes to mind

How about a triangle of lace or satin poppered to your bra underneath it?

I'd dearly love to find a nice cami! I have a couple of sort of formal affairs in the next couple of months. Have a lovely, dressy pant suit but have worn it to death for the last several years to all these same functions. Looking for a different top to go with it. Have been looking for 2 yrs. and haven't found anything yet! Very frustrating. I've been to every department and lingerie store in the area and have yet to find a cami - nice or not! Not a bloody one to be had. Same goes for a nice sparkly shell. Unless I want to pay over $100 and I'm not ready to do that. Yes, I could make one but then again, I never remember about that option until there are too many other things to be done and don't have the time/space to make that happen.

Kim in NJ

I discovered that WalMart carries camis. Some even have a lacy neckline that's pretty enough to show with a low cut top. I have the same trouble with tops being too low cut and with my very limited small town shopping I was glad to find them locally. I also discovered they run VERY small. My normal medium size build required an X-large and it's still rather form fitting. I know I've seen 'cami-bras' with a pretty lace insert horizontally across the chest area but I sure can't find any now. Durnnit!

Best of luck finding a solution.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I'd dearly love to find a nice cami! I have a couple of sort of formal affairs in the next couple of months. Have a lovely, dressy pant suit but have worn it to death for the last several years to all these same functions. Looking for a different top to go with it. Have been looking for 2 yrs. and haven't found anything yet! Very frustrating. I've been to every department and lingerie store in the area and have yet to find a cami - nice or not! Not a bloody one to be had. Same goes for a nice sparkly shell. Unless I want to pay over $100 and I'm not ready to do that. Yes, I could make one but then again, I never remember about that option until there are too many other things to be done and don't have the time/space to make that happen.

Kim in NJ

A plain cami is a just super base to work with. You would need less than

1/2 yard really good lace trim that you could add just where it 'shows' - or something quieter such as wide silk or velvet ribbon; beads, sequins, pearls. Polly

Don't forget to look at teddies too. Some of them do have a higher neckline, usually when there is fancy do on that part, but that might suit.

No one will know that it is crotchless with peekaboo panels when you are wearing it under a dress. (G)

NightMist

This one made me bust out laughing. I had a bizarre flashback of my mother telling me never to wear panties with holes in them, because I might be in a terrible car accident. She didn't say anything about crotchless teddies though. :-)

Thank you all for the marvelous suggestions. I'll get this figured out. I think the camisole thing sounds promising. Polly, there's nothing that's going to fall out of the neckline. I just don't get why dress designers don't offer us clothes that cover the chest and arms. I have a bypass scar and this funky bony line where my sternum didn't go back together right after it was sawed open.It kinda of looks like I have a line of vertebrae in the front. People stare. Its embarrassing. Thanks, all! Sherry

Sherry

Okay, Sherry. Now we've got it. DH had an absolute artist when he had his bypass. His scar is such a wee-bitsy line that is invisible - and we've seen many that look like somebody was repairing a teddy bear that was much loved in an emergency fluff-falling out bedtime toddler crisis. There is hope, Sherry. I have in my possession the ONLY jewel neckline long sleeved really pretty dress produced this year. I suspect that the maniac designers will notice that everybody is not an exhibitionist hoping to drum up business. Try this: put the center of a scarf at the back of your neck. Bring it around and cross over once. Bring it down loosely and pin it at the center of your bra. ( If you're not wearing one, staples might work. Ouch!) That covers the bypass stitchery. Now. Audition jewelry and see if it might be fun to put a pin of some sort on the scarf somewhere. I have a gold spider with diamond feet that distracts everyone. (from what-all I may be covering or lacking.) Polly

"Sherry" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com... On Dec 13, 6:56 pm, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com (NightMist) wrote:

This one made me bust out laughing. I had a bizarre flashback of my mother telling me never to wear panties with holes in them, because I might be in a terrible car accident. She didn't say anything about crotchless teddies though. :-)

Thank you all for the marvelous suggestions. I'll get this figured out. I think the camisole thing sounds promising. Polly, there's nothing that's going to fall out of the neckline. I just don't get why dress designers don't offer us clothes that cover the chest and arms. I have a bypass scar and this funky bony line where my sternum didn't go back together right after it was sawed open.It kinda of looks like I have a line of vertebrae in the front. People stare. Its embarrassing. Thanks, all! Sherry

Sherry

Thanks, Leslie, for the tip on Walmart. I'll have to check them out this week as I have one of these events on Fri. Keeping fingers crossed.

Kim in NJ

I haven't read all the answers so don't know if this has been suggested

- just buy yourself a nice camisole top and wear that underneath the V-neck dress. I've seen that effect a lot at here at work for more casual styles and don't see why it can't be used for something more dressy. Enjoy your party!

Allison

Sherry wrote:

Since it has a V-neck, couldn't you take a small piece of fabric, fold in half, place the folded edge to the top, and pin or stitch in place just inside the neckline? There should be enough room to anchor some hand stitches or small safety pins.Using a different textured fabric, like satin with crepe, will make a slight difference in color less noticeable. You could also use lace, and not fold in half. I have used this method in the past, it worked very well and was quite simple to do. Linda

One warning! If you Velcro or pin a triangle or such to the bra or dress, you need to secure all three points of the triangle, so it won't creep up and out of the neckline!

You might take a look through the lingerie department. You may find a suitable nightgown, pj top, or teddy. The gown could serve as the 'panel' and as your slip. If too long, just cut to length. Most nylon does not even need hemming. Another option: a silky tank top, possibly sold in the 'travel knits' collection.

Have fun! Pat in VA/USA