dictionary

design

02.

Term: bustier bra

Love these! Remember when people wore corsets in the old fashion days? I sell bustier bras that are the modern take on the old style corsets. The really lift the girls up and also define the waist. These are really great with strapless dresses, and often I even suggest having this bra sewn into your dress so it REALLY holds itself in place. You will never have to ‘pull up’ your dress throughout the night! Great posture is an added bonus!

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design

03.

Term: bustline

the body circumference at the fullest level of your bust.

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design

04.

Term: bustle

In modern-day terms, a bustle is a series of loops/ties/buttons that hook up the train of your dress after the ceremony so you can move about the reception easily. Your bridal party, mother, or close friend will need to be responsible for this and (ideally) even come with you to your last dress fitting appointment to learn how to attach it. A common misconception is that your wedding dress already came with a bustle, which is not the norm. You will be shown all the different styles that work with your gown at your fitting appointment!

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design

05.

Term: hem

A hem is the activity of shortening the length of your dress. For most floor-length dresses, I hem so the dress just sweeps the floor. However, I will go shorter if you aspire more ease of movement. Keep in mind I will need you in your correct shoes to pin the dress properly so I suggest you bring them to every fitting appointment

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design

06.

Term: hipline

The hipline is the body circumference at the fullest level of your hips.

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design

07.

Term: hook and eye

These are VERY important and often overlooked. They are tiny metal products, one piece is a metal hook, and one piece is a metal loop that attach to each other. They are sewn on either side of the top of the zipper on every dress, it ensures the zipper will not unzip throughout the day!

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design

08.

Term: "let-out"

This term I use to describe making your dress ‘larger’ at either the bustline, waistline, or hips, or all three! Hopefully, your dress has room in there for me to do so easily. Or, worst case, we add a little fabric strip in there. This is especially possible with dresses that have lace details as I can use the lace to overlap onto this fabric strip, ultimately making this alteration completely un-noticeable.

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design

09.

Term: muslin

Cotton material often used in mock-ups for custom dresses. Muslin garment bags are also a great alternative if you are not having your dress professionally stored right away.

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design

10.

Term: slip / crinoline

These words are often used interchangeably in the bridal industry. Some dresses come with a little netting or crinoline within the skirt of your dress itself. Sometimes, if we want to enlarge the skirt of your dress, we add a separate slip/crinoline. Often, designers create these dresses with the expectation that you add a separate slip/crinoline. Don’t be sorry for having to wear this separately, it is actually more comfortable that way!

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design

11.

Term: take-in

This term I use to describe making your dress ‘smaller’ at either the bustline, waistline, or hips, or all three! This is something we do when your dress is too big and I do so at the side seams, evenly on both sides of your dress.
Tulle: The material your veil is made of! Can also be found in illusion tops and elsewhere on dresses. It is like a netting material made of either cotton, nylon, or even silk.

dictionary

design

12.

Term: waistline

Separates the upper and lower parts of a garment. It is the smallest part of body circumference between the bustline and hip line.