Alterations to lengthen a shirtdress?

I have an old black shirtdress I love (first one in Finds), and I especially like the waist design and the fact that it has pockets. However, it is barely getting any wear, as I am bothered by the length - it hits me just above the knee, and I have a strong preference for midi dresses these days. With all the tiered midi dresses trending, I have been thinking that it would be a fairly simple alteration to add a a tier of fabric to the skirt to lengthen the dress, like with the pink dress in the Finds. I would probably want the tier to have a slight high-low design, like the third, black VB dress in the Finds.

The issue is, of course, finding/sourcing the fabric. The dress is made of black stretch cotton poplin. While there are plenty of such fabrics around, I doubt it would be possible to have a perfect match and I would be bothered by mismatched fabrics. I am down to these two options and wondering what your thoughts are:
1) Choose a purposefully different fabric for the tier, like lace ( example white dress in the Finds) or thin cotton eyelet. In this case I would probably want to swap the sleeves for the new fabric as well, for visual balance/cohesiveness.
2) The same dress can be found on resale sites like Ebay/Poshmark, often in significantly larger size, gently used or not used at all. I could buy such a dress and use the skirt as source for the perfectly matching fabric for the tier. I am wondering is it is a bit strange/wasteful to do so, buying a dress only to take it apart. On the other hand, it is probably more sustainable to reuse an existing piece that way

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3 years ago

RobinF

Veteran

I think adding a layer would work fine and would go with whichever aesthetic you would like the most. I would be tempted by option 2 but even the same dress might not match exactly due to how it has been washed or how much used. Still might be pretty close though.

It looks like the hem is shorter on the sides, would you cut that off and have the ruffle straight where it attaches? I you plan on keeping the hem as it is it might be more difficult to get the ruffle to look even.

Irina

I think buying a second dress for a reasonable price is a best option. It is not strange at all. Saying that, I would suggest a consultation with your tailor first. And consider the final cost of the altered dress.

Stagiaire Fash

If you use a second dress, the top part could also be worn as a blouse later.
Angie contemplated doing something similar to this earlier this year, and got a lot of good, creative suggestions, including adding an underlayer that would stick out on purpose.

Star

I think exact color matching will be problematic, but I am not an expert.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Hmmm. Wear it as a tunic?

I like all the creative ideas! Not sure if it’s worth your time, effort and expense though, Tanya. You have a large KILLER collection of dresses. Pass this one on in perfect condition to someone who will love it, maybe?

Joy

Try wearing the dress on a warm day. For some reason a bit shorter frock looks better on a hot day. Or try wearing it with stockings that are not shiny and matches your leg color. You will feel more covered. I think your alteration ideas make sense. You could try a black slip with lace bottom under the dress to access the look.I have admired those dresses that have a sheer fabric at the bottom.

rachylou

I feel like an eyelet in black would be most effective and consistent with your style, Tanya. I’m thinking buying the same dress for more fabric wouldn’t work - dye lots, washing etc. would make the colour different no matter what. Changing out the sleeves could make the whole project equal to a new dress though. On the other hand, Princess Beatrice did such an alteration for her wedding dress to spectacular effect, so... I like the idea

JAileen

If you can buy the same dress for really cheap, then I think it’s feasible. Otherwise, I like the idea of using it as a tunic. I don’t like wearing dresses above the knee either.

I volunteer at a charity thrift store, and everything we sell has been donated. Sometimes I’ll ask people what they plan to do with something and it’s surprising how often they plan to revamp something. They have a project in mind, and plan to deconstruct, unravel, or felt, and remake the original item.

slim cat

I like the lace idea - but agree on consulting the tailor first.

Tanya

Thank you all very much for such thoughtful input.

I wouldn't wear this dress as a tunic since in my mind the cut is too fit-and-flare to work - I prefer straighter dresses to wear over pants. After reading your advice, I am cooling off about the idea. I will ask my tailor about a price, but if that combined with the cost of the used dress is more than I typically pay for a new casual dress, I will do what Angie says - donate or consign the dress.

Anonymous

Even if you get the same dress you will not be sure of an exact color match and there may not be enough width to gather for the ruffle.

cjh

If using a piece cut from the bottom of an identical dress to make a gathered flounce, remember that you’ll need a length approximately 1.5 times the existing hem to create the ruffle. Maybe more. So a significantly larger size would be needed.

I used to be all about trying to customize things, but ended up not wearing them as much as I thought and passing them on. I'd probably buy a tiered dress seperately but keep the shirtdress in HZ in case you want to wear it again as is.

Brooklyn

I’m off above knee length too.

I’ve been watching Trinny Woodhall on YouTube and she has done pretty much what you describe (buying 2 dresses and cutting up one to lengthen the first). Of course, it would be nice if you could use the leftover bits in some way. But, as others mention, you will need a lot of fabric for the tier.

Another option: the added tier could be in a patterned fabric, like a black and white check.

Another option: you could extend the overall length by inserting a wide panel at the waist. Works for us long torso types. (I got this from Trinny too.)

Another option: cut the dress down into a wrap top.

cat2

I second cutting the dress down to a wrap top.

Lynn

I second the concern about issues with dye lot and also fading if you buy the same dress on consignment. Love the idea of adding a lace flounce to the bottoms. If you didn't want to change the sleeves out entirely you could add a lace band to the sleeve and switch out the collar to lace. All of this would be pretty easy. Agree that gathers are usually 1 1/2:1 in ratio for that type of fabric so lots of fabric length would be needed. Would be a cute blouse also!!!

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